After two years of cancellations, the Tideway is ready once again for the return of Fours Head. For the hopeful women’s coxed fours reading through the start order this week, it’s hard not to wonder how they might fare – not just against their competitors, but against the elements.
First raced in the 1950s as the Tradesmen’s Tideway Head Race for fours, this 6.8km event was born to give those who worked with boats the chance to race them too. Now, it marks one of the great fixtures of the British autumn season.
Vesta Rowing Club
Few clubs know the Tideway like Vesta. Justine Stanley, Lauren Church, Natasha Johnson, Elizabeth Barnett, and cox Clare Wright make up the premier women’s crew fielded by the club at this year’s Fours Head. They have spent much of the autumn refining their rhythm in pairs before coming together in a larger boat class. Each athlete is in their second or third season at the club, and all raced in the Wargrave Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta (HRR) and across the Copas Cup and Lester Trophy at Henley Women’s Regatta (HWR) earlier this year.
With new women’s captain Ciara Gill-Ryan at the helm of the programme, training has been fierce, disciplined, and deliberate. Add a handful of 5k PBs already logged this season into the boat, and it’s hard to imagine this crew turning up for anything less than a win.
London Rowing Club
Second in the start order, London are something of a mystery this year. Traditionally among the frontrunners, this line-up of Emma Ralley, Caroline Newbury, Victoria Lacey, Catherine Grayson, coxed by Eve Thomas, brings together athletes from across the club’s ranks. Newbury was in the third-place club coxed four crew at the most recent Head of the Charles, while Ralley sat in the bow seat of the eight that qualified for the Ron Needs Cup at Henley Women’s Regatta 2025. It seems to be a new combination, but historical evidence and crew experience suggest that London won’t stray far from the front of the field.
Nottingham Rowing Club
Hot on London’s heels comes Nottingham. Cox Tam Jones, Lucy Holgate, and twins Annie and Cathy Beaumont reunite from last season’s successful eight, which won the Provincial Pennant at Women’s Head of the River Race (WEHoRR) and qualified for The Wargrave Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta. Anna Shaw joins the line-up after four years at the University of Tulsa, bringing American power to an otherwise homegrown squad. Recent wins for all five at Nottingham Autumn Head – across the coxed four and quad events – suggest this group has already found its rhythm. Holgate, equally adept in sculling, sweep, and even spotted at the British Rowing Beach Sprint Championships last August, adds versatility to a crew with an established depth and bite. Expect Nottingham to make London sweat all the way down to Putney.
Molesey Boat Club
With Thames and Worcester not fielding entries this year, Molesey’s path to the podium looks clearer. Ella Wandless, Efa Wilson, A. Lemmon, and Clemmie Lucas-Roast are being coxed by the force of nature that is Omar Al-Miqdadi, whose calls steered Molesey’s women to victory in The Wargrave Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta 2025. That kind of composure under pressure will serve them well when the river turns rough. A third-place finish for the club in 2022 will not satisfy this crew – a bold charge for higher honours may be on the horizon for Molesey’s women.
Auriol Kensington Rowing Club
Auriol Kensington continues to build on a breakthrough 2024-25 season that saw them enter The Wargrave Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta for the first time, finish inside the top 100 at Women’s Head of the River Race – their best result in seven years – and win the women’s eights category at British Rowing Club Championships. Daisy Stacey coxes a crew of familiar names: Eloise Trimingham, Ellie Rose, Elena Pope, and newcomer I. Marsden, four of the five that formed part of last season’s first eight. After being knocked out by Vesta ‘A’ in the Henley Women’s Regatta Copas Cup, there’s no shortage of motivation here. They might not be favourites to win, but they’ll be eager to make their mark – and the Tideway rewards courage.
Derby Rowing Club
Derby arrive on the Thames with serious mileage and momentum. Martha Nutkins (club captain), Eloise Thurman, and Flo Campbell already have wins across pairs and doubles this season, while Aoife Thompson brings pedigree from the Lester Trophy at Henley Women’s Regatta 2025. Together they form a cohesive, battle-tested unit – joined again by cox C. Brand. Last season, they claimed the Small Club Pennant at Women’s Head of the River Race and finished second in the Wallingford Regatta coxed fours. They are not to be underestimated, and it would be wonderful to see a crew from the Midlands challenge some of the Tideway veterans, closing at the top of the pack.
A Change Reshaping the Competition
The Leander crew drawn to start first will actually race in the championship coxed fours category rather than the club event, removing an early favourite and opening up the podium. That shift leaves the top step well within reach for the strongest contenders from the Thames-weathered ranks.
Prediction
This year’s women’s event feels defined by fresh combinations and familiar rivalries – clubs rebuilding, reuniting, and rediscovering their edge. Expect a fierce fight at the front, with the Vesta first four likely to lead the charge and Nottingham pressing hard from behind. Molesey have the cox to propel them to a potential podium place, while London remains a proven force that could spring a surprise. If the river behaves, expect fireworks; if it doesn’t, my money is on Vesta’s home-water grit shining through.
With races in recent years washed out by high winds and rising tides, there is as much hope for calm conditions as there is for good form. But for the women’s coxed fours, the wait has only added to the anticipation.
