Men’s Championship Eights
The blue ribband event of the Head with every crew vying for the fastest time of the day, this year sees the Championship Eights almost split in two with University and Alumni crews looking to square off against each other.
On home water, one of the favourites for the headship will be Bristol, with their top boat packing plenty of returning firepower in Robbie Prosser and twins John and Rob Davies who surged to the semi-final of the Prince Albert at Henley Royal this year and, alongside stroke Thibby Verdin-Mulot, came joint fifth in Champ Coxed Fours at Fours Head.
Their main rivals are surely to be Oxford Brooks who, whilst not sending their top crews down the M4 to race, have entered two Champ Eights with plenty of experience racing in the Maroon and Blue – including Hugo Sandars, Connor McGillan and Rob Bradley who all raced in Brookes’ Ladies Place C crew at Henley and Harry Anderson racing in the Prince Albert B crew.
Meanwhile, Bristol and Bath’s Alumni (Nonesuch and Meles respectively) have plenty of former athletes taking to their home stretch once again – with plenty of talent on either side and, while they might not be likely to impact on the top University club crews, this could still be a fun contest with the important question likely to be how long each crew has had to row together.
Prediction: Bristol to take the win at their own event over Brookes, but don’t be surprised to see Bath University, Nonesuch and Meles trying to spoil the party with some pace on the stretch of river they share with Bristol.
Women’s Championship Eights
Seeing a Brookes crew racing in a Champ event will usually fill crews with dread and with both crews entered featuring a smattering of athletes from their Aspirational Academic Eights and Coxless Fours entries at Henley Women’s, including Harriet Taylor, Jade Colton, Lucy Bird, Phoebe Fletcher and Emily Letton. Both crews will be keen not just to outdo their competition, but each other.
It is likely that Bath as the home water crew are the crew most likely to challenge, with experience in the form of Molly Fownes-Walpole from last year’s Aspirational Academic Eight and Rachel Ellingham and Sophie Lee from the Development Coxed Four.
Another Nonesuch versus Meles battle is set to emerge in this event with Bristol’s EUSA Gold Medal winning crew getting the band back together for the race, and are likely to be the victor of the two.
Prediction: Potentially a Brookes one-two with Bath challenging to defend their territory from the visitors.
Men’s Championship Quads
Three quality crews in this event mean the spotlight won’t stay exclusively on Champ 8s. In the Bath crew, two of the four – Angus Pollock and Joe Stobbs – are semi-finalists from the Prince of Wales earlier this year with the crew completed by Ben Furley, who competed in the Fawley this year with Sir William Borlase, and fellow Start athlete Max Valentine.
Bristol’s crew is a newer outfit with Smith, Hayes and Cowley the only athletes in the category to have raced at Fours Head, placing seventh in Open Champ 4x-.
Much like Bath, all of Hartpury’s crew also raced in the Prince of Wales with Ben Harris, Fergus Woolnough and James Mackman having reached the quarter final in the A crew and Alex Astbury having competed in the B crew.
Prediction: Bath to take the win with Hartpury to place second.
Women’s Championship Quads
With only two crews entered, boasting some calibre athletes who both train on the stretch, this has the making of a good contest. In the Bath crew, we have real calibre in Becky Wilde and Amelia Hempleman-Adams who were victorious in the Championship Doubles at Henley Women’s and made it to the Thursday of Henley Royal in the same line-up, competing in the Stonor Challenge Trophy.
In the Bristol crew you have veteran Bristolian Lucy Primmer who makes her return to the quarters having spent the past few years stepping up the gears in Molesey’s senior women’s squad. She races alongside Tiegan Ball and Hannah Lawrie who semi-finalled in the competitive Development Coxed Fours at Women’s Henley in the summer, and completing the line-up is fresher Margo Bellamy whose lengthy experience in the first eight of Lady Eleanor Holles will serve the crew well.
Prediction: This one could go either way with two seasoned crews on their home stretch. It could simply depend on who has had more time together in the boat, which based on reports from the riverbank would be Bristol. Too close to call otherwise.
Women’s Championship Doubles
Bath’s recent form as a quality women’s small boat speed factory over the past few seasons could stand Hope Warren and Tori Sykes in good stead. But, as with several other events, their competition comes from Bristol’s two crews, in the form of Lexi Bothamley-Dakin and Mimi Houlihan-Burne – both semi-finalists at Henley Women’s last year in the Development Coxed Four – and two Warwick doubles, including one featuring Aoife Parr and Emma James completing the draw.
Prediction: Bristol to take the win over Bath with Warwick’s two crews fighting it out for third.
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