Holders: Thames Rowing Club
Entries: 29
The Wargrave Challenge Cup for women’s club eights is entering its third year now. Although total entries are marginally down on last year, 29 in comparison to 35, hopefully it will mean many of the different clubs represented in the entry lists will make it through to the regatta. That being said, it’s great to see that many of the clubs competing have entered multiple eights in the Wargrave this year, showing the popularity of women’s club rowing at present, and the desire for an event at Henley for these crews to compete in, whether that be in qualifiers or the regatta itself. Since its introduction in 2021, there have been a few key clubs who have dominated proceedings in the Wargrave, and this year looks set to be the same.
Thames A
The Wargrave Challenge Cup’s current holder is Thames Rowing Club ‘A’, and they’re well placed to repeat that feat again this year. The dominant UK club in terms of women’s sweep rowing, Thames have had a fabulous season so far, with wins at Wallingford Regatta and the Sunday of Metropolitan Regatta. Their A crew features two of their winning crew from last year, Olivia Rogerson, and former GB U23 international Annie Sharp, along with Darla Matthews, who was in their 2022 Remenham eight. They were winners of Club Eights and beaten finalists in Championship Eights at Henley Women’s Regatta and due to the different categorisations at the two regattas, Thames ‘A’ stand a better chance of winning at Henley Royal and will likely have been focused on the Wargrave for this season. Thames have entered five eights for the Wargrave, a hugely impressive feat, and it’s not inconceivable that with a favourable draw their B crew could still be racing towards the second half of the week.
Leander Club
Thames’ closest rival, as was the case in 2022, is likely to come from Leander Club. The inaugural winners back in 2021, they’ll aspire to reclaim their place as the dominant force in UK club rowing, both through their performances in the Remenham and the Wargrave. Unlike Thames, whose first eight is entered in the Wargrave, Leander’s first two eights will contest the Remenham. However, it looks likely to be the same Leander crew who have been racing Thames this season and come up short of the mark. This included a challenging result on the Saturday of Metropolitan Regatta, where they came in a disappointing sixth. Racing on home water, their expectations and desire to regain the Wargrave will be high, but they’ll have to step up if they’re to catch Thames.
Christiania Roklub, Norway
This year’s field is largely domestic, with the notable exception being Christiania Roklub from Norway. There are very few direct comparisons in form available, so it’s hard to know how they’ll measure up against the top UK clubs. Hopefully a good performance will help launch this event internationally and encourage more overseas talent to come and contest the Wargrave.
Others
Outside of Thames and Leander, the top performing club crews from the UK have come from Molesey Boat Club and Vesta Rowing Club. They’ve been some distance off the back of the top crews from Thames and Leander but with a favourable draw and some strong performances they could well be in the mix to make it through to the Friday and Saturday. Along with Molesey and Vesta, a big shout out to Upper Thames Rowing Club, Marlow Rowing Club, London Rowing Club and Cantabrigian Rowing Club, all of whom have also fielded multiple crews for the Wargrave, a brilliant reflection of the depths of these clubs.
Predictions
There is possibly no Henley event with a stronger favourite than Thames Rowing Club ‘A’ are for the Wargrave – they’ve been dominant on the club sweep scene this season and will be eager to defend their title and continue to reinforce their reputation as the commanding force in women’s club rowing. The unknown is the Norwegian entry Christiania Roklub, and if there is to be an upset, I imagine this would where it would be from, considering how tight Thames’ grip on the domestic field has been this season. Leander Club can never be ruled out, but they’ll require a major step up from their results so far this season, and it will be interesting to see how they fair at Henley Women’s in comparison to Thames. One hopes that even with the standout names as favourites to make it to the weekend and beyond, some of the smaller clubs can produce some good results and tight racing. It would be great for the Wargrave, while still in its infancy, to have some tight, competitive match ups, to keep encouraging more overseas entries and to continue to drive the standard of women’s club rowing here in the UK.
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