This is one of my favourite events of the entire Henley Royal Regatta roster. It’s the perfect combination of absolutely rapid domestic heavyweights, international phalanxes and composite crews who have come together in development for the world stage. 2022 is the most impressive roster we’ve seen in the Visitors for several years and, with the help of the legendary Fatsculler, I’ve run an eye down the roster to bring you my thoughts.
University of Washington, U.S.A
The Huskies are back at Henley with their largest-ever contingent of travelling athletes. Washington will be represented in at least five men’s and four women’s competitions and they last won on the famous Oxfordshire waters in 2018, when they stole the Temple Challenge Cup from under the noses of home favourites Oxford Brookes. This crew feature four athletes from the Varsity Eight that finished fourth in the IRA State Championships and were narrowly edged out by a crew from the Netherlands in the Windermere Cup. Don’t be fooled though – the quality of Varsity racing in the US means that this crew will still be absolutely rapid under the watchful eye of Chief Coach Michael Callahan.
The Tideway Scullers’ School and Molesey Boat Club
A tasty combination of athletes who all have previous in racing at Henley – some with more success than others. Three of these athletes – Calvin Tarczy, Douwe de Graaf and Tom Horncastle – were part of the iconic St Paul’s schoolboy from 2018, who swept all before them to win the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup in a record-breaking time. All three are now plying their trade at Harvard University (Calvin and Douwe in the 1V with Tom in the 3V) whilst they’re joined in this crew by Miles Beeson who is on the heavyweight roster at fierce rivals Yale. Beeson has been racing in the 1V with Yale this year, finishing second at the IRA National Championships and enjoying bragging rights over his crew contemporaries in winning the Harvard-Yale match. Bringing the best of US collegiate rowing to bear, this crew should be rapid.
Oxford University ‘A’
It was somewhat surprising to see this crew placing in the ‘B’ final at Marlow Regatta (albeit winning it by some six seconds). They won Open Coxless Fours on the Saturday of the Metropolitan Regatta and look a tidy outfit; all four raced in the winning Oxford blue boat just under three months ago and the Delarze/Röösli combination were the Swiss heavyweight double at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Stroked by Tobias Schröder – a Winchester college alum who won his first Boat Race in 2022 after several years of trying – this boat has all the trappings of a seriously quick unit. The question now is whether Marlow was a blip or the sign of a more alarming decline.
Thames Rowing Club and Leander Club
Winners of Championship Coxless Fours at Marlow Regatta, ahead of a pretty speedy crew from Oxford Brookes, this composite comprises Tom Phelps – a former Brown alumni who is now coaching at Fulham Reach Boat Club – Joe Wolfin – who is on Princeton’s roster – Matt Christie – who won the Britannia Challenge Cup in 2019 with Molesey Boat Club – and Jake Brown, who races for Thames. Their win at Marlow caught everyone napping – they’re coming into Henley hot but the likes of Washington and the TSS/Molesey composite may prove a challenge too far.
Cercle Nautique d’Annecy and Aviron Grenoblois, France
Those who remember the Ladies Challenge Plate in 2019 will know remnants of this crew well. Several of them featured in the crew who were knocked out on the Friday by eventual winners Oxford Brookes ‘A’ and are back in 2022 for another crack at the intermediate category at Henley Royal Regatta. Maxence Tollet, who sits at two in this boat, finished second in the pair at the Lucerne World Cup in 2018 and also featured for France at the World Rowing Coastal Championships in 2021 (finishing fourth in the Coxed Quad).
Amsterdamsche Studenten Roeivereeniging Nereus, Netherlands
Can’t not talk about Nereus when they’re on the starting blocks, right? This crew are made up of three athletes who won the Temple Challenge Cup last year and Dirk Uittenbogaard, who won gold in Tokyo in the men’s quad and gold at the 2019 World Rowing Championships. Lars KrKreiter, Isak Verkaik and Jasper Joordens also raced for the Netherlands at the Belgrade World Cup, finishing sixth in the ‘B’ final of Men’s Coxless Fours.
Cambridge University
Another crew packed full of Boat Race talent with three members of the Blue Boat and a sole Goldie representative. Comprised of Seb Benzecry, George Finlayson, Luca Ferraro and Oliver Parish – of whom the latter pairing finished second at U23 trials in the pair in April – this boat should be pretty rapid. On paper, they’re not quite as strong as the Dark Blues but CUBC tend to historically fare a little better at HRR.
Sydney University, Australia
This crew is made up of four guys who have been around the club for several years. Three of the four – Marcus Britt, Lachlan Miles and Kieran Riach – all competed for NSW in the 2022 Interstate Regatta, retaining The Rowing Australia Cup, which is presented to the State with the highest points scored. Several of these athletes have been through the U23 process in Australia but never stepped on to senior rowing and a couple of the athletes – Miles and Britt – were fifth in the Men’s Coxed Four at the Junior World Championships. According to those in the know, they’re likely to be pretty fast.
Oxford Brookes University ‘A’
Holders of this event and one of the fastest domestic crews on offer, Brookes have outgrown the student events to place their best athletes almost exclusively into the intermediate and – sometimes – open categories at Henley Royal Regatta. This particular crew were second in Championship Coxless Fours at Marlow Regatta and are all previous BUCS/HRR winners in varying outfits.
Prediction
As is always the case with the Visitors, it’s incredibly tricky to ascertain who is going fast and who simply looks fast on paper. My hunch is that the crew from Washington are slight favourites but the TSS/Molesey composite will push them hard along with the Dutch from Nereus and a few other domestic units.
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