On November 15th, 480 crews will launch onto the Thames to race the infamous Championship Course. After the last two years being cancelled due to weather conditions, the anticipation will be growing – especially for those facing the course in coxless boats.
Molesey Boat Club
Familiar faces Poole and Stirrat make up the stern pair of the first crew to set off in this category. Coming off Molesey’s win in The Wargrave Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta, they will be looking to continue the momentum from the end of last season. They are joined by Paul and Kannor, who have recently moved to Molesey from Upper Thames Rowing Club. This pair narrowly missed out in the final of the Lester Trophy at the 2025 Henley Women’s Regatta, despite a strong regatta season, an experience they will bring with them onto the Tideway.
London Rowing Club
London Rowing Club’s crew of Robey, Arthur, Thomson, and Harbottle are no strangers to each other. They reached the final of the Copas Cup at Henley Women’s Regatta last season, and finished off the season with an unfortunate meeting with finalists Leander on the Wednesday of Henley Royal Regatta in The Wargrave Challenge Cup ‘B’ crew. Robey continued her journey after being substituted into the ‘A’ crew, also facing Leander on the Friday. Building on their last season together, they come onto the Tideway in strong form, having won Upper Thames Autumn Head by 30 seconds. With their shared experiences and cohesion, this quartet brings both composure and determination to the start line, eager to continue their winning streak.
Nottingham Rowing Club
Bowman, Mathewson, Mack, and Boddy join forces to represent Nottingham Rowing Club on the Tideway. With a knock-out on the Tuesday of Henley Royal Regatta last season for Bowman and Boddy, and a strong non-qualifying time for Mathewson at Henley Women’s Regatta, their recent form is promising. At Nottingham Autumn Head, Bowman’s coxless four stormed to victory against Nottingham University, while her fellow crewmates also claimed gold in the coxed four. This will seemingly be the first time this crew races together – on the Tideway no less – they’ll be eager to see how far their pace and power can take them.
Notable Mentions
Marlow Rowing Club deserves a mention here – can they bring the same energy to the Tideway that they showed at Upper Thames Head Autumn Head, with their five-second win over London Rowing Club in the eights? City of Bristol will also be looking to continue the strong showing they had at Gloucester Head, with wins in both the coxless fours and taking the top two spots in the eights, while City of Oxford will be looking to build on early season performances at Upper Thames Autumn Head.
Predictions
Molesey Boat Club are my favourites to win on the Tideway this year, but with the magic of the 6.8km Championship Course, there is ample opportunity for London Rowing Club to make some moves on them and provide a strong challenge to the crew in black and white. All eyes are on Nottingham Rowing Club to see how they will fare against the two local clubs. I think we might see a surprising performance from Marlow Rowing Club if they can maintain their form on the Tideway’s infamously testing conditions.
