This weekend, 44 crews representing medium and small clubs from across the UK will race the 6.8km course down the Tideway. Given the large number of entries, this article will serve as a combined preview for the Medium and Small Club Pennants, covering both provincial and London-based clubs.
Derby RC
Entered as a Provincial Small Club, Derby RC will be looking to make a splash in their category on the Tideway this weekend. With a win in the women’s quad and pair at Newark Head in December, and placing a relatively impressive tenth out of 31 in the Women’s Club Coxless Four category at Fours Head, it will be exciting to see what they bring to WEHoRR.
Sudbury RC
Sudbury kicked off the season with success on the Tideway, coming third in a Women’s Championship Double at Pairs Head. They carried this over to Ely Head Race, where they brought away wins in the Women’s Eight and Double over the 5km course. After leaving last year’s WEHoRR as the third fastest small club, it will be interesting to see how they perform now that they are entered as a medium club.
London RC
One of the more well-known names among the entries, London will be building off numerous recent successes on the Tideway, including having taken second in the Women’s Club Coxless Fours at Fours Head, and then more recently ending fourth in the Women’s Championship event at Quintin Head. After their entries to last year’s competition finished as the two fastest crews among the medium clubs, London will be hoping to retain the pennant for 2023.
Leeds RC
Leeds RC have had some good performances in the eight over the past few months, coming second in the Women’s Band 3 Eights at Rutherford Head in December, before more recently placing third and second in the Band 1 and Band 2 Women’s Eights at Tyne Head respectively. While the majority of their racing has unsurprisingly been located in the north of England, they will be one to watch out for on the Tideway this weekend.
Warwick BC
So far, Warwick BC has had a successful run at smaller head races, coming first in the Women’s Eights at Stourpourt Winter Head, and placing second at Worcester Head in the quad. Travelling down from the River Avon, they will be looking to imitate these performances on the Tideway.
Prediction
With such a vast number of entries from all over the country, there will no doubt be some standout performances from some of the smaller, lesser-known clubs, which I’m very much looking forward to seeing. Despite this, I think it’s highly likely that London RC will take the pennant among the medium clubs, given their recent performances and their practiced knowledge of the course.
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