HRR 2021 – Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup Preview

The 2021 Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup is, without a doubt, one of the most open races at the regatta. In the two years since Eton romped home to claim their second win in four years, the landscape of schoolboy rowing has changed. Injuries have hit, coaches have moved, squads that may have been bolstered have been left depleted. But here we are. Two years and hundreds of man-hours later. With a regatta that heavily favoured homegrown crews (there is only one foreign crew in the event this year), the question is simple: who wants it?. 

Abingdon School Boat Club

It’s fair to say that Abingdon has undergone a rebuilding phase since its stellar success in the early part of the last decade. Unfortunately, that success, which saw them win three PE Cups in a row under Athol Hundermark and James Fox, has somewhat eluded the Abingdon crew of 2021. A 6th place finishes at Marlow, 4th at NSR, and a win in the C-final of the Metropolitan Regatta would show a consistent run of form in a school crew without past victories. Still, Abingdon has a treasured history in this event and will not let it go without a fight. The actual crew line-up remains relatively unchanged since Marlow, with the exception of the swapping of Benjamin Crofts for Daniel MacNamara in the stroke seat. This relationship between MacNamara and Crofts [which saw them win bronze medals at NSR 2019 in both the 4- and the Ch 8+] will provide a valuable engine to build peace within the boat. There has been another change at the technical end of the boat, with Sam Hayes-Newington swapping to bow, with Charlie Symonds now at two. With a productive camp over the past weeks leading up to the regatta and changes made at the business end of the boat, one hopes that Mark Earnshaw has banished the demons of the early exits in 2018 and 2019. 

Bedford Modern School

The PE is full of storied rivalries, chief amongst them the “Battle for Bedford” between Bedford Modern School and Bedford School. BMSBC have had a rather torrid time of it in recent years [the last time they made it to Thursday at Henley was in 2012, where they were beaten by eventual finalists Radley]. However, a win gained at NSR 2021 in the D final of Non-Ch 8+ and a highly productive camp in terms of technical gains means that the crew is better placed going into Henley than they might have been in July. In terms of coaching excellence, one should look no further than Mark Bavington, former coach at the highly successful Star Club, which has produced Tim Foster and, more recently, Tom Durrant. This regatta may well see the rise of BMSBC, for so long the weaker of Bedfords two school rowing clubs, to take the title of “Beast of the East” firmly under their control.

Bedford School Boat Club

And so to the other excellent rowing power of Bedford: Bedford School BC. Bedford is a school with a rich history in PE, winning four between 1946-51. However, since then, they have endured a drought similar to other strong rowing schools, such as Radley and Shiplake. A 2018 win in Non-Ch8+ at NSR appeared to herald a new beginning, but that was sorely dashed in a tight race with Shrewsbury on the Friday. Now without their talisman Connor Sheridan (who has been dispatched to Oxford Brooks), Bedford must find new heroes if they are to end their drought. A 3rd place in the B final of Ch8+ at NSR 2021 proved to be grounding, as did a 4th place in the A-final at Marlow behind Monmouth, Eton and Reading. The boat includes Will Garner at five and Seb Iles at six, recent GB trialists who will add to a stern six engine that will be chomping at the bit for a bit of Henley glory.

Dulwich College

Dulwich College Boat Club has a particular advantage over the other crews in the PE Cup. To put in bluntly, a Dulwich crew has never made the final or won the Cup since its inception. This, however, is a hidden strength. Dulwich is free from the glorious past’s that now haunt schools like Radley and Westminster, and each victory is a trailblazing step in the right direction for this new crop of rowers. Despite poor recent form at Henley [Dulwich has failed to get past Wednesday for the past four years], the two-year break has undoubtedly given the squad time to regroup and mend. 2nd place in the B final of Ch8+ at NSR 2021 behind a strong Hinksey crew, Dulwich will hope that the rhythm of stroke pairing Henrey Bichard and Daniel Oakley will allow them to put some pride back into the badge again.

Durham School

The phrase “unknown quantity” comes to mind when one hears the name of Durham School. However, although they may not be on many followers of junior rowings radar, their achievements speak for themselves. From 2008 onwards, the club has produced crews that compete for qualification in the PE time and again. In the absence of such qualification this time around, Durham will finally row on a course they last completed in 2013. On that occasion, they were trounced by Ratsgynasium Osnarbruck and will hope to form a stronger opponent for a potentially tricky opener. One thing is for sure, however. Experience at this event is invaluable and can only lead to future success. 

Eton College

And so to the proverbial “big boys”. The boys in blue have won this event a record 14 times since its inception. Although it’s true that, by Etonian standards, titles have been thin on the ground as of late, Eton will know that being the current holders of the PE gives a certain amount of status. This status also goes hand in hand with a certain foreboding, as the expectation of an NSR/Henley Double looms large. In 2019, the boat was arguably the strongest since the days of Drinkall and Bewick-Copley in 2016. A crew that were rank outsiders before the regatta defied the odds by beating two arguably better crews [Radley and Scotch] which shows that it is not wise to bet against an Etonian boat. However, that was then, and this is now. Recent triumphs at NSR aside, Eton will know that winning races before the regatta has no bearing on performance in it. It only serves as an indication, not a guide. The mighty stroke partnership of William Burges-Watson and Henry Poole has been replaced by Alex Grundy and Harry Stevens, who have already had the four-second win over KCS and St Pauls at NSR to prove that their partnership works. Can Eton replicate the success of their predecessors of the last NSR/Henley double, including a certain Constantine Loloudis. We shall wait and see.

Hampton School

If one were to give an award for a crew that has fallen in the top handful of schoolboy eights year after year, Hampton School Boat Club would have a strong case for it to be them. The Searle brothers, the Livingstone’s, and GB coach Paul Stannard are just some of the illustrious names associated with the club. A 2nd place in the C final of Ch8+ at NSR 2021 showed a worrisome decline for a previously contested club in the last four regattas, such as HRR. The crew also finished further off the pace at Marlow, finishing last in the E final, hardly a position that commentators would tip for Henley success. Ignoring outsiders proved to the detriment of several crews last time around, however, and Hampton will take comfort in the underdog mentality that proved so useful to Eton last time out. If they could re-discover the form that they have in buckets, now would be a perfect time.

Kings College Wimbledon

Like Hampton, KCS have a good pedigree in British rowing. Despite not being on the level for many years of schools such as Radley, Eton or even Hampton, the step-up in quality in KCS performance pre-pandemic versus post-pandemic has been nothing short of breathtaking. For context in NSR 2019, the First VIII finished dead last in the A-final, nearly a full ten seconds of the pace of the top three [Radley, Shiplake and St Pauls]. In 2021, the crew finished inside the top three: 2nd to be precise, beating a much favoured St Pauls crew to the silver medal. With a form like that, one would expect great things from the 2021 KCS boat. A brief mention must go to Ollie Holmes, who does not sit in the Eight, but used lockdown to break the four-minute and 2000m PR3 world records for 17-18. Tom Monaghan strokes the Eight that Holmes leaves in his wake with Ben Lundle at seven and Ed Townsend at six. These three will make the calls that will steer this crew into uncharted waters for KCS. 

Monmouth School 

Over the past couple of years, Monmouth School Rowing Club has cultivated a reputation that combines regional and national success. The club arguably burst onto the scene in 2019, when it won the A-final of Non-Ch8+’s at NSR and won over the storied Kent School boat before succumbing to Shrewsbury on the Thursday. However, the departure of stroke man Iwan Hadfield to Leander, the coaching triumvirate of Paul Williams, Rob Howe and Paul Williams have banded together to form an eight to eclipse 2019 Eight in the minds of many a spectator. Welsh Indoor champion Hamish Lawson strokes the boat, having beaten Hadfield’s record at this year’s event, as is silver medalist Rui de Sousa Stayton. They have both proved that they are the best that Wales has to offer, now they must prove that they are the best that Britain has to offer.

Mossbourne Community Academy

The London Borough of Hackney is home to the rowing academy of Mossbourne Community Academy. Coached by ex-GB, Leander vice-captain and Henley winner Tom Wilkinson, the club has undergone a culture change to ready it for the heady heights of a national competition such as Henley. Mossbourne had competed at a national level before, most recently at NSR 2021, where the pair of Cassius Burley and Zhuri James finished 20th in a high-quality field. It’s good to see a new face, other than the rather tired parade of old private school rowing giants, and one would hope that this Henley campaign starts of Tom Wilkinsons tenure at the club with a bang.

Norwich School

The gap between junior and senior success at school level is usually a trickle-down affair. However, the opposite appears to apply with Norwich School Boat Club. Norwich has talented oarsmen in spades in junior year groups, but there seems to be a lack of confidence in the ability of senior eights to perform at the highest level. The recent departures of Cameron Tasker to Radley and Jonathon Catmull to St Paul’s has left the current squad slightly depleted. However, the remaining talent has been put to good use. A fourth place in the Ch4- A final at NSR 2021 shows that Norwich has power in smaller boats. This power, which includes all of the boats four members in the final boat (Sebastien Gotto, Maxwell Murray, Ben Scott and Aiden McCabe), will form the basis of Norwich chances in the PE.

Radley College

Although Radley is a boat club with some serious pedigree, they haven’t come away with the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup since 1998 – and it’s unlikely they’ll change that this year. In 2019 they lost on the Friday to Eton, the eventual winners, and last made the final back in 2017. However, they’ve had a disappointing season so far, with an abysmal showing at National Schools’ placing them 6th in the B-Final, and little to show they’ve dramatically improved since then, having only raced in a few minor regattas. Having said that, Radley does tend to peak later in the season than other clubs, and they also appear to have brought up several J16s from their successful J16 Champ Eight to bolster their line-up. Therefore, although it seems unlikely that they’ll make it through to the weekend, I wouldn’t rule them out completely.

Reading Blue Coat School

The boys from Reading Blue Coat don’t have much history in this event, making the Thursday in 2019 for the first time in their club’s history after many years of Wednesday heartbreak. They have certainly had an unusually successful season, placing 4th in the B-Final at National Schools’, winning Junior Eights at Marlow (admittedly against a field composed primarily of Second Eights), and with one of their pairs winning gold at Brit Champs. With a recent training camp at Oxford Brooke’s favourite haunt, Wimbleball Lake, also under their belt, I think that they’ll likely be more competitive than usual. However, unless they have a very lucky race, I would still expect to see a Wednesday or possibly Thursday knockout.

St. Edward’s School

Teddies have struggled to perform in recent years, last making the PE final all the way back in 2014 and last coming away with the trophy in 1999. Their results from this season have matched their recent trend of being at the lower-end of A-Finals, coming 6th at National School’s and coming away with a decent result at Marlow. With a mostly unchanged roster racing at Henley, I expect them to make the Thursday or Friday at best.

St. George’s College

Although St George’s had a disappointing result in the eight at National Schools’, only coming 5th in the C-Final, for Henley, they appear to have taken half of that eight and combined it with their highly successful gold medal-winning Champ Coxless Four. However, despite this and a reasonably good showing at Marlow, I would be astonished if St George’s made it past the Wednesday.

St. Joseph’s Preparatory School, USA.

As the sole international entrant in this year’s rather undersubscribed PE, St Joseph’s Prep cross the pond with an imposing set of results. They’re coming with the intent to complete their version of the infamous ‘Triple Crown’, having already won the first two in their home country. St Joseph’s picked up the much-revered Stotesbury Cup back in May and subsequently became national champions in the Varsity Eight at the USRowing Youth Nationals, becoming the first school to win for nearly a decade. The hallowed Henley waters are a long way from the Schuylkill River, and crews only make the trip if they’re here to win. After a disappointing Friday knockout in 2019, I’m told that this year’s St Joseph’s crew is the best they’ve ever had, and it comes to Henley with an undefeated record – making them likely to upset the traditional domestic rowing pecking order. 

St. Paul’s School

As the record-holders at all markers in this event with their sensational 2018 eight, St Paul’s now come to Henley with a lot of expectation. After a frustrating National Schools’, which saw them win the time-trial but only manage to clinch a bronze in the final, they appear to have come back much more potent. Only a week after NSR, they put down an impressive result at the Met Regatta before overturning the NSR silver medallists, KCS, by nearly 8 seconds at Marlow. They recently secured a dominant victory over Shiplake and Shrewsbury at Brit Champs and have also been on a final tune-up camp at Wimbleball. So I’m expecting to see the boys from St Paul’s reach the Saturday at least, and if we see them face-off against Eton, we’re likely to see one of the best duels of the regatta.

Shiplake College

Dave Currie and Hugh Mackworth-Praed’s outfit seems to have got quicker as the season has gone on, and they will be looking to better their 2019 campaign and win the PE for the first time in Shiplake’s history. Despite a disappointing 8th at NSR, they put in a strong performance at Marlow and recently came away with a Brit Champs silver, 4 seconds down on St Paul’s. However, although Shiplake should breeze through the early rounds, I’m not sure we’ll see them competing for the honours on the Henley Sunday.

Shrewsbury School

Shrewsbury has performed better than I initially expected this year, with a 5th at National Schools’ and a bronze medal at Brit Champs in July. However, they have been consistently beaten fairly convincingly by other PE contenders, including at Marlow, so I would probably expect to see a Thursday or Friday knockout.

Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School

Borlase is an unfamiliar face in the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup, having not raced in the event since 2015 – usually choosing to enter the Fawley instead. With entries in both events this year, they seem to be taking advantage of the low number of entries and subsequent lack of PE qualifying, entering a composite of a few older boys and several J16s, all of whom have been racing in the quad for most of this season. Unless they are fortunate, Borlase will probably be out of the running on Wednesday.

The King’s School, Chester

King’s Chester, at least in recent years, has been another Wednesday stalwart and short of a lucky draw that seems unlikely to change this year. Having come last in the National Schools’ B-Final, I wouldn’t expect much from them. However, if they get drawn against another non-seeded lower-end crew, it could result in an exciting race.

The King’s School, Worcester

Like Borlase, King’s Worcester appears to be making the most of the lack of qualifying races in the PE, having not raced in the event since 2005. However, with their top four athletes in the Fawley this year, this eight will likely face an ‘easily’ verdict on Wednesday.

Westminster School

Despite being one of the top rowing schools in the country, Westminster has never won the PE in the event’s 75-year history and has been beaten on the Thursday for the last two editions of HRR. Although they had a disappointing 7th place finish at National School’s, they’ve thrown all their efforts into the eight this season, choosing not to flirt with the quad as they’ve tended to in recent years. Their most recent result saw them take home the silver in Tier 2 Eights at Marlow, so who knows what to expect at Henley.

Pangbourne College Boat Club

Four-time winners, Pangbourne College Boat Club will look to snatch a fifth in the PE this year. Pangbourne last won this event in 2003, before some of the current crew were even born, amplifying the need for another win. Pangbourne’s loss to Radley in 2019, and the fact that Pangbourne has not reached Friday at Henley since 2014 will no doubt inspire the Pangbourne crew of 2021. 7th place in the B-final at NSR 2021 would have been a major disappointment to the crew, stroked by Charlie McClaren, with James Hawkins at seven and Ryne Robson at six. At Marlow Regatta, the stern three together with two-seat Phillip Garnier finished well off the pace below the likes of Radley and Norwich [Pangbourne having been only five seconds behind the Radley Eight at NSR 2021]in the time trial but won the D-final over Radley C. No one gives Pangbourne a chance coming into this regatta, but just maybe they can pull a rabbit out of the hat.

Predictions

Despite the turbulence of the last year and a half and the disruption to the training of all of the crews racing, the PE looks like it could be one of the most exciting events at Henley this year. Although there is still a lot of uncertainty, I would expect to see a semi-final roster composed of Eton, St Joseph’s Prep, St Paul’s, and Shiplake. Separating the crews from there might prove more difficult, particularly as we don’t yet know how St Joseph’s US dominance will translate against British crews. However, in the Sunday final, I think it’s highly likely that we’ll see them face off against a British crew – either Eton or St Paul’s. Whilst we could see a challenge to those four from crews such as KCS, I would not be surprised if the PE sees its first US winner since 2006 on Sunday.

MarginalGainz & PullLikeADog

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