With qualifiers just around the corner, Friday’s racing represents the most important time-trial many of these crews will ever do. A Hail Mary to gain access to the Regatta proper and a shot at proving the Stewards wrong. Conditions last year proved challenging for competitors, with a fierce headwind and choppy waters. Although Friday looks a little more benign, it is fair to say that the unpredictable weather patterns that seem to circulate across the Thames Valley are likely to play a role.
In light of the huge significance of Friday, JRN have decided to preview the racing, focusing on crews we believe will qualify. In the article below, we’ll cover the student and junior crews across seven events.
The Temple Challenge Cup
Total: 60. Subject to withdrawals, the fastest 13 crews will qualify.
The maths suggests that crews have a 22% chance of qualifying for the Temple, given there are 60 crews boating and 13 will make it through. Immediately, one would assume that Brookes ‘C’ will be pretty much guaranteed safety. Next up would be some combination of the usual suspects. After Newcastle ‘B’ beat their ‘A’ boat at Marlow, the Geordie boys will hope to carry this momentum forward. Going with them, Imperial ‘B’, University of London ‘B’ and Durham ‘B’ will be looking to take care of business. Further afield, Nottingham University will be eying a berth in the big dance after sneaking into the ‘B’ Final at Marlow Regatta. Things start to get a bit congested in the E Final which was won by Isis Boat Club but also featured Lancaster, Sheffield and York. All of a sudden we’re up to ten space and we haven’t even touched on the schools. Traditionally, we have one or two of the school second VIIIs making the draw and it’s not uncommon for them to win their first round. My bet goes on Radley College, who won Second Eights at the National Schools’ Regatta, Eton College, who won Junior 16 Championship Eights, and St Paul’s School, who have a competitive second eight.
The Island Challenge Cup
Total: 28. Subject to withdrawals, the fastest 8 crews will qualify.
Right, this I take issue with. All three of the northern rowing strongholds (Newcastle, Edinburgh, and Durham) have been forced to send their top eights to qualifiers with the Stewards choosing to pre-qualify every single international crew (except University College Dublin) and only giving automatic spots to two UK programmes. Nottingham University are on the rise at the moment and raced to a fifth place finish in the Champ Eights final at BUCS, beating Edinburgh, and just like that there is only four spaces left. Surrey and Exeter were the two losing semi-finalists in Academic Eights at last weekend’s Henley Women’s Regatta and will be targeting a spot in the draw. Newcastle University ‘B’ lost to their ‘A’ boat in the quarter finals at HWR and alongside Oxford, were the only second VIIIs to reach Sund ay’s racing. Throw another Brookes crew in the mix and all of a sudden things are looking spicy.
The Prince Albert Challenge Cup
Total: 21. Subject to withdrawals, the fastest 3 crews will qualify.
This one is up there with the Brit and the Fawley in terms of savagery. 14% of crews will progress
from Friday’s qualifiers. For those who have read the PA preview, you’ll know that it is somewhat
controversial with some of the crews, particularly Durham University and some of the Americans, being given an automatic spot in the draw, especially as Durham is made up of beginners. It leaves Edinburgh University’s top boat in the regatta at the mercy of the Henley Gods. Shanghai Jiao Tong University are venturing over from China and we have absolutely no idea how fast they are but chances are they are on the outside looking in one of the three spots. That leaves a race between the Cottage Club of Princeton, University of Galway, and University College, Dublin. Two other crews worth noting are Bath University and the University of Warwick. They were within 12 seconds of Galway in University Fours at Marlow but its worth noting the Irish were doubling up events. At least a few of these aforementioned outfits will be spending their Friday night in the Catherine Wheel, assuming there will be the usual curve-ball amongst the rest of the field.
The Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup
Total: 19. Subject to withdrawals, the fastest 8 crews will qualify.
With 42% of crew qualifying, its anyone’s game on the course. It’s clear to see that Windsor Boys can qualify, with an eighth-place finish in Marlow, only missing out on the A final by 0.6 seconds. Kings School Chester are in a good position going into the time trials, with a first in the ‘C’ final at the National Schools’ Regatta, but defeating Abingdon and Winchester with their time. Salisbury School, USA finished five seconds behind a pre-qualifying Deerfield at NEIRA, albeit on a 1500m course. They have the speed over the short course, and if they can carry this speed over an extra 500m, they give themselves a good chance. Great Marlow School had success at the National Schools’ Regatta in the fours, winning the J16 and J15 coxed four, with their Championship Quad coming in tenth. With these successes behind them, it will give them confidence going onto the Henley course. St George’s College raced at both the National Schools’ Regatta and Marlow Regatta, with a 17th and 15th place respectively. The added experience of recent time trials should give them some confidence going into the time trial. Canford School had good momentum going into regatta season, with a third-placed finish in the First Eights at the Schools’ Head of the River. Having split up into two fours for the National Schools’ Regatta, with their coxless four coming third and their coxed four coming fourth. If they can continue the speed they had when they rejoin, they will be able to capture one of the qualifying places. Monmouth came into regatta season with a fourth-place in the first eights at Schools’ Head of the River. They also split up into two fours, with the coxless crew coming fourth at the National Schools’ Regatta, and the coxed boat coming sixth. Norwich School race a newly formed combination of their J16 4+, which came fourth at the National Schools’ Regatta, and their championship coxless four, which came second. With a strong 16th place in the Marlow time trial, they’ll want to secure their place at qualifiers.
The Prince Philip Challenge Cup
Total: 20. Subject to withdrawals, the fastest 9 crews will qualify.
Many of the crews aiming to qualify on Friday actually raced at last weekend’s Henley Women’s Regatta. Lady Eleanor Holles are a familiar name on the girl’s rowing scene. They came seventh in the Henley Women’s Regatta time-trial. St Paul’s Girls School came eighth in the same race, less than one second behind LEH. Following these two crews in ninth was Shrewsbury School, who were 0.3 seconds behind. Sir William Perkins followed closely in 11th. With such close times, it shows that these crews have the speed to do well at Friday’s time trials. Latymer Upper put in a good performance at the National Schools’ Regatta to come home in fifth place, beating out a few other boats who are also participating in qualifiers. Marlow RC began this year with an eighth place in the Championship Girls Eights at the Schools’ Head of the River. They then raced with a J16 coxed four and coxless quad, with the four coming home with a win at the National Schools’ Regatta, and a second place in the Henley Women’s Regatta time trials. Wallingford RC dominated the field in the J16 4+ at Henley Women’s Regatta, winning the time trial by six seconds, and eventually winning the final. A second place in the J16 Championship Eights at the Schools’ Head of the River plus a win in the same category at Dorney Lake in May puts them in a good position to be competitive in the time trial. Kew House came last in the Championship Girls Eights at the National Schools’ Regatta, but bounced back to 13th place in the Henley Women’s Regatta time-trial. This momentum should give them speed going into the time trial. Hinksey Sculling School started this season off with a fourth place in the Championship Girls Eights at the Schools’ Head of the River. Despite not having raced this eight since, they have a very capable squad who have won the coxless fours at the National Schools’ Regatta.
The Fawley Challenge Cup
Total: 54. Subject to withdrawals, the fastest 8 crews will qualify.
Arguably the most cut-throat event at Henley Royal Regatta Qualifiers, the Fawley Challenge cup demands 54 crews, across 5 groups, to battle for a meagre 8 racing positions. I see Los Gatos RC ‘B’ as likely to top the qualifying tables, as the only international crew racing, I doubt a second Los Gatos crew would have trekked across the pond without posing some serious speed. They have a boat in the Wyfold and an ‘A’ crew in the Fawley so this is likely to be their third-ranked group. Similarly, Molesey Boat Club have two crews vying for qualification, but I am unsure which athletes will be in each crew. Off the back of victory in the Championship Coxless Fours category at the National Schools’ Regatta, I query if this crew will be opting for the Britannia Challenge Cup. Nonetheless a second place finish in the J16 Quads at NSR will support their chances of qualification. Having seen success in smaller boats this season, I anticipate Marlow ‘B’ to follow suit of their teammates and join Marlow ‘A’ on the big stage, after mysteriously withdrawing from Marlow Regatta, their home event. Having come second to Leander ‘B’ in the Politzer Cup at the National Schools’ Regatta, who I also see as a sure qualifier after winning in a time of 6.31s, placing them fifth in the Championship event. Leander also scored seventh at Marlow Regatta, where they were the fastest ‘B’ crew by 20 seconds. Otherwise, additional crews I expect to qualify are those who performed well in the National Schools’ Politzer Cup and therefore those who have displayed squad depth to merit two crews in the Fawley Challenge Cup. This includes Claires Court School Boat Club and Sir William Borlase School who came third and sixth respectively, as well as Henley Rowing Club, who outperformed their ‘A’ crew by a mere second while clinching a fifth-place finish.
The Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup
Total: 39. Subject to withdrawals, the fastest 9 crews will qualify.
With 9 places separating a field of 39 from potential Henley glory, I anticipate tight, competitive racing in the Diamond Jubilee Qualifiers. In recent years, Wycliffe College have assumed a Windsor Boys’ style monopoly on junior women’s sculling, victorious in the Wimbledon Centenary at the National Schools’ Regatta with a time placing them fifth in the Championship Quad category, I see Wycliffe’s ‘B’ (and potentially ‘C’) crews as favourites for qualifiers, significantly coming off small boat finals in the single and double at Henley Women’s Regatta. Similarly, Molesey BC saw victory in the Championship Women’s double at the National Schools’ Regatta and a second place finish at the Junior Sculling Regatta, with Coupe de la Jeunesse bronze medalist Olivia Cheesmur in the bows. Combined with younger talent I would suggest the Molesey crew will qualify, perhaps having skipped HWR for an extra weekend of practice. Racing the Diamond Jubilee without Hartpury College would be tantamount to sacrilege, having held the title from 2014-2017 as unarguable trailblazers in women’s sculling. Hartpury’s Sheppard placed second in Championship Single Sculls at the National Schools’ Regatta and the pairing of Maher and Hurrell scored fourth in the Double. If teaming up with future Washington Husky Rabjohns, who was seemingly amiss from racing this season, I anticipate a qualification, despite a heat loss at Henley Women’s Regatta. Yet another future Husky can be found in Donn of Claire’s Court School BC, last year’s victors of the event. Keeping a low profile this season having withdrawn crews from competition I hope to see a speedy reveal at Qualifiers. I would back Marlow ‘B’ to qualify, having reached the final of Junior Women’s Coxed Fours at HWR – assuming the lineup is the same, I expect them to threaten the field. I would also add Headington School, Kingston Rowing Club ‘B’ and York City Rowing Club as remaining contenders.
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