Holders: Leander Club
Entries: 29
With no club or student events for quad sculls at Henley Royal, the Prince of Wales event at intermediate level becomes the hotbed for a wide range of crews seeking to race with two oars instead of one. This means that it is an incredibly competitive event, at least usually. Last year, every crew that entered ended up qualifying, which was rather disappointing.
Happily, the script has been flipped this year as the event has a healthy 29 entries which must be reduced to 16 at the Qualifying Races. Looking through the entry list, it was tricky to choose which crews to mention in this preview, as there are so many exciting entrants, both from the UK and overseas.
If one was to use the list of crews that have pre-qualified as a guide, the favourites would be Skøll, Hollandia, Njord (all from the Netherlands), Leander Club, London RC, Reading University ‘A’, Strathclyde Park & Leander composite, Thames RC ‘A’, Tideway Scullers’ School, Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), Union Nautique (Belgium), and Triton & Cadetten (Netherlands).
As we know, however, the Stewards don’t always get it right. While most of the crews above are indeed favourites, there are a couple of others that I’ll mention below and a couple that I’ll leave out.
Algemene Amsterdamsche Studenten Roeivereniging Skøll, Netherlands
These guys have rightfully prequalified. I remember vividly the last time strong crews from Skøll came over for the Prince of Wales, when they made the final in 2018 and 2019 and on both occasions racing the imperious GB U23 quad featuring current squad members Matt Haywood, George Bourne and Sam Meijer. In 2018 they won the event, and in 2019 they lost by one length with a very similar crew.
The crew entered this year is much changed but just as strong as those that went before. All four athletes are on the Dutch national team pathway, and are on track to join the main team over the next few years. As one would expect from athletes of this calibre, their erg scores are pretty impressive, three of the four are sub 5.50 and the fourth is sub 6.00, up there with the top British male athletes.
The group has raced throughout the season together, at large continental events like the Wedau International Regatta in Duisberg, and impressively, at World Cup II last weekend. Three of the four competed in Varese as a double and a single, with the double of Stijn Weiling and Jorn Salverda finishing third in the B final and Wibout Rustenberg finishing fourth in the B final of the single. These results put the crew right on the border of Prince of Wales standard, and an argument could be made that these guys should be in the Queen Mother.
Bagsværd Roklub, Denmark
This entry from Bagsværd Roklub catches the eye being a crew from a nation known for its sculling prowess. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that this crew will be a true contender to win the event, as their results pale in comparison to the crew mentioned above, and others we’ll get to later on.
The crew has some pedigree, with U23 vests and an athlete who competed in the New Zealand national championships in 2020 where he won the elite quad and double. It’s pretty much a scratch crew, though, and after travelling to the UK early to compete at Marlow Regatta they finished last in the A final (though making it into the A final at all deserves some credit).
Comparing this result to those achieved by other entrants to the Prince of Wales, I don’t see this crew getting past the Friday.
Hollandia Roeiclub, Netherlands
Anyone who has paid attention to the international events at Henley in the past will recognise this name, as Hollandia is the name borne by the Dutch national team when they compete at HRR. The rivalry between this crew and Skøll will be fascinating to watch, as it’s a battle between the senior development squad and this year’s U23 crew, who are expected to perform very well later at the U23 World Championships.
They’ve already raced a couple of times in the lead up to Henley, at Duisberg where they won the quad event on the Saturday, and winning the quad at the Dutch national championships.
It’s entirely possible that the draw will lead to the two crews meeting at some point in the Regatta, a match up which should it happen, will surely be one of the fiercest battles in the event, possibly even the whole Regatta.
Koninklijke Studenten Roeivereeniging Njord, Netherlands
The third of four Dutch crews I’ll mention in this preview, is Njord. They’re one of the big university programmes in the Netherlands which means they’ll be a slightly lower level than the two crews mentioned above.
There’s still serious quality in this lineup though, while they haven’t raced at any of the more well-known European regattas this season (apart from the Ghent Spring Regatta in May), they have achieved podium finishes in a number of Dutch and Belgian events as a quad and in doubles. Two of the athletes are lightweights, and they have won some notable events as a double, such as the Holland Becker in 2022.
While lightweights race tenaciously, they will be down on power when going up against other crews in this event. To beat those crews these guys will need to use every ounce of power at their disposal matched with technique.
Leander Club
The Prince of Wales usually sees a Leander crew in the final, and over recent years they have often won it. Last year they beat Reading University in the final by a margin of ‘easily’, showing that they were a cut above the rest in that field. They won’t have it so easy this year, that’s for sure.
The crew of Rory Harris, Miles Devereux, Oliver Costley and Rowan Law is an impressive blend of youth and experience. Harris and Law are previous winners of this event, with Harris also being part of the crew that won the Queen Mother in 2021 when he jumped in the bows with three Olympic silver medalists. Costley is now a Henley veteran too and Devereux is one of the most promising young scullers in the country, set for a big future.
This unit is the strongest British entry in the Prince of Wales this year, no question. They won Marlow without really being challenged which means their first test will come during the Regatta itself.
London Rowing Club ‘A’
This crew is a really strong entry from London RC. They’re not a club known for their strength in sculling boats, but a few successful scullers have joined in the last couple of years and propelled the club well into the mix of the top quads in the UK.
Three of the four competed in the Prince of Wales last year, where they made it to the Saturday, losing to the winners from Leander (though by less than Reading did the day after). This year they look in good form too, placing second on the Saturday of Met and fourth at Marlow, though all of the crews that have beaten them will also compete in the Prince of Wales.
Given the step up in strength of the event this year, it looks unlikely that London will be able to replicate their Saturday finish from last year, so a Friday exit is the most likely outcome for this group.
Reading University ‘A’
Reading University have come out as the top university in the quad at almost every event this season, and maintain their status as a stronghold of student-level sculling in this country. The one blemish on their record was when they were defeated by rivals Bath University at Met Regatta on the Saturday, though the margin was close and they quickly overturned the verdict the following day (albeit against a weaker crew from Bath).
The quartet of Hewitt, Parrington, Powell and Lyon has been together all year, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. They will know each other inside out, having trained and raced together many times, however their upwards trajectory will be slower than some of their competitors, who will gain more speed day by day as we approach HRR.
One thing that will stand them in good stead is their previous experiences of the event, as Hewitt, Powell and Lyon all made it to finals day last year which was a fantastic result for the club. They’ll take the lessons learnt into this campaign in attempt to upset some of the titans they’ll face.
Thames Rowing Club ‘A’
After their win in both the Wyfolds, the Brit, the Wargrave, and their almost-win in the Thames Cup in 2022, Thames RC sit atop all others in the world of club rowing in Britain. The club has built an extraordinary dynasty matched only by Oxford Brookes in the world of student men’s rowing. This year they’re looking to extend that dominance beyond their usual hunting grounds and into the ‘intermediate’ events. Even more so, they’re switching from one stick to two, and with great success.
Thames’s top quad took a comfortable six second win at Met on Saturday, followed by a very positive second place at Marlow. The crew features Lenny Jenkins, GB senior international who seems to have taken a step back from top level competition this season, though he will bring all that experience to this crew to lead from the front in their campaign into enemy territory.
Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
It’s great to see a strong entry from Ireland here. The country’s rowing stature has risen substantially in recent years though this hasn’t translated over to many crews competing at Henley. The most probable reason for this is the racing calendar, as the Irish Championships are set to take place shortly after HRR and most crews will be focussed on their preparations for that event as the peak of their season and the chance to demonstrate their strength to national team selectors.
The quad from Trinity College, Dublin, have chosen to make the trip to Henley, and they will have been buoyed by their third place finish at the Met Regatta. This is the only event at which we can compare the crew to the other competitors, so we’ll have to wait and see how they stack up next week.
Union Nautique de Bruxelles, Belgium
This crew is a very interesting entrant, being made up of four athletes who have all been rowing this season with the Harvard Lightweight programme in the US. As part of the Lightweight Varsity Eight, they took second place at both the Eastern Sprints and IRAs only a few weeks ago, putting down a very decent time of 5.45 for a lightweight crew.
How they have adjusted to sculling in the quad remains to be seen, but lightweights are typically very versatile, and it’s likely that these guys are just as comfortable, if not more so, with two oars in their hands.
University of Bath ‘A’
These guys will be disappointed not to have pre-qualified. They have probably been bumped down the pecking order by the large number of international crews entered, regardless of how fast they are compared to them.
Bath has had its most successful season in a long time, perhaps ever, this year, with a healthy haul of medals at BUCS Regatta and some really positive results at other events. Their ambition is indicated by the entry of two quads into this event, a strong step forward for the club.
As already mentioned, their top quad has been locked in a battle with Reading University throughout the season, and they finally got the better of them at Met on Saturday only to then have the top two athletes taken out of the crew. That means that the crew found themselves in the B final at Marlow, though they won the race in a great battle with Thames’s ‘B’ boat.
I’m confident that these guys will make it through the Qualifying Races and with a bit of luck they could make it through a round. The loss of their top two athletes to the Double Sculls will hurt them, however, and reduce their chances of progressing deep into the Regatta.
Utrechtsche Studenten Roeivereeniging Triton and Cadetten Roei- en Zeilvereniging Dudok van Heel, Netherlands
The fourth and final Dutch crew in the event, is a composite of the well known Triton and the lesser known Cadetten. This looks to be another lightweight crew which has competed across Europe this season at Duisberg and three of the athletes at World Cup II. In this race they were right in the mix with the Italians and the Germans in the Lightweight Men’s Quad and posted a time of 5.55 in the final and 5.54 in the preliminary race.
Again, these guys will probably lack the raw power necessary to beat some of the bigger units entered, but I am sure that they will entertain us all and maybe even surprise us by beating one of the favourites.
Prediction
After a disappointing year last year where all entered crews ended up qualifying and the final was won ‘easily’, it’s exciting to see the revitalisation of the Prince of Wales this year. The four crews from the Netherlands highlight the Dutch strength in sculling and their appetite to come to Henley, and each one stands a chance of progressing through the rounds.
There are three crews that stand out as having a genuine chance of winning, however. These are Skøll, Hollandia, and Leander. Of course, only two of these three can make it into the final, meaning the draw will be important in deciding who we’ll see in the last round. Between these three it’s almost too close to call, but I need to make a prediction and I will. I’m going to place my bet on the Dutch senior team development crew from Skøll to take the win.
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