Henley season is upon us. With gladiatorial racing between the booms and in a knock-out format where every race could be your last, there are no repechages – if you lose, you are out. Henley Women’s Regatta is where the best of the Junior, Academic and Club crews come to compete on the famous Oxfordshire course. The Rayner Cup for WJ18 2x is going to be another hotly-contested category with pedigree from both the domestic and international scene.
Wycliffe Junior Rowing Club
They have dominated the domestic sculling scene this year. Their outstanding performances at the recent National Schools’ Regatta resulted in medals across three premier female sculling events (gold in first and second quads plus a bronze in the double). The two doubles from Wycliffe are full of talent, proving the depth of their squad. The ‘A’ boat are the same crew who took bronze at the National Schools’ Regatta whilst their ‘B’ outfit are two of the athletes who won gold in the second quads category at the same event. Kathryn Burton represented GB last summer at the Coupe and Aggie Burt won GB U19 April Regatta trials. This level of depth is astonishing and testament to the program Greg Flower has built.
Sydney Rowing Club, Australia
Current holders of the Rayner Cup and one of two international entries into this event, Sydney rarely compete at Henley Women’s Regatta. The extended trip to British soil must mean they’re pretty serious about taking home silverware at the two Henley events in the coming weeks. These two doubles will comprise a Diamond Jubilee entry from the club at Henley Royal Regatta and this breakdown into smaller boats is a curious move from Don Cech and Félix Dieu. The Sydney junior girl’s contingent have suffered a bit of a last-minute injury crisis, resulting in a substitution, so their speed is something of an unknown.
Club Nautico Sevilla, Spain
It is great to see Spanish athletes coming over to compete on UK turf, particularly at the climax of our racing season. This boat contains Lidia Florido, who finished tenth overall at the European Junior Championships in the women’s double, and Claudia De Marco, who was fourth in the CCW4x+ at the 2022 European Rowing Coastal & Beach Sprint Championships. In this combination, they have won a number of principal Spanish regattas and both are expecting to represent Spain at the U19 World Championships in Paris this summer.
Peterborough City Rowing Club
This crew were fifth at the National Schools’ Regatta in this same category two weeks ago so it would be slightly reductive to count them out. Emma Calver finished fourth in WJ161x at the Junior Sculling Regatta back at the beginning of May whilst Devonne raced to a sixth-place finish in this category alongside a different partner at the same event. If the crew have picked up some speed over the past few weeks, they’ll definitely be a contender for latter rounds.
Notable Mentions
Exeter Rowing Club
Known for producing crews that are able to compete at the highest level, I hope this double from Exeter will be no different. With strong performances from Lucy Webber at GB trials, this double placed seventh at the National Schools’ Regatta and will be looking to improve on this performance come the weekend.
Streatham and Clapham High School
Another ‘A’ finalist from the National Schools’ Regatta, this boat should be competitive and seeking a betterment on their eighth-placed finish in late May.
Lea Rowing Club
Have had some strong results all regatta season across varying boat classes and a club that should not be counted out when it comes to the racing side by side as is well known at Henley, anything can happen.
Newark Rowing Club
Switching one oar for two, the Joy sisters were winners of the ‘B’ final of Championship Girls Pairs at the National Schools’ Regatta. Their result next weekend will hinge on their adaption to a new discipline.
Prediction
Wycliffe, Sydney, Peterborough and the Spanish duo could well represent our semi-finalists. It remains to be seen whether any others can emerge from the woodwork and upset the status-quo.
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