As a provincial rower, the months of June and July fill my mileometer and bank account with dread. Four separate early morning trips down south and back again in the space of three months is enough to put anyone off driving for life (or at least until Four’s Head). But that’s what faces us if we want to race at an elite level in this country, and so travel we must. But who made the journey worth it?
Once again it’s time for me to scour the timing pages and give you my picks for the most notable performances from regional clubs this summer season.
Women’s Crews
Henley Women’s Regatta (HWR) rolled around and, as always, some standout performances from regional crews came in the aspirational eights, with Royal Chester, Agecroft, and Cantabrigian all ranking in the top half of the time trial. Side-by-side racing followed, with Cantabrigian as the standout crew, winning a place in the semi-finals and, with that, pre-qualification for Henley Royal Regatta. This was another strong result for a programme that consistently rises to the top echelon of provincial crews, although I was interested to see the gap closing, hopefully ensuring a tight contest for the provincial pennant by the time WEHoRR rolls around.
Good provincial results were also found in smaller boats at HWR. Cantabrigian’s second boat, the 4x, managed to win a round in the main draw, a feat replicated by local rivals City of Cambridge. Nottingham and Worcester continued to show form in the coxless four, the latter beating City of Bristol in the first round. A Norwich rowing club double made the semi-finals, and the championship pair draw included crews from Leicester, Worcester, and Cambridge ‘99.
Qualifiers for the Wargrave Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta were a brutal affair for provincial crews. Aside from Cantabrigian and City of Bristol (who pre-qualified), no provincial crew progressed to the main draw. One has to question the stewards’ logic when selecting crews to pre-qualify, when at least one crew chosen was slower than several provincial crews at HWR, but at the end of the day its Henley and the stewards’ decisions are final. Once the Regatta started, Cantabs found themselves in the unfortunate position of being on the wrong end of an ‘easily’ verdict to a strong German crew, and Bristol fell to Thames ‘C’.
My choice for most outstanding provincial women’s performance this season, however, goes to Sarah McKay of Grosvenor Rowing Club. A season which included a first GB vest and making the final of the championship single at HWR was capped by qualifying for, and making it through a round in, the Princess Royal Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta. I am excited to see what results she can produce next year.
Men’s Crews
As one would expect with a larger, 32 boat, event, the Thames Challenge Cup at Henley Royal found more room to accommodate provincial crews than its female counterpart, with 10 regional crews making the draw. Derby were the only pre-qualifiers following a strong row at Marlow Regatta. Unfortunately, the draw was harsh on provincial crews with only Tyne and Derby making it through to Thursday (and no further).
Honourable mentions must go to Star Club, Nonesuch, Royal Chester, and Agecroft, who produced strong showings at Met and Marlow Regattas (as well as in unofficial qualifying times) but sadly came up against top-rank opposition at HRR. My favourite race of the week in the Thames Challenge Cup was Derby vs Cambridge ‘99; it was most satisfying to see two smaller provincial clubs duelling to a close result on one of the largest stages in our sport.
I do feel I often overlook the South West in these provincial pieces, so one must commend Tim Wilkinson of Greenbank Falmouth for his qualification in the Diamond Challenge Sculls after missing out in 2023, as well as Dart Totnes for sending an eight to qualifiers in the Thames Challenge Cup.
Provincial crews fared slightly better in the Wyfold Challenge Cup, with four crews making it to the second round: Tyne, Nottingham, Hereford, and City of Cambridge (albeit the latter with a bit of help from the Umpire’s red flag). Of these crews, Tyne were a standout performer, once again producing a sensational run of races to go one better than last year and make it to the semi-final, where they were only bested by eventual winners Marlow RC. Tyne can certainly boast of being the only provincial club in history to reach Henley semi-finals in both men’s and women’s events in the space of two years, and so they should.
Unfortunately, some of the top-ranked provincial crews missed out on racing at Henley this year, owing to the strength of the draw in the Britannia Challenge Cup. Top boats from Agecroft, City of Bristol, and Leeds, as well as Thames titans City of Oxford and Vesta) failed to qualify for the main draw, leaving Nottingham as one of only two provincial crews in the event. It will come as no surprise to learn that the second of these crews is my pick for provincial crew of the year…
Royal Chester’s coxed four entered Henley as the most experienced club crew at the Regatta, with a total of 48 previous regattas between them, matched only by Nonesuch BC’s entire eight. A series of strong summer regattas placed them tentatively as the second fastest domestic crew, but in order to progress far into HRR, crews need to reckon with the might of foreign heavyweights as well. Royal Chester certainly rose to the occasion, rowing through K.A.R.Z.V. ‘De Hoop’ in the Stewards’ Enclosure to rapturous cheering. Holding off a relentless Molesey crew saw them into a first HRR final in 75 years, and a gutsy final row saw them within one length of a first win in 100 years. Inevitably, it was Thames RC who decided to spoil the provincial party, but I most certainly hope that coach Jamie Leighton and his crew can celebrate their achievements and come back fighting even harder next year, and maybe we might see a first provincial Henley Royal win since Nottingham RC in 2012. I believe it’s possible.
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