With just one week until Henley Women’s Regatta, the side-by-side rowing season shifts to Reading Regatta. This weekend’s events will showcase a variety of competitions, focusing on longer racing over 1500 metres on Saturday and a more relaxed 1000-metre course on Sunday. In previous years, many crews have used this regatta to fine-tune their race starts and hone their side-by-side racing skills before heading 15 km upstream for Henley Women’s Regatta.
However, this year, it is interesting to see a large number entries from University College Dublin, and other international entries across the sweep events. Reading Regatta remains a prime venue for international crews to debut and measure their speed against their UK counterparts before their Henley-based time trials.
Women’s Eights
On Saturday, the a category to watch will be the women’s academic eights and these will likely feature university teams who are looking to squeeze in some last-minute practice before competing for the Academic Eights Colgan Foundation Cup at Henley Women’s Regatta. The field includes University College London, University of Birmingham, Southampton University, and Oxford University, along with an entry from University College Dublin. Auriol Kensington is also competing, probably warming up for their chance at the Club Eights category, the Copas Cup.
On Sunday’s shorter course, we’ll see another exciting Academic Eights competition. University College Dublin dominates the entries, presenting three eights. They’ll be joined by Groton School Rowing Club from the USA, alongside Southampton University and University College London.
Women’s Fours
In the coxless fours category, Saturday’s races will feature strong entries from the University of Birmingham and University College London, with two UCL teams competing. They’ll be challenged by two local crews from Upper Thames Rowing Club, who are gearing up for the Avril Vellacott Cup in the Championship Coxless Fours at Henley Women’s Regatta. Worcester, the 2023 Lester Trophy champions, will also compete, looking to assert their dominance in the coxless four category before returning to Henley with two entries in this event.
On Sunday, the shorter course will see fresh competition from Warwick and Oriel College, with Oriel likely testing their speed and strategies ahead of an entry in the Aspirational Academic coxless four for the Cathy Cruickshank Trophy.
Women’s Coxless Pairs
This weekend, the Women’s Coxless Pairs will feature a diverse mix of dynamic duos from various clubs. This event often serves as a preview for the Championship pairs at Henley Women’s Regatta, and this year is no exception. Teams from Putney Town, University College Dublin (UCD), and Worcester will be competing. Challenging them will be combinations from the University of Birmingham, Lady Eleanor Holles School, and Quintin Boat Club.
On Sunday, the competition narrows to just three entries. UCD will go directly to the final, where they will face the winner of the Wallingford versus Reading matchup, making for an exciting conclusion to the weekend’s racing.
Weekend Predictions
All told, it’s a busy weekend for the crews participating in this year’s Reading Regatta. We can expect University College Dublin (UCD) to make a strong impact in the eights, potentially shaking up the competition. Upper Thames is poised to dominate the fours, leveraging their local advantage and preparation for Henley Women’s Regatta. As for the pairs, it’s anyone’s race, but I anticipate one of the championship entries gearing up for Henley Women’s to come out on top.
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