Friday Reviews
St Edwards School v A.S.R. Nereus
Although not a dramatic race, this was historic, with the Teddies crew being the first schoolboy second eight to reach Henley Friday since 2009. Lining up against an experienced Dutch university crew, St Edward’s committed to laying it on the line to see how long they could hang on to Nereus. The Dutch efficiently injected power into their boat to quickly put to bed the race and establish a comfortable lead, then wound down and saved their legs for tomorrow’s match-up with Harvard.
University of Virginia, USA v Harvard University ‘A’, USA
This all-American race was also a family affair, with coxswains Celia and Anya Cheng lining up next to each other on the start line. Harvard looked clean and sharp as they stormed towards the end of the island and eked out an early lead. The crimson crew’s smooth strokes allowed them to establish a clear water margin, and they looked relaxed as they progressed to the semifinals by two and a half lengths.
Oxford Brookes University ‘A’ v Edinburgh University
Both crews had strong starts and were level at the end of the island. However, as expected, the powerhouse Brookes crew began to command the race early on and created a three-quarters-of-a-length lead by the barrier. Edinburgh could not match Brookes’ power, so this lead continued to extend, and the Brookes crew reduced their rating to have a comfortable paddle across the finish line.
Cambridge University v D.S.R. Laga
This race turned out to be a bit of an upset, with many touting Cambridge as UK favourites to win the event. Both crews shot out of the start blocks, with Laga inching out by a canvas at the end of the island. The Dutch crew’s sharp bladework helped them to continue extending that lead with a half-length advantage by Fawley. Cambridge attempted to make a comeback and temporarily reduced the lead to a quarter of a length. However, Laga absorbed this threat to power through to the semifinals by three-quarters of a length.
Saturday Previews
A.S.R. Nereus ‘A’ v Harvard University ‘A’
In another of the many Dutch and American matchups this weekend, Nereus and Harvard have booked their tickets to the semifinals. Last season, Harvard’s Henley campaign came to a halt when Brookes knocked them out of racing on Saturday. With seven of that crew returning to race again this year, they will be vying to go at least one step further this year.
Throughout the regatta, Harvard consistently produced faster times to the barrier than Nereus, which indicates more speed within the Crimson crew. Additionally, Nereus has had mixed results this year on their domestic racing circuit – losing out to Aegir at Rotterdam’s Westelijke, who Harvard has comfortably beaten at Henley.
If the lightweight Harvard crew encounters a particularly stubborn headwind, the heavyweight Dutch crew may see an advantage that could give them an edge. This should be an interesting matchup; however, I would consider Harvard the favourites here.
Oxford Brookes University ‘A’ v D.S.R. Laga, NED
With high stakes for both crews, this could shape up to be one of the races of the day. Seeing Brookes in the semifinal of The Temple Challenge Cup is no surprise; however, after a tough season of distractions, many people will wonder if their dominance at this event will be disrupted. This season, Brookes retained their title at BUCS Regatta in championship eights and were comfortably the fastest Temple-eligible eight at Marlow.
Last season, Laga was knocked out of racing on Henley Friday by Brookes, so they will be coming to this race vying for a different result this time round. Times to the barrier and Fawley have been close between these crews, but Brookes do appear to have an edge.
It is challenging to compare results between racing for these crews in their respective domestic circuits, but I would still place Brookes as favourites for the win here. Their strong history in this event and depth of talent are hard to match.
