Hinksey Sculling School, Junior Men’s Quad
Hinksey are the very definition of an underdog. Plucky, tenacious and valiant in their efforts to topple the established rowing hierarchy, their junior quad came into Henley Royal Regatta as perhaps the fourth or fifth-fastest junior men’s quad in the country. Their dispatch of Sydney Rowing Club in the semi-finals of the Fawley Challenge Cup will be a race that lives long in the memory of each athlete, having rowed through the Australians with the roar of the Enclosures echoing in their ears. Bodo Schulenburg continues to find the answers posed to a boat club without any real infrastructure or facilities.
Great Marlow School, Junior 16 Men’s Coxed Four
Although this is Sir Steve Redgrave’s old stomping ground, Great Marlow are not exactly renowned for their ability to punch through in the heavyweight division. Perhaps this cohort may buck the trend. Four of this five-man crew were fifth in the ‘B’ final of Junior 15 Coxless Quads at last year’s National Schools’ Regatta but won the Junior 16 Coxed Fours division at this season’s edition of the same event by five full seconds, including a defeat of several of the athletes and boats who won the Junior 15 Coxed Fours in 2022. Combine that with a first-ever round win at Henley Royal Regatta and this has certainly been a year to remember for the boys in black and red.
Tyne Amateur Rowing Club, Club Men’s Coxless Four
When we saw that Tyne had dispatched Lea Rowing Club – much-fancied heading into the Wyfold Challenge Cup – on day one of Henley Royal Regatta, it certainly made a few in the press box sit up and take notice. When they then took down the might of Molesey Boat Club – having been led to every timing marker barring the finish – it was a statement of true intent. Tyne are renowned for punching above their weight but this crew really flipped the form book by seeing off crews with better speed coming into the event. Although they eventually met their match at the hands of De Hoop, their run into the competition was a compelling narrative for the Stewards’ deckchairs to invest in.
Laura Bates, University of Leeds/Newark Rowing Club
The beauty of single sculling is that insurgency happens with far more regularity than in the bigger boats. Although Laura Bates is no slouch, her rise in 2023 has been fantastic to watch and has firmly cemented her as a lightweight sculler to watch. After finishing 34th at February trials (seventh fastest lightweight), she finished fourth in Intermediate Lightweight Single Sculls at BUCS Regatta before her crowning glory some six weeks later. At Henley Women’s Regatta, she successfully navigated a time-trial and four rounds of racing to be crowned Aspirational Lightweight Singles victor. Hailing from the University of Leeds and Newark Rowing Club – two boat clubs whose backing pales in comparison to some of the athletes she took down on her way to glory – Laura has a bright future in the sport.
Tideway Scullers School, Junior Women’s Quad
We probably wouldn’t classify the Tideway Scullers School as your archetypal underdog. They have long since sat at the top table for domestic rowing and were junior Henley winners just two years ago in the Fawley Challenge Cup. That crew were different though – they contended all year along and had the country’s foremost junior sculler on-board. The 2023 contingent completely eviscerated the form book in defeating a Wycliffe boat who had secured all major national honours coming into the event, including Henley Women’s Regatta a mere two weeks previous. Rhona MacCallum deserves enormous credit for enabling this crew to find optimal speed at just the right time.
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