This weekend, Marlow Regatta will bring the trilogy of Dorney Regattas to an end for this season as we rise to a final crescendo. The pair at the regatta has attracted fourteen different entries from fifteen different schools, clubs and universities with a variety of different ambitions, from those eyeing a run in the Pairs event at Henley Royal Regatta, those acting as spares for bigger boats and those who are just wanting to see what they can do on a national stage.
Oxford University Boat Club
While the crew of Tom Rigney and Tassilo von Mueller were not present for Oxford University on the Tideway this year, they are not short on experience. Rigney was in the reserve crew for the 2023 event, while von Mueller was in the seven seat in the Blue Boat and served as President. This crew is loaded with talent and will be expecting to win gold and the historic trophy that comes with it, especially given Rigney picked it up here twelve months ago.
Cambridge University Boat Club
From the other side of the fiercest rivalry in rowing, the Cambridge University offering in this event is from their lightweight squad as Samuel Taylor and Gianluca Vartan will line up in light blue. Members of the victorious lightweight boat in each of the last two years, this pairing has experience racing and winning together in the larger boats but will be aiming to show their skills in the smaller set too.
Thames Rowing Club
While bearing the name of Thames Rowing Club, this is most definitely a Columbia University crew. Charles Cartisser, previously of Westminster School, finished the season in the Varsity Eight for the New York-based program that placed 14th overall at the national championships. He is joined by Barnaby Russell, a former St Paul’s School athlete, who has been in the second eight at Columbia. Together, they will be wanting to show themselves as strong performers against the domestically based crews.
London Rowing Club
Another Putney club presenting an Ivy League crew is the London Rowing Club entry in this event, providing a vessel for the two Brown oarsmen. Adam von Bismarck is another ex-Westminster School rower, who made it to the A-Final with the second eight at Brown. He is partnered by Jack Cadwallader, previously of Windsor Boys’ School, who matched that achievement in the Varsity Four. Together, they will want to maintain the dominance of the Ivy League champions, as well as showing their speed against their UK-based competitors.
Oxford Brookes University Boat Club
While wearing the Burgundy of Oxford Brookes University, Alexander Currie and Lewis Nixon have followed a different racing schedule this summer season. The only members of the men’s squad to remain at Nottingham for the final day of BUCS Regatta, they won a silver medal in the intermediate lightweight pair. Sticking together throughout the season, they finished fourth in Saturday’s racing at the Metropolitan Regatta and will be hoping their consistency in this crew can help them against their more accomplished competition.
The Windsor Boys School Boat Club
Better known for their sculling, the entry in this event from The Windsor Boys School is the most senior members of their club in a sweep boat. This crew contains Antonio Todorov and Tristan Urquhart Irvine who respectively came second and ninth in the open championship double at the National Schools’ Regatta. This weekend will provide an opportunity to show if that skill transfers across all two-person boats as they drop one oar each.
St Paul’s School Boat Club
The the youngest pair in the competition, the St Paul’s School duo of Ben Thomas and Apollo Andreichuk raced in the bow pair of the silver medal-winning open junior 16 eight at the National Schools’ Regatta. With no event for the younger boats at Henley Royal Regatta, Bobby Thatcher has opted to put the J16s who have not been able to make the second eight into smaller boats to help prepare them for the step-up to the championship categories next season. A strong performance here will put the crew in a good position to carry on the vaunted production line in Barnes.
Prediction
With most of the crews coming together very recently, there is little pedigree to help inform a prediction. However, with the power and experience in the Oxford University Boat Club crew, I would be surprised if anyone else took the win. For second and third, my picks are the Brown-backed London Rowing Club crew alongside the lightweights from Cambridge University Boat Club.
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