After a few false starts, head season on the Thames will be getting underway this weekend (touch wood). Pairs Head has been running in the Autumn on the Tideway since 1971, and while its relative timing with other events has varied, it remains a great test at the start of the season when many clubs have been training in smaller boats.
Some of the domestic scene’s top sweep athletes have entered this event. They will hope to fight for the honour of the fastest pair in the field, though they may have to watch out for some very quick junior entries.
London Rowing Club
Last season seemed to be just two weeks too long for London Rowing Club. A phenomenal performance at Marlow Regatta, where they finished as the second eight in the entire field, conjured images of Henley Royal Regatta glory, but come the Saturday of racing, they were outlasted by their rivals and neighbours from Thames Rowing Club. With three pairs entered into this event, four of the six athletes in this crew come from The Thames Challenge Cup crew, while the remainder of their entries were in the Quad competing in The Prince of Wales Challenge Cup. The crew with two members of their eight, specifically the stern pair of Ed Thomas and Ben Dickens, is the first pair on the start list and is likely the fastest of the trio. Will they be able to start the new campaign with revenge over their rivals?
Thames Rowing Club
Love them or hate them, they know how to make boats move at Thames Rowing Club. Firmly established as the top club rowing programme in the country, the men in black, red and white once again made three finals and won two trophies at Henley Royal Regatta, and among their four athletes in this event, three went home with little red boxes after the first weekend in July. Their lower-ranked pair includes two members of their Britania Challenge Cup crew, but the eyes are drawn to the higher-placed pair. From their Thames crew comes Callum Williams alongside a defending champion from this event: Josh Braithwaite, a Henley Royal Regatta Champion from 2023. His Visitors’ Challenge Cup crew drew the top offering from the University of California and suffered a first-round exit, but back on home water, he will be hoping his new partner will be able to assist him in a successful defence of his crown.
Upper Thames Rowing Club
The only domestic crews in this event based away from the Putney embankment, Upper Thames Rowing Club will have two boats in the Championship division this weekend. On their home water, Henley Royal Regatta was a mixed bag for the club as while the prioritised Wyfold Challenge Cup crew made it to the semifinals, their eight failed to qualify for The Thames Challenge Cup. In this event, both crews contain a member of that eight, but in the higher-seeded crew, Dale Buckett is joined by Steve Griffiths from The Wyfold Challenge Cup unit. Together, they will be looking to put out a strong performance on the Tideway and make the most of the rowable water which has been far from guaranteed on their home stretch.
Vesta Rowing Club
The third Putney club in this event, the men’s squad at Vesta Rowing Club, has drawn plenty of eyes following their recent hiring of James Cracknell as their men’s head coach. With only this crew and a club double from his group, they may carry a fair bit of pressure, given this is the first real test of their new famous leadership. In this crew is Finn Meinecke, who raced last summer in a crew heralded as the fastest-ever that Vesta had produced, making it to the second round of The Thames Challenge Cup. Joining him is Tom Thorpe, who missed Henley last year but had raced with the club in the previous two years. This duo will be looking to come together and show that this season they will be in the mix with their Putney neighbours, and while nothing is guaranteed by a strong result at Pairs Head, they would bring a lot of confidence into the boathouse if they could take a few scalps.
Mündener Ruderverein, Germany
One of only two overseas entries in the entire draw, Mündener Ruderverein is represented in this event by Lirion and Ledian Djokovic. The Saxony-based brothers are no strangers to English waters, having made the trip to compete in this event last year, where they dominated the second-level open pairs despite incurring a penalty. In the summer, they made the trip to Henley Royal Regatta to compete in the The Silver Goblets and Nickalls’ Challenge Cup, but this trip didn’t end as successfully, being comfortably beaten on their first day of racing. Back again, they will be hoping to continue their Tideway form after stepping up a category and will be eyeing up a strong finish against some of the UK’s top oarsmen.
Prediction
For many of these athletes, this is one of the very few races they will contest in pairs, giving little direct form to look back on for this prediction. However, given their demonstrable speed in the eight and the fire they will likely be carrying, my guess is that the London Rowing Club crew of Thomas and Dickens will come out on top.
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