As the women took to the water to contest the first available trophies in the Henley series, the men were consigned to Dorney Lake to complete the third and final of the significant pre-Henley regattas. Narratives and surprises abound as we approach the apex of the season; a bumper Henley Royal entry list has only heightened the sense of anticipation and most boats will have taken to the water yesterday in an attempt to avoid the HRR qualifying races slated for this Friday. Let’s unpack some of the stories…
Championship Eights
Brookes’ top eight – recently bumped into the Grand Challenge Cup after winning the Holland Beker outright ahead of the Dutch Olympic crew – ran away with the win here but the real stories emerged behind them (beyond the fact that their time of 5:30 was a record for Marlow Regatta). London Rowing Club continue to go from strength to strength, finishing yesterday as the second-fastest crew overall and the quickest club unit by a full eight seconds. If this is their Thames Challenge cup eligible boat, then expect them to be arriving into Henley Royal Regatta as favourites.
Brookes’ Ladies eight were third, 0.3 seconds ahead of Harvard’s lightweights, who suddenly look like a serious threat to the burgundy boys crown in the Temple (the Brookes Temple crew finished fifth). Will the infamous Henley headwind prove problematic for the American national champions? Behind them were two crews from Thames, likely to comprise their entries into the Ladies and Thames Challenge Cups. It will have been alarming to Alexander Smulders and his coaching team that they were out the back of the ‘A’ final and, critically, eight seconds back on London in the race to retain their Henley crown.
There were no junior boats in the ‘A’ final but St Paul’s finished as the fastest U18 crew on the day, winding up second in the ‘B’ final. Behind them, St Edward’s School, whose campaign revolves around retaining the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup title they won in 2023, were three seconds back but closing the gap from the National Schools’ Regatta four weeks ago. Shiplake College were a further two seconds back in sixth, rounding out the junior representation in the leading 16 boats. Leander took the win in the ‘B’ final, in a crew that will presumably be their Thames Challenge Cup eight, whilst Bristol University had a great row to beat both Durham and Edinburgh.
Championship Quads
Leander look like good bets for the Prince of Wales Challenge Cup once again, assuming this boat winds up in that category (there is also a Leander entry in the Queen Mother Challenge Cup). They secured the win here in relatively comfortable style, seeing off the attentions of Reading University’s ‘A’ crew, who won BUCS Regatta back at the beginning of May. With the mercurial talents of Matt Long and Josh Lyon on-board, anything is possible for this boat though.
The composite crew featuring athletes from Tideway Scullers School, Proteus-Eretes and Thames Rowing Club wound up third in a combination that is unlikely to have spent too much time together yet. With ten days to go until racing begins in earnest for these quad scullers, this outfit will hope to find additional speed that at least begins to bridge the 11-second gap between themselves and Leander. A smattering of other clubs featured in the ‘A’ final here, including a potentially compelling combination from Agecroft (fourth overall) and the return to the water of Olympic silver medalist Jack Beaumont in the Star and Arrow boat (seventh overall).
Junior Quads
Windsor Boys delivered another resounding proclamation of their Fawley Challenge Cup-winning credentials in claiming this category by three seconds. Mark Wilkinson’s charges seems to be finding speed just when it matters and their margin of control should be a worry for competitors across the junior boys sculling spectrum. Leander are also rallying well after an underwhelming National Schools’ Regatta – where they placed fifth – and now look set as the clearest challenge to potential Windsor whitewash. Marlow Rowing Club – who were silver medalists behind Windsor at the National Schools’ Regatta – were third here, narrowly holding off the advances of a Hartpury crew emboldened by the inclusion of single sculls national champion Elliott Donovan-Davies. Fifth-placed Hinksey – who were still seat-racing at the Metropolitan Regatta back at the start of June – will hope that last year’s Sunday appearance in the Fawley Challenge Cup was not just a flash in the pan.
Championship Coxless Four
After winning the time-trial, Leander’s combination – which features U23 world champion Calvin Tarczy – would probably have hoped to get one over on Oxford Brookes, with both crews likely to renew rivalries on the Henley stretch in just over a week’s time. As it was, Brookes emerged victorious in the final with Marlow Rowing Club five seconds back in third. If this is Marlow’s Wyfold-eligible crew, we could be in for a really impressive campaign from this boat, which includes Matt Brigham of 2019 Diamond Challenge Sculls fame. They were two seconds clear of Thames in fourth, whose ‘B’ crew were fifth, ahead of Molesey in sixth and Upper Thames in seventh. With holders London opting to prioritise the Thames Challenge Cup in 2024, this leaves the Wyfold tantalisingly well-balanced approaching Henley week.
Championship Coxed Fours
Oxford Brookes’ Prince Albert four dominated this event, winning by nearly six seconds over (you guessed it) Oxford Brookes ‘B’. For both of these boats to have seen off the fastest crews from contenders including the University of London, Royal Chester and Edinburgh gives you a sense of just how fast their Brookes squad are. Royal Chester in fourth, somewhat excitingly, were the fastest-finishing club crew, seven seconds clear of Molesey in sixth, with London a further five seconds back in seventh. Our international visitors from Mercantile Rowing Club of Australia won the ‘B’ final in a time that would have placed them sixth in the ‘A’ final.
A word also on Brookes more broadly – they won all the championship sweep events yesterday, barring the pairs, in a remarkable run that we as rowing pundits almost take for granted. Make no mistake – Henry Bailhache-Webb and his athletes have built a wondrous program.
Championship Singles
Credit must go to Cam Buchan of Monkton Combe School, who followed up on his win at the Metropolitan Regatta with a strong victory here. This performance should be enough to earn him a pre-qualification for the Diamond Challenge Sculls in a field filled with Henley hopefuls. Max Raymond-Barker – who will not be contesting the Diamonds at Henley – was second ahead of Ben Parsonage in third. After finishing third in the time-trial, Hamish Harding of the Australian National University Boat Club, Australia may be a little disappointed with sixth overall, particularly given he only just saw off the interests of junior Ben Mead, whose last result on the national stage was fourth at the National Schools’ Regatta. It will now be interesting to see whether the Stewards deem him worthy of a pre-qualification slot in an already congested entry roster.
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