Despite the fact that the head season is well and truly underway, a multitude of race
cancellations (Fours Head, Head of the Lune and Wallingford) to name but a few mean that we
have yet to see the top men’s senior crews in action. A smattering of fixtures and smaller events (such as the Remenham Challenge and the Thames, London RC and CUBC fixture in place of Fours Head) have whetted the appetite a little but the satiation only goes so far. Christmas is over. Head of the River is only two months away and Quintin Head will be an interesting litmus test as to how crew fitness has been maintained over Christmas and New Year period.
Thames Rowing Club
A club well know for its high standards and ability to maintain a steady stream of powerful eights, Thames has dominated British club rowing for the best part of the last ten years. For two years running, Thames has made the final of each of the three Henley events for men’s club crews (Thames, Wyfold and Britannia Challenge Cups) and, for the second year running, won two out of three, qualifying 87 athletes across 17 crews. Put simply, Thames are very good but so as it happens is everyone else. Although it’s true that in the last few years Thames have been on the right side of the majority of races, a loss to London RC in Band 8+ at the Remenham Challenge 2023 (the first time since 2012 that a crew other than Thames or Molesey had won the event) may be indicative of a slowdown. Thames also have a history of slight under-performance at this event, as they came fourth and sixth in 2023 and were infamously disqualified en-masse from the 2022 iteration. With two eights entered in this category, both undoubtedly stacked with hungry and motivated athletes, I would comfortably stake a large amount on Thames finishing in the top five, with a win likely in their grasp.
London RC
The London victory in the Wyfold Challenge Cup was the beginning of a renaissance at the business end of club rowing. They followed up by winning the overall headship at the Remenham Challenge 2023. Although the first eight have opted to compete in Open Championship 8+, past London squads have proved very quick, finishing 2nd in both Open Ch8+ and Open Senior 8+ last year. It is more than likely that London will take Thames all the way on race day. Prediction wise, I really feel this is too close to call. Remenham showed how fine the margins between these crews can be. I’ll leave this one up to the rowing Gods.
Imperial College Boat Club
Since the removal of their status as a British Rowing high-performance centre, one could be forgiven for thinking that IC have slipped from the top tier of university men’s eights. Whilst you can’t realistically claim that IC will fight consistently on all fronts, the quality that gained them high-performance status in the first instance remains. A final in the Temple Challenge Cup in 2021, three victories’ at HWR 2023 and a steady supply of athletes to the British U23 team (eight in the last four years) demonstrates their continued strength. A fifth placed-finish in this event last year gave rise to a stellar set of results at BUCS Head, including silver medals in MCH8+ and MCH4- and two golds in MCH4+ and Mint4+ and a solid HORR performance by each of Imperial’s four eights, with the first eight breaking the top twenty. A top-five finish would be a good result for this crew, with a top-three finish acting as a catalyst for another stellar season of head racing.
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