With the head racing season in full swing, November begins with a bang as the Henley Long Distance Sculls events return. Although this competition has been unable to run in recent years due to various inclement circumstances, we look forward to seeing some brilliant racing displayed this weekend. Competing crews start at Greenlands and end at the Henley Royal Regatta finish, where the athletes race over three kilometres and battle it out to make their mark two months into the season. Henley Long Distance Sculls offers both the chance to compete against rivals and win medals, as well as the invaluable experience of getting to grips with the famous course that hosts the highly anticipated Henley Regattas in the summer.
Women’s Junior 18 Quads
With this club making up two out of five entries, Henley Rowing Club is sure to put in a strong performance while also racing on its home waters. They have already achieved impressive results in the early stages of this season- let’s see if they can produce another win. Another notable entry is that of Tideway Scullers School. With their outstanding results over the last year, including a gold medal finish at the National Schools’ Regatta and the Schools’ Head of the River Race, they will be hungry for another super season. Individually within their club, they have produced numerous U19 representatives for Team GB. This demonstrates the quality of the pathway in nurturing talent and delivering remarkable results, setting the stage for continued success.
Women’s Junior 18 Singles
With the GBRT Early ID trials approaching, this event is swamped with athletes seeking to gain a head start on their competitors by gaining some race experience. The Tideway Scullers athlete Kate Cohalan is sure to be looking for the win. From winning the girls’ championship quad at the National Schools’ Regatta to taking gold for Great Britain at the Coupe de la Jeunesse, she’s shown time and time again that she’s an exceptional athlete. Another athlete from Henley RC who has demonstrated her capabilities is Chloe Hughes, whose strong results last season culminated in an impressive silver medal at the U19 World Rowing Championships in Trakai, Lithuania. Ione Parcell-Arregi of Maidenhead RC can equally ensure a competitive race after making it to the semi-finals of The Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta. Not far behind, Niamh Campbell, also of Maidenhead RC, has started her season off with a pack of competitive results. Winning the women’s junior sculls at Reading Small Boats Head by over 45 seconds, she’ll be flying down the course, leaving everything out there. I’m excited to see extremely tight racing within this event.
Women’s J16 doubles
This is yet another competitive event with a fair few entries. The standout double is sure to be the two girls of Maidenhead RC, with Emilia French coming first at the Reading Small Boats Head. She will definitely be on the lookout for more. Can she get another win at this competition with her doubles partner? After coming third at the British Championships in July of this year, they have proven their strength. With three out of 12 entries being from the same club, there is no doubt that they will perform well, especially the “A” boat. Going head-to-head with them will be the combination from Marlow RC. After winning the Upper Thames Autumn Head with a respectable time, they will definitely give the Maidenhead athletes a good race.
Women’s J16 quads
Looking to defend their home waters will be Henley Rowing Club. After their impressive win at Reading Small Boats Head, this puts them in a good place going into their home event. This crew has progressed through being together from J14 and have reached numerous major finals at the primary events, one being the National Schools’ Regatta, which they went on to win in 2025. Going up against them are their fellow crewmates, also from Henley Rowing Club, which will be an exciting match to see who comes out on top. Not to be discounted by any means are the athletes from Shiplake Vikings. Their third-place finish at the Upper Thames Autumn Head will only drive them to see just how far they can go.
Women’s J15 Coxed Quads
Once again, primary stakeholders Henley Rowing Club will be bringing their ‘A’ game this weekend as their season has already started on a high note. With great anticipation of what they will go on to achieve throughout the season, they will definitely be at the top of the results page at this competition. Their training programme is showing clear results from older athletes, and it will be great to see this crew progress into the future.
