For those who were looking forward to racing – as well as those excited for a weekend of spectating and socialising – the cancellation of Henley Women’s Regatta comes as a heavy blow. To soothe the disappointment of what has so far been a bleak, regatta-less summer, here is a roundup of the top ten races which have taken place at HWR for the J16 coxed fours and J16 coxless quads in the history of the regatta.
2018 – J16 4X Final: Henley RC vs Marlow RC
In 2018, the J16 coxed quads event was won by Henley RC, a victory which had been theirs for the two years prior, and which they’d narrowly lost out on to a Nottingham RC and St Neots composite crew in 2015. The crew – comprised of Hannah Hills, Charlotte Rowley, Carla Russell and Georgie Brown – had a very successful campaign, beating Canford School by 4 ½ lengths in the quarterfinals and Surbiton High School by 2 ½ lengths the following day in the semis. However, it was their final against local rivals Marlow RC where things became interesting. Both crews raced in an incredibly strong, mature and composed manner, with the Marlow crew holding their ground alongside the Henley boat as they passed Temple Island and gaining ground back on the Henley crew in the last few hundred metres of the course. Henley took the win by ½ a length, setting a new course record of 5:12 minutes in the process and demonstrating the finesse, composure, and competitive spirit which the junior squad has shown to be its cornerstone over the past few years.
2019 – J16 4+ Final: Kent School vs Marlow RC
The 2019 J16 coxed fours final was an incredibly competitive race. From the start all the way through to the last few strokes of the race, the win could truly have gone to either crew. Coming past Temple Island, Marlow had ¾ of a length lead on Kent School, setting a composed and controlled rhythm. However – perhaps spurred on by an unbroken chain of successes over the UK regatta season – Kent School clung on, managing to claw their way back and take ½ a length lead over the Marlow crew. Coming into the finish, it was a dead heat, with neither crew breaking their pace, and providing a display of nail-biting, side by side racing for their spectators. Finally, a burst by Marlow put them back in the lead, reclaiming a length over Kent School and taking the win in a time of 5:27, a new course record.
2013 – J16 4+ Final: Weybridge RC vs Sir William Borlases GS BC
Going a bit further back in time, the 2013 coxed fours event was another fantastic race. The Weybridge boat won by just a canvas, demonstrating the high level of competition between both crews, as well as their similar strength. In the semi-finals, Weybridge beat a Lady Eleanor Holles crew to take their place in the final in a time of 6:09, whilst the Sir William Borlases crew were victorious against their Canadian opposition Branksome Hall, winning in a time of 6:12. Seeing as Weybridge won the final in a time of 6:05, it’s clear that both crews had plenty left to give for the final, and I’m sure it would have been a fantastic race to watch.
2018 – J16 4+ Quarter-Final: Emanuel School vs Henley RC
Though perhaps less exciting to watch than a final, this quarter-final between Emanuel School and Henley RC was incredibly close, with both crews demonstrating their grit and power. Both boats had a clear, strong start, with Emanuel taking the lead by ¾ of a length. Henley then began clawing their way back with a strong rhythm, eventually overtaking Emanuel as both crews passed the halfway point. Despite the psychological advantage working in Henley’s favour coming into the last third of the course, the Emanuel crew hung on, managing to pull back and regain some ground on the Henley boat, winning by about ½ a length. The Emanuel crew later lost out to the Kingston RC four in the semi-finals by 2 ½ lengths – not too bad a crew to lose to given that it was this Kingston boat which went on the win the event!
2019 – J16 4X Final: Headington School vs Henley RC
Yet another exciting race from the other J16 event in 2019! The coxed quads final saw Henley RC take on old rivals Headington School in another close and very well executed final. Both of the crews competed at Schools’ Head, with the Headington crew taking first place and Henley coming in second in the Girls’ J16 eights. This time around though, Henley had a better start, using this to take the lead and setting an incredibly powerful, unyielding rhythm which was backed up by flawless technique. The Headington crew didn’t give up, fighting to close the gap between the two boats, and – especially in the last legs of the race – seemed to be pushing on towards the Henley crew. The win went to Henley – a very well-deserved achievement after a powerful performance. Though it was fairly close – with skilful performances from both crews – what made this race so exciting to watch was the maturity and strength of the Henley crew, who went on to race in and win the GB vs France J16 match in July that same year.
2017 – J16 4X Final: Henley RC vs Cambridge 99/Isle of Ely/ Kings Ely Composite
This was also another very close race, between old favourites Henley RC and a composite crew of members from Cambridge 99 RC, Isle of Ely RC and Kings Ely BC. The members of the composite crew, though not part of the GB Start squad, had joined in with some of their training sessions, and due to a lack of peers of a similar standard were placed together in the quad for regatta season. What is perhaps most outstanding about this race is that despite Henley holding the lead for most of the course, the composite quad never let them get further than about ½ a length ahead – all the more impressive given the fact that they hadn’t trained together to the same extent as the Henley crew had, and had beaten both Headington School and Maidenhead RC crews to get their place in the final. The composite crew caught up with the Henley boat in the final few hundred metres but didn’t quite have enough to push ahead, giving Henley the win by ½ a length, in a time of 5:14.
2016 – J16 4X Final: Henley RC vs Headington School
In a final not too dissimilar from that raced in 2019, old rivals Henley RC and Headington School faced each other in the quad finals. The Henley quad – which contained multiple athletes who were trialling for the GB Junior squad – proved their mettle earlier in the year, remaining unbeaten throughout regatta season. Headington also had a strong race, with their flawless technique providing testimony to their dedication to training. The Henley crew took the lead early on, keeping the rate relatively low and allowing their power and skill as scullers to continue gaining ground over the Headington quad. For such young athletes, it was a very exciting race to watch and proved just how high a level it is possible for junior rowers to reach.
“…demonstrating the finesse, composure, and competitive spirit which the junior squad has shown to be its cornerstone over the past few years.”
2011 – J16 4+ Final: Sir William Perkins School vs Lady Eleanor Holles School
This was another interesting race. The SWP crew beat LEH by 4 lengths in the final, demonstrating what was clearly a stronger race and impressive victory for them. Interestingly, in the semi-finals, LEH had beaten another SWP crew by 4 ½ lengths in a time of 6:07, whilst the winning SWP crew beat their Henley opposition by only 1 ¾ lengths – though in a slightly faster time of 6:03. There is no time recorded for the final, but SWP’s storming victory of 4 lengths suggests that they were the stronger crew and that this would have been an exciting race to witness.
2012 – J16 4X Final: Wallingford RC vs Eton Excelsior
In this event, the Wallingford RC crew took first place by just ¼ of a length, in a time of 6 minutes. The event had a rather small draw this year, with only four crews entered. In the semi-finals, Wallingford beat their opposition Maidenhead RC by 1 ½ lengths, whilst Eton Excelsior beat a composite crew (comprising members from Kings School Ely and the American School) by 4 lengths. Interestingly, the Eton Excelsior crew finished in a time of 6:32, 17 seconds faster than the Wallingford crew. With such a close gap between the crews, it seems that this was a competitive race, though the winning time of 6 minutes is considerably slower than the current course record of 5:12!
2009 – Final: The First J16 Quad and Coxed Four Events
2009 was the first year J16 events for the quad and coxed four were arranged, with these being introduced on a trial basis. In the quad final, Nottingham RC were up against Maidenhead RC, with the Nottingham crew winning by ¾ length in a time of 5:19. The Nottingham crew proved themselves to be strong from the start, beating Henley easily in the heats, and later beating a Runcorn RC crew by ¾ length in the semi-final, though Maidenhead also made their mark, storming through their semi-final against a composite crew to win by 2 lengths. Meanwhile, in the trial coxed fours events, Headington School were victorious against a Latymer Upper School crew, winning by 2 ¾ lengths. Evidently, the races were exciting and successful enough to warrant their permanent inclusion in the regatta!
Though it’s not the same as spending a sunny weekend in Henley watching fantastic performances from top junior racers who are often making history as they smash course records, there is also plenty of footage of races going back to 2016 on YouTube for anyone keen to relive past glories and gain inspiration for the 2021 campaign. For the moment, hopefully, this serves as a reminder of how exciting Henley Women’s Regatta has become in recent years, and how the standard of junior racing has just kept getting better and better over the years!
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