As the 2024 season draws to a close, we move away from Dorney and back to our favourite stretch of the Thames (debatable I know), Henley. Starting off with Henley Women’s Regatta before the Royal, we’re giving the junior women’s doubles their farewell for the year. With an even 30 crews presenting themselves at qualifiers, and only eight making it to the Saturday, we’re in for some exciting racing!
Lea Rowing Club
First in the start order for Friday’s qualification is the Lea crew of Hughes and Kerbiriou. These two have recently made the shift into the double, having spent the earlier part of the regatta season as stern pair of Lea’s top quad. Finishing second at the Junior Sculling Regatta, and third at the National Schools’ Regatta in the aforementioned quad, the calibre of their sculling is clear, but whether this can be translated into a smaller, heavier boat remains to be seen. A stern pair’s synchronicity is sacred, and clearly moves the quad well so Lea are well placed for HWR.
Wycliffe College
A name familiar and feared by all those racing in the junior women’s sculling circuit, Wycliffe present the combination of Joy and Flaxman. These two came third at the Junior Sculling Regatta by just two seconds, racing a quad against the above Lea RC members, so they’re going to be vying to better this result in the double. Joy and Flaxman were part of Wycliffe’s second quad at the National Schools’ Regatta and won this event by a whopping 20 seconds. At a club like Wycliffe, which regularly gives us GB-standard athletes, being part of a second boat really isn’t that bad – evidently.
RGS Worcester Boat Club
Worcester have entered a young junior 17 pairing who have been facing the older girls, and faring well, all season. Whiteley and Hodgson came fifth at the National Schools’ Regatta in the double, and first in their own age category at the Junior Sculling Regatta by over nine seconds. The benefit these two have is they’re not new to the double, and have another year to give it another go.
Rob Roy Boat Club
A name from Cambridge that we haven’t heard all too often on the national circuit, Rob Roy boast themselves as the town’s most successful non-university club with a focus on excellence in small boats. It seems their focus has paid off, with their double coming second at the Junior Sculling Regatta before winning the B-final at the National Schools’ Regatta.
Prediction
I’m confident that all the above crews, acts of God otherwise, should qualify for the round of eight.
However, the events after that remain based on the nature of the draw. It looks to be Wycliffe, Lea
RC and the young ones from Worcester in the top three, unless one of the other 27 entries can
do something exciting!
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