For many, racing at the Qualifying event for Henley Royal Regatta is the pinnacle of their rowing career. The Draw for the Regatta takes place the following day (Saturday 28th June at midday) and many crews will need to navigate the perils of Friday’s timetrial on the Henley course to secure a berth in the Regatta proper. Here, we’re going to take a look at who we think will qualify in the club events.
The Thames Challenge Cup
Entries: 51 (To be reduced to 32 by Qualifying races)
Subject to withdrawals, the fastest 14 crews will qualify (42.42%)
For most crews, this is what matters. When you consider the volume of entries for the number of places available, prequalification is a luxury that most crews can only dream about. 51 crews threw their hat in the ring for this year’s Thames Challenge Cup, and 18 of those were granted safe passage through to next Tuesday’s opening round. That leaves 14 places for 33 entrants. Whilst we have already seen quite a bit of the domestic entrants racing at the Metropolitan and Marlow Regatta, it is the internationals that make it more interesting, as we don’t yet know how they fit into this understanding. Men’s club rowing is going from strength to strength, proving more competitive each year. The barrier for entry to the Henley Royal Regatta is now so much higher than it once was, and that is a good thing for the event and a good problem for the Stewards.
Certain Qualifiers
Whilst there can never be a ‘certain’ outcome in sport, we do know that some of these crews are better than others. That means we can be fairly certain that they will make it through, barring some sort of error on the day.
Domestic entries like Molesey B, Marlow B, Vesta A, and Hereford RC are a good starting point. It looks as though nearly every club finishing above Molesey B at Marlow achieved a prequalification spot. That means that they are pretty much the ‘best of the rest’ when we consider the remaining field. In the F-final, they were beaten by Marlow B, who were closely followed by Hereford RC, who I’ve been very impressed by. Making the A-final at Wallingford Regatta before a good performance at the Metropolitan Regatta, Hereford have built something quite exciting around an exciting core of athletes.
Vesta are another certain qualifier for me as they were very good at the Metropolitan Regatta before a somewhat underwhelming performance at Marlow. They have what it takes, however, to turn it on when it matters, and they can do that again next Friday.
It is unfortunate for Thames C that they have to come to Qualifiers, as they’re a very good crew. Coming second in the D-Final at Marlow, they will be looking to have a good run down the course that secures them a seeding along with their ‘A’ and ‘B’ crews.
Likely Qualifiers
Vesta B looked good at the Metropolitan Regatta, placing just behind ‘certain’ qualifier Molesey B. They then reinforced this by beating Vesta A at Marlow, leaving them in a good position ahead of qualifiers.
Slightly ahead of them at Marlow was City of Bristol B, who’s ‘A’ crew has already prequalified for the event. Having not raced at the Metropolitan Regatta, this B crew must have been a fairly recent decision from the coaching team, though it looks like it could pay off handsomely.
Putney Town and Dart Totnes are two crews that seem to have positioned themselves very nicely at Marlow Regatta, where they edged out Vesta C in the H-Final. Whilst Dart Totnes didn’t race at the Metropolitan Regatta, Putney Town edged out Vesta B and were 0.2 of a second off the Tideway Scullers School boat that prequalified.
Turning to international entries, Calgary RC should have enough to make it through, given that they were the fastest Canadian crew at the Canadian Henley last August. Likewise, Green Lake Crew have secured either first or second in five events since the start of March. It’s worth noting that each of these were in ‘youth’ categories, so the chance to race against adults may provide a different outcome.
Possible Qualifiers
Barcelona Club de Rem looks like a decent outfit, having come second and third at the Catalan Championships, and third at the Heineken Regatta (Club). Whether this transpires to be fast enough to beat entries from Twickenham RC and Kingston RC, we will have to see.
There’s very little between these local rivals as they came first and second respectively in the I-Final at Marlow Regatta. Twickenham have qualified for the last two years now, though Kingston haven’t been in The Thames Challenge Cup for several years. Both clocked times in their final that were faster than, or in the same ballpark as, Marlow B, Vesta A and Molesey B, and they both had a very good chance of qualifying.
Royal Chester are another club that usually manages to qualify for The Thames Challenge Cup, though it looks like they are a little off the pace. Finishing ten and 14 seconds behind the aforementioned crews in the I-Final, it is going to have to be a big week if they are going to turn that around. Nonetheless, they have a lot of experience and beat them both in the TT that same morning. Given that that is the same format at Henley Royal Regatta qualifiers, it could be all to play for for the Royals.
London C, Lea and City of Oxford RC round off this list as they were all in the J-Final that finished in that order.
Here are the 13 crews that I believe find themselves most likely to qualify in alphabetical order:
- Calgary RC
- City of Bristol B
- Dart Totnes
- Hereford RC
- Kingston RC
- Marlow B
- Molesey B
- Putney Town
- Thames C
- Twickenham RC
- Vesta A
- Vesta B
- Vesta C
Barcelona Club de Rem
The Wargrave Challenge Cup
Entries: 42 (To be reduced to 24 by Qualifying races)
Subject to withdrawals, the fastest 12 crews will qualify (28.57%)
With 12 crews set to qualify from the 30 scheduled to race at Qualifiers, The Wargrave Challenge Cup is one of the more forgiving events this coming Friday, with a conversion rate just shy of 50% of those charging down the course. This still means fierce competition for a place in the main draw and a calibre by which no one can afford to coast, but the relatively high number of qualifying sports should give several high-potential crews a genuine shot, whilst pushing each other to be ever better. Several clubs have shown upward trajectories throughout the season, and Friday’s team trial will be the first significant test of the ultimate summer form. Below are some of the standout entries to watch.
City of Cambridge Rowing Club ‘A’ is a crew that should approach Henley Royal Regatta relatively confidently, arriving with real momentum and a strong recent track record. A top-35 finish at the Women’s Head of the River Race, just 0.3 seconds from the provincial club win, and a dominant 33-second margin over the next best Cambridge town crew suggest serious pace. They have been the fastest women’s crew at both Cambridge Autumn and Winter heads this season, and with side-by-side experience in both an aspirational quad and development four at Henley Women’s Regatta last year, plus an Easter training camp on the Thames, they come in well-prepared and race hardened.
London Rowing Club ‘B’ should be feeling good coming into Friday. London have the depth in their women’s squad to claim success. Notably, London ‘B’ recently made the quarterfinal of the Copas Cup at Henley Women’s Regatta, only to be beaten by eventual winners Thames. Earlier in the season, the club took second and third in the championship eights at Quintin Head and more recently at Wallingford, they placed fourth in club eights and fifth in challenge. Poplar Regatta offered a similar showing, with fourth and fifth in the women’s gold eights event. Overall, while silverware has seemingly eluded them, the depth of the squad could well see this crew into the main draw.
Another Copas Cup quarter-finalist, Royal Chester Rowing Club, were edged out by eventual finalists London by a length, but have shown considerable growth as a club this year. Over winter, their senior women placed second in the medium club pennant and third in the challenge pennant at the Women’s Head of the River Race, ascending 67 places overall to move from 139 to 72 in the order. At Wallingford Regatta, the first significant test of the summer, the women’s club eight took second in their heat and missed out on the final by just over one second. Hopefully, if they qualify, they might get a more fortunate draw, enabling this to be the year they break through.
St. Andrew Boat Club is another that will be hopeful of getting into the main draw, considering Henley Women’s Regatta results. They safely made it to the semifinal of the Copas Cup for aspirational club eights last week and were only narrowly defeated by eventual winners Thames across one and a quarter lengths. The likely crew from Henley Women’s Regatta of Genevieve Wilks, Eve Probart, Becky Bannister, Martha Walsh, Caera Innes, Nina Mortimer, Rebecca Harrison, Brighde Watt and cox Philippa Lloyd look poised to make a splash this year. With form and cohesion on their side, they will be ones to watch in the time trial.
Undoubtedly, Thames remain the benchmark for women’s club sweep rowing. The depth of their women’s squad in particular is unparalleled. We cannot ignore that these Thames ‘C’ and ‘D’ are possibly the winners of the Copas Cup. Six crews inside the top 40 at the Women’s Head of the River Race gives me confidence to repeat this dominance again at Henley Royal Regatta, particularly given they put four boats into the quarterfinals in 2023. Both of these crews are strong contenders to qualify, with the ‘C’ crew almost a certainty.
A crew that could be difficult to predict is Calgary Rowing Club, who you would expect to be able to qualify, considering they have travelled from Canada. This line-up will undoubtedly be a well-drilled race crew, whereas many domestic crews will not have had this comparable consistency all year, in different boat combinations, up to and including last weekend. The intent is there, and the Stewards would unlikely require them to trial unless they were confident in their pedigree.
Here are the 12 crews that I believe find themselves most likely to qualify in alphabetical order:
1. Calgary Rowing Club, Canada
2. City of Bristol Rowing Club
3. City of Cambridge Rowing Club ‘A’
4. Curlew Rowing Club
5. Lea Rowing Club ‘A’
6. London Rowing Club ‘B’
7. Marlow Rowing Club ‘A’
8. Royal Chester Rowing Club
9. St Andrew. Boat Club
10. Thames Rowing Club ‘C’
11. Thames Rowing Club ‘D’
12. Tideway Scullers’ School
The Wyfold Challenge Cup
Entries: 67 (To be reduced to 32 by Qualifying races)
Subject to withdrawals, the fastest 16 crews will qualify (31.37%)
The Wyfold Challenge Cup is a brutal conversation rate and even more harsh for the three international crews instructed to participate in Friday’s time trial. While Commercial, Club de L’Aviron de Vichy, and TBC Racing are safely through to the main draw, Sydney, Ruderverein Datteln, and Calgary will race Qualifiers. It’s unlikely that any of them would fail to qualify, so that leaves 13 spots open for domestic crews.
It seems the Stewards have given all the B-finalists from Marlow Regatta the nod so we turn our attention to the C-final. Eton Vikings topped the rankings in a combination that could pack a punch with a few more sessions under their belt. Behind them in the same final were Lea, Minerva Bath, Nottingham, before a drop off of some five or six seconds to Crabtree. One race prior was the D-final, and some quick crews were in there. While Tideway Scullers got the nod, Black Sheep, Cambridge ’99, and Agecroft weren’t so lucky. They were in the middle of the D-final, and all were within three seconds of each other, with York City, Kingston, and St Edward’s Martyrs (Teddies alumni) a second or two further back. Rounding out the D-final was the UK Armed Forces crew.
That would be your baker’s dozen of domestic crews who stand a fair chance of qualifying. However, it’s worth keeping an eye on Upper Thames B. They had clear water over the rest of the field in the E-final before a blanket was thrown over Nottingham B, Durham ARC, and City of Sheffield.
I’m conscious that I’ve only honed in on Marlow Regatta, but with only five full days available to recover, it’s not a lot of time to bounce back from a bad performance. One crew that didn’t race Marlow, who I do think will sneak in, will be City of Bristol. The combination is made up of athletes who were 37th overall at the Head of the River Race as well as placing fourth in club coxed fours at Wallingford as well as 13th in club eights at the Metropolitan Regatta. One final word for the locals, Henley Rowing Club. With an average age of 41, the quartet have 28 Henley Royal Regatta campaigns between them. While not starting at Marlow, they’ve got a Henley Royal Regatta winner onboard in the form of James Padmore and could also make the main draw.
Here are the 16 crews that I believe find themselves most likely to qualify in alphabetical order:
1 Agecroft Rowing Club ‘A’
2 Black Sheep Rowing Club
3 Calgary Rowing Club, Canada
4 Cambridge ’99 Rowing Club
5 City of Bristol Rowing Club
6 City of Sheffield Rowing Club
7 Crabtree Boat Club
8 Eton Vikings Club
9 Henley Rowing Club
10 Kingston Rowing Club
11Lea Rowing Club
12 Minverva Bath Rowing Club
13 Nottingham Rowing Club
14 St Edward’s Martyrs Boat Club
15 Upper Thames Rowing Club ‘B’
16 York City Rowing Club
The Britannia Challenge Cup
Entries: 18 (To be reduced to 16 by Qualifying races)
Subject to withdrawals, the fastest 5 crews will qualify (71.4%)
A rather dramatic drop in entries for the event overall, (18 this year in comparison to 29 in 2024) has made life slightly easier for qualifiers in The Britannia Challenge Cup this year. Beat two crews against the clock, and you are in. With all overseas entries prequalified, and the remaining spots filled by the fastest domestic crews from the club coxed four at Marlow Regatta, five spots need filling.
Tideway Scullers School, who made the C-final at Marlow Regatta, should qualify fairly smartly for this, as they are the highest ranked and fastest club coxed four to not pre-qualify.
City of Oxford Rowing Club and Cambridge 99, who finished within one second of each other in the time trial and in the D-final, should also make the cut.
Regarding the remaining two spots between Kingston, Reading, Marlow B and Furnivall, one would have Marlow B for at least one of the spots based on programme depth alone. For the last place, purely based on the speed demonstrated at the Metropolitan Regatta, Kingston would be the last qualifier, as they finished a good 20 seconds ahead of both Reading and Furnivall in terms of raw time over the course at Dorney, even allowing for a change in conditions.
Here are the 5 crews that I believe find themselves most likely to qualify in alphabetical order:
- Cambridge 99
- City of Oxford Rowing Club
- Kingston Rowing Club
- Marlow Rowing Club ‘B’
- Tideway Scullers School
