Hartpury College vs Wycliffe Junior Rowing Club ‘C’
The first race of Henley Royal Regatta 2023, these girls sat at the start knowing what was about to begin was not just the start of a race but the regatta as a whole. As Hartpury College started as favourites for this event, both crews gave smooth and organised starts which gave Wycliffe the immediate head start of around half a length. Hartpury showed off their relaxed rate and well-managed steering compared to Wycliffe with their slightly slower rate. As Hartpury drifted into the middle of the course, Wycliffe pushed forwards but this just wasn’t enough as Hartpury continued their higher rate and increased pressure in front of the enclosures. As the crews sped towards the finish line it was Hartpury who emerged victorious and who will be going on to race The Tideway Sculler’s School in the next round.
St Edward’s School ‘B’ vs St Edward’s School ‘A’
The ultimate challenge presented itself in the draw for this year’s Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup: teammates and friends competing against each other. With the winner going on to race Oregon Rowing Unlimited, USA, both crews would have wanted to take the opportunity for an international race. Although the B crew may have been able to predict the outcome, they did not let this affect their performance or confidence. As the B boat checked their steering and ended up near the centre of the course, the A boat stormed ahead to take around a two-length lead at the halfway point. The St Edward’s School coach would have been watching this race carefully, checking his selection of athletes into each boat are accurate. The B crew pushed forward as the race neared the enclosures, but it was the A crew who took the win of this round and will be competing against an American crew later this week. The strength of the St Edward’s School Boat Club has been proved today, with not one, but two quads being Henley qualifiers.
Molesey Boat Club vs Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School ‘B’
As the crews left the starting blocks, it was impossible to tell who was in the lead until almost halfway through where Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School snuck out into the lead. Both Molesey Boat Club and Sir William Borlase powered through to the last few hundred metres of the race, bow balls alternating and jolting ahead of each other with each stroke. The two crews start to respond to each other: Molesey ups their rate, Sir William Borlase pushes through, the Molesey bow looks across at the positioning of their opponent, Sir William Borlase edges ahead. With only fifteen strokes to go, both crews try to edge ahead, and with this final effort, Sir William Borlase takes the win by scarcely half a length. This crew has finished victorious, but they are far from finished as they are up against Wycliffe Junior R.C. ‘A’ for their next round.
Thursday Previews
Henley Rowing Club vs Lea Rowing Club
Henley Rowing Club’s consistency in the success of their women’s squad is formidable, and Lea Rowing Club will be wary of this when they come head to head tomorrow. Lea’s success today in their round against Trentham will have been all good experience ahead of racing Henley on their home water. Although the winning margin today was comfortable, the Henley crew will be testing for the Lea boat and it will likely be the fresher-legged crew from Henley RC to be taking the win in this event.
Wycliffe Junior Rowing Club ‘A’ vs Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School
Following their impressive performance this morning against Molesey Boat Club, Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School will be preparing to take on Wycliffe Junior Rowing Club ‘A’ tomorrow. Their tough race this morning will have given them the confidence boost needed to compete against Wycliffe, as these girls know that they can respond to the moves of other crews. Wycliffe are coming to this event straight into the second round, which gives them the slight disadvantage of not having rehearsed their race plan in a previous race. However, I do not think this will impede on the outcome too much, and I can see it being likely that Wycliffe Junior Rowing Club ‘A’ will proceed into the next round.
Hartpury College vs The Tideway Scullers’ School
Starting as favourites in this morning’s race against Wycliffe Junior R.C. ‘C’, Hartpury College emerged as the winners in a relaxed and seamless race. Their ability to respond to their opponent and make these decisions as a crew in such a high-energy situation is very impressive, and it bodes well for their future in this event. The Tideway Scullers’ School will be entering into this event directly into this second round and will be prepared to fight their Hartpury opponents for a spot in the second round. However, it would be no surprise to see Hartpury College progress through to the next round.
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