As many of the clubs based on the Thames know all too well, Quintin Head should (hopefully) be a nice break from the hours of land training resulting from the last few weeks of flooding and fast water. Setting off in the middle of division three, the championship women’s eights category consists of nine crews from eight different clubs.
Leander
Fielding two eights, and setting off first of the group, the pink hippos of Leander will be aiming to win it all. There is not much more to say about Leander than has not been said a thousand times over. This is a highly competitive women’s squad filled with a number of international vests, and their Quintin crew is likely to be formed of athletes for whom this season the ultimate aim is to win the Wargrave Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta. A win this weekend would be another run the the ladder on the climb to achieving this goal.
London RC
Another club entering two boats into this category, London RC will have the home water advantage. At Henley Women’s Regatta 2023 London RC’s women’s squad reached two quarter finals, one in champ 4- and another in club 4-, so the sweep talent is definitely there. After relative success at Remenham head with their women’s 4x- and Masters A women’s 8+, the ever growing squad will be looking to establish themselves in the competitive group of women.
Imperial College BC
Imperial College BC women’s squad has been going from strength to strength these past few years, topping it all off with three wins at Henley Women’s Regatta 2023 and some home international representation. It will be exciting to see what this crew will produce on the day.
Predictions:
Overall, Leander will likely come out on top in this category due to the talent and experience of any and all Leander crews. I assume the next top spots will be filled by London RC and Imperial crews but enjoy the pleasant surprise of the other boats performing well.
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