The Borne Cup is one of the smallest fields for a championship event at this Henley Women’s Regatta, but packed with talent it could prove to be one of the most exciting. It is set to be a more of a domestic affair in comparison to last year, with only one international entry, but still promises fast racing and intense competition.
Leander Club
Leander Club, the defending champions for this event, are out again in force with three entries for this year’s Borne Cup. Rosa Thomson is the only returning athlete from the 2022 winning crew; this year she’s joined by Susie Dear, Rebecca Wilde and Lina Kuehn. It’s an extremely strong combination, with Dear a two-time Henley Royal Regatta winner in sweep events from 2021, Kuehn a promising Swiss junior with medals at Under 19 European level and Wilde the winner of the George Innes Cup in the single at last year’s Henley Women’s Regatta. As a unit they have already proved they’re worth the hype, most recently warming up for Henley Women’s by taking the win on the Saturday of Met Regatta.
University of Pennsylvania
The only American crew to have entered this year are the University of Pennsylvania. It’s been a big year for their women’s squad, who made only their second full team-appearance at the NCAA Championship earlier this season. Their crew is formed of Isabella Humbert, Caroline Schuldt and Silvia Harrop-Lopez, who formed three of this year’s second four, and Clara Sutherland, who rowed for their third eight. While the American crews are always exciting, it will be a big step up for this four if they are to challenge the likes of Leander.
Molesey Boat Club
Molesey BC’s women’s quad has had a strong season so far, coming second only to Leander A at both Wallingford and the Saturday of Met, where they beat Leander B and Thames A comfortably. They’ve also had some wins this season, again triumphing over Thames on the Sunday of Met, this time with no Leander present. Their crew is comprised on Ella Toa, Holly Dunford, Lisa Gossens and Heloise Wormleighton. Between them they’ve got a mix of junior international experience, with both Dunford and Toa ex U23 World Champions, Toa in the quad in 2019 and Dunford in the pair in 2021. Although they have yet to get the better of Leander so far this season, they will have aspirations to go deep into the competition.
Others
Along with Leander BC B and C crews, Thames RC, Durham University BC and Nottingham Country Rowing Association make up the remaining entries in this event. Durham University BC’s quad finished fourth at this year’s BUCS Regatta, and although none of the crews who beat them on that occasion are entered, they’ll need a good time-trial and favourable draw to progress. Thames RC’s quad includes former Leander and GB U23 athlete Rachel Heap, who leads a well-rounded crew. They’ll be looking to snap at the heels of the likes of Molesey and Leander’s lower crews, hoping to take advantage should any mistakes occur amongst those who are favoured ahead of them.
Predictions
Leander A enter this event as strong favourites based on their athlete’s pedigree and their results as a crew so far this year. Their closest competition is likely to come from Molesey, with Leander B and Thames RC those most likely to push the favourites. It will be interesting to see how the University of Pennsylvania crew match up to the UK clubs and university – it looks set to be an nail-bitingly exciting event!
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