Holders: Oxford Brookes University
Entries: 34
This preview is almost better split into two pieces. With 34 entries the Prince Albert is by no means the largest field but with only three crews progressing from a field of 21 at qualifiers, serious questions have been raised about some of the crews that have gained a pre-qualification spot and arms have been thrown aloft after some rapid combinations have been left to the mercy of the rowing world’s most daunting time trial.
Crews Required to Qualify…
Adams House, Harvard University, USA
Very little is known about this combination. While eyes may sparkle at the sight of the infamous Harvard name, this crew is from a group of students from their House Boat Club, rather than Harvard University – think of it like a Durham College rather than DUBC. It’s a new line-up that’s come together but formed of athletes that have competed over the year for Harvard. They’re coxed by Catherine Engles who steered the Varsity Four to a silver medal at the IRAs and Josh Gordon who stroked that crew is back leading this Adams House boat in the same seat.
Edinburgh University
One of the shocks from the list of crews required to qualify. This is Edinburgh’s top boat at this year’s regatta and they are forced to the qualifiers instead of their Temple offering which has escaped Friday’s extravaganza. Why this crew have been forced to race on Friday ahead of Durham’s beginner four is beyond me. This is half of the Edinburgh First Eight that has performed well throughout the UK season. They kicked off their season with a second place in Open Coxed Fours at Rutherford Head before going on to finish 16th at the Head of River in the bigger boat. Come the spring racing, they added two sixth places at BUCS and Met in Championship Coxed Fours. It’s worth noting that both of these results had one change to the crew that will race on Friday. Let’s not beat around the bush, Edinburgh will be furious they have to qualify but of all the boats, this is one of the firm favourites to progress to next week and get through a few rounds of racing.
Queen’s University, Belfast
It has been a while since this Queen’s combination raced together in mainland U.K. Last time out was BUCS Regatta which saw them place second in the C Final of Men’s Intermediate Coxed Fours. They were also part of the Eight that came fourth in the C Final of Intermediate Eights. While they came fourth in the A Final of Div 1 Coxed Fours at Dublin Metropolitan Regatta, their results at BUCS suggest that the Belfast boys are on the outside looking in for a berth in the top 16.
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
The cliché surrounding international crews is that they only come to Henley if they think they are quick enough to go far in the draw and that’s what I am having to lean on with this Chinese combination. They came second at the Shanghai Regatta but beyond that, they remain a mystery. After Sir Steve Redgrave brought the Chinese senior squads over, is this a continuation of this idea? No idea. Shanghai truly are a surprise package.
The Cottage Club of Princeton, USA
A quick Google search reveals that The University Cottage Club, simply known as ‘Cottage Club’, is one of 11 eating clubs at Princeton University that can date its origins back to 1884. While this combination haven’t raced together, they all come from Princeton’s crews that have dueled throughout the collegiate season. The Cottagers (?!? to steal a name from Fulham FC) are coxed by Hannah Diaz who is well known for steering the Women’s top boat. The rest of the crew pulls athletes from Princeton’s second, third, and fourth Varsity Eights. The quartet includes Cal Gorvy who won Eastern Sprints earlier this year but before his time as a Tiger, took gold at the National Schools’ Regatta with Eton College.
University College Dublin, Ireland
UCD are arguably the best that Ireland has to offer. After a top-ten finish at Fours Head, the crew went on to claim the crown of Irish University Champions and the overall Irish National Champions. They came over and raced at Met Regatta and some members of this crew, according to the entry list, came second in the B Final, about a length back on the Cambridge crew that won the Final and got a pre-qualification spot.
University of Galway, Ireland
Under the stewardship of Ciro Prisco, Galway came and claimed the overseas pennant at the Head of the River Race, finishing a strong 21st overall, a crew that much of this quartet is formed from. It’s packed full of some of Ireland’s top juniors in recent years and between the four of them, they’ve won countless Irish national titles across a multitude of boat classes. They came together for the first time at Marlow, hence the reason they haven’t pre-qualified, however, they doubled up in the University Coxed Fours and Championship Coxed Fours, absolutely demolishing Worcester Polytechnic from the USA (who we’ll get onto) by nearly 20 seconds. In the Championship event, they won the B Final by clear water finishing as one of the top university crews in the field.
Crews who have secured a prequalification spot…
Brown University, USA
Right then, onto some of the lucky 13 who have prequalified.
After their women won The Island Challenge Cup last year and their men were conquered on the Friday of the Temple two years on the bounce by Newcastle, Brown have sent a specialist unit that is dripping with talent. They snuck in under the radar at Marlow Regatta, under the snappy disguise of London RC/HVK Mornar Split, HRV/E.S.R. Thêta (NLD)/Tideway Scullers School/Imperial College. This combination of second and third eight varsity rowers snuck into the A Final of Championship Fours, albeit placing last some 18 and 22 seconds off Imperial and Brookes respectively. That being said, with a few extra miles under this belt, they will become a formidable unit. Dom Valt stroked Bruno’s second eight to a bronze medal at Eastern Sprints while Adam Von Bismarck, Gordan Milovac, and Joannes Du Croo De Jongh all won silver in the third eight at the same event.
Cambridge University
Five members of this year’s winning Goldie crew have formed a fellowship and set their sights on the PA. Steered by outgoing President, Ollie Boyne, it’s great to see the Blues brothers carry on for the rest of the season. There’s a huge contrast in sweep experience across the four athletes. The bowman Sean Hayes is a former Harvard lightweight and only recently came back from a torn hamstring and rib injury to earn a spot in the Goldie crew. Compare that to fresher Luke Beever, who only sculled before university. By earning a spot in Goldie and this four, he’s showing the potential he can unlock over the next two years at Cambridge.
Colgate University, USA
This is an example of why not every international crew should be prequalified. Colgate’s four could only muster sixth in the Third Final of the Varsity Fours at the IRAs. Three of that crew are making the trip across the pond and they partner up with Max Cole and Thomas Feeney for this quartet.
Durham University
When questions are raised about pre-qualification in this event, this crew is at the top of the list. This beginner four have managed to land themselves a pre-qualification spot ahead of Edinburgh, Galway and others. Durham were fifth in Beginner Coxed Fours at BUCS Head and Regatta, some 18 seconds behind Surrey who won over 2000m.
Eindhovense Studenten Roeivereniging Thêta, Netherlands
While Triton won the Varsity, Thêta placed fifth at the world-famous coxed fours race in The Netherlands. They have been able to string together a few podiums and minor places at events such as Basel Head and the Heineken Roeivierkamp, particularly in the eights. What’s worth noting is they won at Ghent International Regatta in the Men’s Coxless Four back in May and it will be fascinating to see them translate this speed into their Prince Albert entry.
Groninger Studenten Roeivereniging Aegir, Netherlands
Aegir are bringing a powerful crew with an average 2k across the four rowers of 6:02.5 and Johannes Bakker is the current 100m World Record holder on the RP3. Henley is 2112m long but this Dutch outfit seems to have swept up everywhere they have raced across the Netherlands. They’ve been winning all over the shop including Bosbaan Voorjaars, twice at Hollandia, Westelijke and beat an Orca crew at RaceRoei that was full of U23 talent.
Imperial College London
Behind Brookes, this is the best that Britain has to offer. The trouble is, at Marlow Regatta this was four-and-a-half seconds back on the Brookes war machine. This is Imperial’s top four athletes and I’m sure they will have been watching the highlights from 2018 which saw them lift this trophy. They’ve got Harry Stevens in the three seat, who was part of the eight that reached the final of the Temple in 2021, the first Imperial crew to do so since 1999. Anything short of the semi-final would be disappointing for the Putney club but perhaps with a bit of luck in the draw, we could see them reach the final.
Newcastle University
Much like Imperial, this is Newcastle’s top boat at this year’s regatta on the men’s side of things. The Blue Star is one of the UK’s most revered bastions of rowing pedigree and it has been a while since silverware was brought back to the Tyne from Henley. Their last win? This event in 2017. From that crew, Will Stewart has gone on to be crowned World Champion and James Robson beat California to win the Ladies Plate last year. So, what of this cohort? It’s a question that has been thrown around riverbanks all season long. Recently at Marlow, this crew were sixth in the B Final of Championship Coxed Fours, two seconds behind the Cottage Club and seven seconds behind Galway, both of which are having to go through qualifiers. Newcastle will be without a seed, meaning the expectations of one of the proudest and largest alumni clubs will be in the hands of the Tyne God, hoping he has sprinkled some Geordie magic on this four before they race for a trophy that Newcastle has won three times.
Oxford Brookes University
Nailed on favourites? Probably. All of this crew were inside the top 11 at HORR and easily transferred this speed into the fours. They all won medals in the fours at BUCS Regatta, reached the A Final on the Sunday of Duisburg Regatta and most recently won both Met and Marlow. They won the latter comfortably clear of Imperial and as such any international crews wanting to win silverware will have to go through Bailhache-Webb’s boys.
University of Virginia, USA
For those who have read the Temple preview, you’ll have to excuse the copy-and-paste job. Virginia are a club programme, as opposed to the varsity teams, so they are run like a British University programme. While their Varsity Eight placed fifth at ACRA (the national championship for such programs), the second eight won their final but the Varsity Four placed a disappointing 11th. This crew falls into the same bracket as Colgate. It’s great the Americans want to come but are they deserving a prequalification spot? Probably not.
University of Washington, USA
While Michael Callahan has loaded up his Temple crew, this PA four is a combination of athletes from the second and third Varsity Eights as well as the Varsity Four. The trouble for the rest of the world is this by no means detracts from the calibre of this quartet. Ryan Smith stroked the Varsity Four to first place in the Petite Final at the IRAs while Ethan Blight won silver in the Second Varsity Eight as Archie Drummond and Jonathan Wang-Norderud won bronze in the Third Eight Grand Final. They’ve tasted victory at the Windermere Cup and placed second at the PAC-12s so a semi-final spot should be the minimum expectation.
Utrechtsche Studenten Roeivereeniging Triton, Netherlands
Three of this crew, Bart Lauwers, Jaap Schenck, and Ellen Bijkerk, won the Dutch National Student Regatta “Varsity” back in April which saw them triumph in the Coxed Four Time Trial and then the Final, much to the delight of the swimming supporters. Henley fans will be familiar with the Triton name as the Dutch outfit came and raced the past two years in the Temple Challenge Cup. The crew reached the semi-finals on both occasions losing to eventual winners and fellow countrymen, ASR Nereus in 2021. Make no mistake, this is a dangerous crew that Triton are bringing to the dance.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, U.S.A.
This small engineering college from Worcester Massachusetts last raced on the hallowed waters of Henley in 2017 but they fell to fellow Americans, Santa Clara in the first round of the Temple. This season, the Division III programme (for context, Washington, Brown, Harvard etc are all Division I) placed sixth in the DIII Grand Final at the IRAs, just over 17 seconds behind winners, Williams College. Earlier in the season they placed tenth in Collegiate Eights at the Head of The Charles Regatta and beat the US Coast Guard, Boston College and UMass Amherst to win the McCarthy-McGee Challenge Cup. If Worcester can get through a round that will be a job well done but some will argue that others facing qualifiers should have been picked ahead of Worcester.
Prediction
Provided the draw allows for it, I would love to see the semi-finals featuring Brookes, Imperial, Washington and Triton. That melting pot of thoroughbred international workhorses would be a treat for the thousands lining Henley’s green and pleasant bank.
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