This is your Saturday briefing covering all the action at Henley Women’s Regatta. Here you’ll find a brief look at today’s racing, as well as predictions for tomorrow’s action
Junior Quads Sculls:
The premier sculling event for ambitious juniors across the country, the quad sculls never disappoints spectators. After time trials this morning, 16 crews progressed to the heats in the early afternoon. Shiplake – dominant at NSR – were the fastest crew of the day, standing them in good stead for their quarter final tomorrow against Henley: likely a tough battle, but we’re putting our money on Shiplake coming out on top. Marlow – favourites for some – also posted a respectable time in their heat. Perhaps the biggest upset of the day, however, was Wycliffe’s ‘B’ crew striking the booms within the first 100m of their race, leaving them with a broken blade and dashed dreams of Henley glory. Wycliffe were in fact the only centre to successfully qualify two boats for this event, with their second boat being touted as the stronger crew. Tomorrow will see two of these crews racing three times over the course of the day; we’re betting on a Shiplake-Marlow final, but all really is to play for.
Junior Doubles:
This was an exciting afternoon of racing for the doubles, with most of the crews predicted to do well going through. It was the Clares Court crew that stormed down the track with the fastest heat time of the day, only one second behind them however was the Warrington crew. For tomorrow, the Peterborough vs Marlow will be a race to watch out for and the Clares Court vs Warrington match should be a fantastic one.
Junior Eights:
As expected, this category gave us some great races. The Putney ‘A’ crew looked strong going down the river and their race against Henley tomorrow should not be missed. With Headington only having their first side by side race tomorrow against Surbiton, who had the fastest heat, so will no doubt be a good race. Henley are also racing for the first time, these two highly competitive crews will be ones to watch to see how they do against the rest of the field. It’s great to see the Enniskillen crew through to another day of racing and with a convincing win against the strong Tideway crew they should not be overlooked going into Sunday.
Junior Singles:
The fastest down the track in these heats was the Tideway Scullers boat, as predicted, Zoe Scheske performed very well and will be the one to beat going into the races tomorrow. The first quarter-final between Radnor and Reading RC should be a well matched race, with both of them coming within hundreds of a second of each other. Ella Fullman, the Wycliffe sculler who as we know is only a J16, looks set to put in a good performance again tomorrow in her races if she can keep up the same pace she had today.
Junior Coxed Fours:
It was the Tideway Scullers crew that took the fastest time in these heats again, beating their very strong opposition, Headington. As predicted earlier in the week, the Glasgow Academy crew also looked competitive, they had the second fastest heat of the categories and won by a very convincing 15 seconds against Walton. The only crew yet to race is the Aberdeen RA boat, so it will be interesting to see how they stand up against the rest.
Junior 16 Quad Sculls:
The crew that was the one to watch going into this years competition was the impressive Marlow boat, and they did not disappoint. With the fastest heat under their belt, they are yet again the crew to beat going into Sunday and their race against Tideway Scullers should be a great show. Both the semi-finals look to be very close and will provide us with more great racing, with Kingston and Hinksey set to race against each other in the other semi.
Junior 16 Coxed Fours:
With the quarter finals completed, the field of 8 has been reduced to 4, ready for an intense day of competition. Surbiton lived up to previous expectations, and now represent 50% of the remaining draw. Surbiton ‘A’ proved commanding and powerful after a decisive win over the girls of Sat Pauls, where they exceeded their competitors by 17 seconds in 15:02, simultaneously setting the quickest time in the event. Similarly, Surbiton ‘B’ were too victorious, however in a much closer fashion. Only two seconds separated Surbiton and Godolphin Latymer School, who were knocked out after a tough battle. Yet even closer were the Yarm School and Henley matchup, who were separated by a single second! Latymer Upper School will also join their fellow semi-finalists, following victory over Wimbledon High School, but will face a steep challenge as the might of Surbiton dominates half of the draw.
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