After a spectacular celebration of its 50th anniversary last year, Pairs Head is returning to welcome over 400 crews taking to the iconic and gruelling 4.5km stretch of the Thames. With five highly experienced crews set to battle it out, the Women’s Championship Doubles is shaping up to be a thrilling fixture, and with no return appearance from last year’s victors – Leander’s Imogen Magner and Birmingham University’s Katie Mole – it’s anyone’s race.
Nottinghamshire County RA / Leicester RC
GB scullers Olivia Bates of Nottinghamshire County Rowing Association and Lauren Henry of Leicester Rowing Club have dominated the field across single and quadruple sculls events throughout the year and now they’re set to test their strength in the double. Since making her senior international debut less than six months ago at the European Rowing Championships, GB’s top triallist, Henry, has already racked up an impressive number of accolades, including being crowned a world champion as part of the Coxless Quadruple Sculls crew at the World Rowing Championships, and setting a new British record at World Cup II. Bates is also no stranger to the international stage, making her senior debut at the same competition, before taking home a Bronze a few months later at World Cup II in Italy. Both Bates and Henry have demonstrated their capability to produce strong performances in single and quadruple sculls, respectively, so it will be exciting to see how they can compete when their power and technical prowess combine in this double.
Reading University BC
Coming from arguably one of the best university sculling programmes in the country, it’s unsurprising that Reading University’s Ellie Cooke and Finnola Stratton are predicted to be one of the top contenders for this event. In addition to scooping up an impressive collection of medals across BUCS and Met Regatta earlier this year, the pair also have international appearances at the U23 European and U23 World Rowing Championships to their names. This also isn’t the duo’s first encounter with Tideway’s infamous conditions; placing second and fourth, respectively, in this category at last year’s Pairs Head. Their familiarity with the course combined with their significant experience winning races together, could make it very difficult for the other crews to steal that top position from these two.
Bath University BC
An exciting new combination is being debuted from Bath University, bringing together Rebekah Court and Ella Fullman. Court has been one of Bath University’s top sculling performers over the past year, bringing home plenty of gold from both BUCS and Home International Regattas, as well as putting in impressive performances at Met and Henley Royal Regatta. Able to reach the final in the stroke seat of Bath University’s Aspirational Coxless Quadruple Sculls, after a string of strong performances, a disastrous collision with the booms in the beginning stages of the race brought an unfortunate end to the crew’s campaign for the Chairman’s Trophy.
As a new addition to the squad, Fullman will be raring to go and the combination of these two athletes could prove a powerful one. Fullman is no stranger to Tideway’s challenging conditions, taking a win in the Girls’ Championship Eights at Schools’ Head in March, on top of securing second-place finishes in both the WJ18 double sculls at Pairs Head and junior singles at Scullers’ Head last year. Fullman also recently donned a GB vest for her international debut at Munich International Junior Regatta only a year ago, and has since picked up various medals from U19 European Rowing Championships and Coupe de la Jeunesse. It’s clear that both Court and Fullman are forces to be reckoned with, and their sculling experience and strong record of finish positions solidifies them as the crew to beat in this event.
Tideway Scullers School
With that all-important home advantage, Anna Bienhocker and Alice Metcalf, representing Tideway Scullers School will be hoping for a repeat of the club’s success at Pairs Head last year, which saw them bring home the most wins of any club. It’s no surprise this crew are more than familiar with these waters, with recent appearances at Fours Head and Women’s Eights Head of the River, as well as a third-place finish in the Women’s Junior Double Sculls for Metcalf at Pairs Head. TSS will be hoping to put their advantage to use and add another win to their extensive record of Pairs Head performances.
Mortlake Anglian & Alpha BC
Hoping to continue a successful run of races this year are Mortlake Anglian & Alpha Boat Club’s Rebecca Campbell and Jennifer Bailey. These two athletes have already had a strong competitive year, including reaching the semi-finals of the Aspirational Coxless Quadruple Sculls racing for the Chairman’s Trophy at Henley Women’s Regatta. This pair also have plenty of experience on the Tideway to prepare them, placing 4th in the Challenge Eights at WEHORR earlier this year. Following her strong performance at Pairs Head last season, which saw Bailey take home a win in the Intermediate Double Sculls, this crew is well positioned to perform well as they try their hand at Championship level.
Prediction
In an event bursting with this much talent and experience, not a lot separates these crews, so predicting an outcome is a difficult call. If I had to place bets, I’d be watching for the new partnership from Bath University BC to challenge Reading University for that top spot. Anything can happen on the Tideway and it’s all to play for. With five very competitive crews in this event, this year’s Women’s Championship Double Sculls is set to produce a thrilling match-up of some fierce competitors and will definitely be one to watch.
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