Friday Reviews
London Rowing Club’ B’ v K.A.R.Z.V. De Hoop, NED
Rested and recovered from Wednesday’s scrap with the boys from Sydney, De Hoop put on yet another classy show of composed and technically efficient Dutch rowing. Steering did appear to be a slight issue on board this crew however, as former Thames Rowing Club cox, Richelle Rietdijk, was again warned repeatedly down the course. London lodged a protest following the finish, objecting to De Hoop’s movement into neutral water. The white flag, however, was upheld, with umpires noting that London had the option to shift left and avoid conflict. The depth of London Rowing Club’s program was once again on show as they strive to return the The Thames Challenge Cup to their end of the Putney Embankment, but the ‘B’ crew were no match for the tidy outfit from De Hoop on this occasion, who stretched out to a two and a half length lead into the enclosures, and no doubt turn their sights to appearing in a Henley Royal Regatta final for the third year in a row – and perhaps will make it third time lucky.
Thames Rowing Club ‘B’ v Thames Rowing Club ‘A’
This has really been the year for unlucky inter-club draws, with Thames ‘B’ already having faced their ‘C’ crew, and now with their fate at the hands of the top-ranked boat the Tideway club have entered in this event. This race played out exactly as one would expect, with the ‘A’ crew asserting their dominance and taking an early lead, stretching out to an eventual two and a quarter lengths by Remenham. The well-drilled nature of both crews was evident, especially given they’ll likely have raced one another in training, as they matched stroke for stroke as though there were a mirror down the centre of the course. Both a credit to their club, Thames’ B’ may not have had quite the regatta they wanted, but can at least take home the title of the longest-standing ‘second’ crew in the event this year.
London Rowing Club ‘A’ v Tyne Amateur Rowing Club
It’s no secret that London Rowing Club are marching through the regatta with all eyes on the Thames Challenge Cup, and only Tyne Amateur Rowing Club stood in the way of a spot in the semifinal this afternoon. Tyne have had a storming regatta so far, and this appears to be the first crew from the club ever to have raced on the Friday – a huge credit to rowing in the North of England. London rocketed straight out of the blocks, and progressively extended their convincing lead to two lengths by the barrier, winding down to a length and three quarters by the finish – a verdict that they’ll be pleased with going into tomorrow’s semifinal, especially given that they’re likely to have the more placid of the two semis, allowing them to gear up for what should hopefully be a tasty final on Sunday. London truly demonstrated a masterclass of a race, and despite this being the slowest heat of the day, they were extremely controlled and technically mesmerising – certainly a crowd pleaser when passing the Remenham Club.
Leander Club v Molesey Boat Club ‘A’
This Leander crew is one of the strongest outfits we’ve seen in the Thames Challenge Cup from the pink palace in recent years, with a fifth-place finish at Marlow Regatta standing them in good stead to reach the later stages of the competition. Molesey had had a relatively straightforward run into this race, but were no match for their cerise counterparts on this occasion. With a seemingly relaxed start, Leander etched out a lead before the end of the island, taking Molesey with them up at rate 44. Despite thirty-six appearances between them, Molesey were no match for the predominantly ‘gappie’ crew who were able to confidently stretch away from their opposition and book themselves a place in tomorrow’s semifinal – an impressive feat given that five of these athletes are racing their first Henley Royal. They’ll have to bring their A game into the semifinal, but on their home water, it’ll be exciting to see what the gappies can pull off on the day.
Saturday Previews
K.A.R.Z.V. De Hoop, NED v Thames ‘A’
What a treat this will be for semifinals day, with Sunday-worthy racing a day early, and a repeat of last year’s final. We’ve already seen these crews equal records this year, with one apiece from Wednesday – Thames to the barrier, and De Hoop to Fawley. The Friday times for both of these crews are neck and neck, and neither had to fight particularly hard to progress, so it should be very much level pegging going into tomorrow’s semifinal. If it weren’t for the steering issues that they’ve had so far, my money would be on De Hoop for the win here, but I worry that this could cost them valuable seconds when treading a fine line with an opposition like Thames, so in this case I think that the combined experience, including 40 Henley appearances, will put Thames Rowing Club out on top.
London Rowing Club ‘A’ v Leander Club
The boys from the Embankment are well and truly on the charge for the win in this event, and they show that they’ve put on so far has been nothing short of impressive. However, getting past Leander will by no means be a walkover, with London having taken the overall win at Marlow Regatta, but the Leander crew less than ten seconds behind in fifth place. Given that the LRC crew have also already beaten the Brookes offering to The Ladies’ Challenge Plate, as well as all other Thames crews, I’m finding it difficult to look past the chance of them making the final on Sunday, but believe that Leander Club will certainly not let them get away with it easily tomorrow.
