So, Henley Royal is back and it’s safe to say it’s bigger than ever. With record entries and a brand new 6 day racing schedule it’s set up to be a brilliant week. This year in the Wargrave there are 35 entries to be whittled down to 16 after qualifying and pre-qualifying. It’s only the second year this category has been a part of the regatta, as it was a new inclusion in 2021 and the title was won by Leander. After pre-qualifying was announced there are now 26 crews fighting for 7 places on Friday, so it’ll be a tough race for certain.
Thames
Its seems very apt to start off this preview by talking about the crews from Thames. With another incredible season under their belts the whole Thames club look, as usual, very strong coming into Henley this year. The A crew will be lining up with confidence, after a very strong winning performance at Henley Women’s last weekend and a lot of their competitors will be familiar to them. Previously in this regatta season, Thames had another winning weekend at Metropolitan Regatta again, beating a lot of the crews in this draw. With all that information, it seems safe to say that they will have a good shot this year and their A crew has pre-qualified, but their B and C crew have also done well at regattas such as Met. It’s a strong team, with a very strong chance.
Vesta
Another club familiar with the Thames, both the river and the club previously mentioned as their A crew made it to the final and lost by only three quarters of a length on the Sunday of Henley Women’s. They also had a very strong weekend at Metropolitan regattas, with two crews coming in the top 20 of the women’s eight championship category. This is another club that has their A crew make the pre-qualifying criteria but their B crew has to fight it out for one of those 7 spaces on Friday and they could be ones to watch.
Leander
A club that needs no introduction and one that is the most familiar with this iconic stretch of river. They are the reigning champions of this new category and it will come as no surprise to anyone to say that Leander have had another great season. At HWR they had a plethora of successful crews and once again showed off their prowess as a successful well oiled machine. They also have pre-qualified and will be the top ones to beat.
London Rowing Club
London RC have two crews fighting for one of those precious qualifying spots on the Friday, and also another club who spend their time training on the Thames. At Metropolitan Regatta, they had a successful weekend with their two boats coming just behind Thames A and B in the time trials and their Aspirational club eight made it to the semi-final of HWR. They will need to push hard to break through some of these crews already mentioned, but they could have a good shot at qualifying.
Tideway Scullers
The crews from Tideway are usually a sure bet to do well at Henley Royal and their A crew has pre- qualified for good reason. Despite the fact that they didn’t send a boat to Henley Women’s in the club eight event, which they have a good history of winning, they still performed well across the weekend and they had a crew get to the quarter finals in the championship category. Seven of eight in this crew finished third at the Women’s Head of the River in March, an astonishing feat and one that will be revered for years to come. If they can bring a snippet of that base speed into next week’s racing, we could be in for a cracker between TSS, Thames and Leander.
Cantabrigian
Moving away from the Thames river, Cantabs are also another crew racing on Friday they lost to one of the aforementioned Vesta eights but by one of the tightest margins of the category, only a third of a length. They also qualified third fastest in the time trial, just behind Thames and Vesta. Cantabs have a solid reputation and this eight seems to be performing well, with some good results at Met and HWR standing them in good stead.
City of Bristol
Attempting to make history as the first women’s crew from Bristol to qualify for Henley Royal, the crew from the south west might have a good chance at qualifying. The were fifth fastest in the HWR time trials and performed well at Met regatta. This is a programme that has been on the up and up, with a final finish in HWR pre-covid and a quarter final knock out this time round. If they can improve on this then they will have a chance at qualifying.
Barbarians Rowing Club, Australia
Those in the know told us that of the three Aussie crews on the starting roster, this crew of UQBC athletes stands up as the best antipodean hope of silverware. Coached by Phil Bourguignon, this crew is comprised of 50% students and 50% club athletes who fly under the UQBC banner for long parts of the season. If they’ve made the trip over from Australia, under the tutelage of a Henley veteran like Phil, expect them to be quick.
Predictions:
In terms of who will be lining up on the Sunday, it seems hard to ignore the calibre of the Thames crew. I believe it would take one of either Leander, or one of the international crews to knock them off that top spot.
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