As Leander crossed the line, arms aloft in the afternoon sun, I was struck by a peculiar juxtaposition. Half of me was relieved; Henley Royal Regatta is both a sprint and a marathon, a relentless, all-encompassing, provocative, pervasive, personal week of rowing. To see the flag fall on the final race of the final day was somewhat cathartic for all of us media folk who work tirelessly before, during and after the Regatta to cover the community’s favourite event. As the dust settled and the jubilant Leander cries drifted over a rapidly-emptying Stewards enclosure, the melancholy of a week in completed totality also struck me. Henley is my favourite period of the year; the team at JRN produce phenomenal content, partner with wonderful brands and meet some of the fastest people in our sport. Beyond that, the endless fantastical distractions that litter the bank provide respite from the studious atmosphere of a press box. Black Monday is here but before we allow the darkness to overcome us, let’s sit for one last time together and read the tales told on a glittering Sunday afternoon in this magical corner of Oxfordshire countryside.
Open Events
No huge surprises here. Team GB got the results they expected although the women’s eight will have been disappointed to lose out to the Canadians in the Remenham Challenge Cup. The performance in the Queen Mother Challenge Cup was impressive though and told of a crew hitting form at the right time. The Polish seemed to be a little off-colour and were seen several times training with only three in the crew. Zeidler claimed his third Diamond Challenge Sculls title whilst Diana Dymchenko provided us with one of the Regatta’s feel-good fables in an epic tussle with the Polish Wieliczko. Thwarted three times previously, she finally claimed the Princess Royal Challenge Cup with a brilliant sprint to the line. Garcia and Conde of Spain sculled superbly to defeat Collins and Thompson in the Double Sculls Challenge Cup, sparking wild celebrations over the line.
Intermediate Events
You might notice a common theme in this particular review. Brookes flexed their muscles right across this year’s Regatta but nowhere was their strength underlined more emphatically than in the Ladies Challenge Plate and Visitors’ Challenge Cup. Victories in both – where Leander were the unfortunate recipient of the loss on both occasions – redefines the hyperbolic canon which we often apply to Henry Bailhache-Webb and Richard Spratley’s program. Leander did find some consolation in the Prince of Wales Challenge Cup, where their quad saw off the keen interest of the Dutch U23 boat.
Club Events
Much like last year, this was all about Thames Rowing Club. Classy victories in the Britannia and Thames Challenge Cups were somewhat expected but the dominance on display in the Wargrave Challenge Cup was disconcerting for all other programs. They had four crews in the last eight, two in the last four and were comfortable victors in the final. The one outpost still standing against an onslaught of black and red ruthlessness was London Rowing Club, who won the Wyfold Challenge Cup after beating back (you guessed it) Thames.
Student Events
Save some for everyone else, won’t you Brookes? I had the pleasure of commentating on two of these three finals yesterday for BT Sport and YouTube and the tenacity, aggression and sheer willpower from both Brookes eights in the Temple Challenge Cup and Island Challenge Cup was nothing short of magnificent. It’s been said before that this platform don’t give Brookes the praise they deserve. Consider this our olive branch; this Regatta represents one of the single greatest performances from one boat club in the history of our sport.
Junior Events
This is really where my tilt at Fantasy Henley broke down. For the founder of a junior rowing platform, it pains me to admit that I only correctly predicted one of the four winners across the schoolboy and girl roster (although for those that read my previews regularly, this inaccuracy may come as no surprise). Greenwich Crew came and bashed about the best UK boats to show just how strong American clubs are in the Prince Philip Challenge Trophy. Leander put the disappointment of the National Schools’ Regatta behind them to defeat Windsor Boys in an all-timer semi-final in the Fawley Challenge Cup before easing past a resurgent Hinksey Sculling School in the last race of the Sunday. There was general astonishment in the press box when Tideway Scullers School simply walked away from Wycliffe Junior Rowing Club in the Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup. For once though, I was not all that surprised. Having watched TSS all week, their speed was obvious – they ran Wycliffe close at Henley Women’s Regatta and closed the gap on the grandest stage of them all. Finally, St Edward’s School put on a clinic in sweep rowing to see off St Paul’s in the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup. There was a general feeling that St Paul’s, with several returners from last year’s winning crew, would come again after a silver at the National Schools’ Regatta but Jonny Singfield cultivated his program to peak at exactly the right times.
General Reflections
It was a good day to be Brookes, Thames or Leander. Those three powerhouses of rowing accounted for 65% of the winning crews (including composites). What does that say about the state of our sport? To the decision-makers at TNT Sports – the soon-to-be rebranded amalgamation of Eurosport and BT Sport – this sort of domination will be compelling for a season or two. After that though, the narrative will wear thin. This is not a slight against any of the clubs I mentioned – they’re entitled to win everything in their sights and it’s up to the rest of rowing to be better and compete. The accumulation of talent in those hallowed halls does beg broader questions about whether one or two boats clubs mapping themselves onto so much silverware helps or hinders the progress – and commercial viability – of our sport.
The Regatta once again re-imagined the art of the possible in its coverage of the racing. Following a last-minute drone drop-out, the new Fawley position (where crews came sweeping by at near-eye level) worked really well to help tell the story of the racing. With TNT Sports continuing to support the coverage of rowing whilst it remains an Olympic sport, the Regatta can hopefully scale new heights in its partnership. Although I am part of the team and so am naturally biased, I did also think the commentary was the best it has ever been. A great mix of voices from across the world with varying expertise spikes and lived experiences.
The weather was probably the let-down of the week. Crews endured torrid conditions for the most part, including a frankly ridiculous Friday where rain, wind and thudding grey clouds loomed large over the Thames valley. After last year’s Saturday showers, we all hoped for better weather to encourage record-breaking runs. A few female records did fall but nothing of note. Onto 2024.
The draw was a little frustrating and led to a few damp squibs on finals day. Meaning no disrespect to their respective opposition, the winners of the Fawley, Thames, Temple, Britannia and Hambleden all faced stiffer tests in earlier rounds. On top of that, the open events were broadly uneventful – GB and Canada exchanged blows in the bigger boats whilst the Stewards’ was a bit of a farce (taking nothing away from an exceptional GB four and a gallant crew from Thames).
On a final note – 2023 was another vintage edition of Henley Royal Regatta. The second-largest entry ever, hundreds of competitors from all over the world, Pimms and parties galore and some stunning results from household names and insurgent up-and-comers. JRN were there to cover every single stroke and will be back in 2024 for another several hundred runs down the course. Our application window for new writers opens this week and we’ll also have previews for the third world cup in Lucerne plus British Junior Championships in the next ten or so days.
Until next time, Henley.
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