Friday Reviews
Mercantile Rowing Club v Thames Rowing Club ‘A’
Having wound down before the line on Wednesday and not raced on Thursday, both crews arrived on the start line fresh and raring to go. Hot competition favourites, Thames Rowing Club ‘A’ were straight out to a two-length lead by the Barrier, mere seconds shy of the Wednesday records to both the Barrier and Fawley. Ticking over at twenty-four strokes per minute, the familiar red, white, and black of the leading crew maintained their convincing four-length lead, and truly asserted their dominance over the Henley Reach – undoubtedly on a quest to retain The Wargrave Challenge Cup, I imagine, potentially demolishing further records in the process. Despite the best efforts of the women from Down Under, Thames finished with a three-length verdict and progressed to tomorrow’s semifinal.
Thames Rowing Club ‘C’ vs Molesey Boat Club ‘A’
Firstly, credit to Thames C for getting into the Friday racing. Not only did Thames have four crews qualify, but to have three of them make it this far is equally impressive. For Thames C, up against the A boat from Molesey, they needed to pull something pretty special out of the bag to defeat the girls from Molesey who come into this match up as the favourites. They are also one of the favourites across the whole event, and come into the regatta with some fantastic results this season. During the race, they were dominant. While Thames C had the typical style and strength we have come to expect from the club, they did not have enough in the tank to make the next round. Molesey came away with the win, with all eyes on them as we move closer to Sunday.
London Rowing Club ‘A’ v Molesey Boat Club ‘B’
Once again, showcasing the strength and speed of their start, London stretched out to an early one-length lead, which was extended to a length and a half by Fawley. Looking comfortable in a strong rhythm through the Remenham roar – no doubt split between the two clubs – this lead was stretched out to two lengths, and London continued to stretch out ahead past the enclosures. Despite the substitution of their captain, Lizzie Cottrell, for ‘B’ crew seven-seat, Jules Robey, this crew still looked remarkably tight and together the whole way down the course – a credit to their coaching team. Molesey appeared to put in push after push, but to no fruition, and were ultimately defeated by one and a quarter lengths.
Leander Club v Thames Rowing Club ‘B’
With the third Thames crew of the day tearing down the track in the Wargave, not even a punchy start could save them from the dominance of Leander Club. Stretching out to a length and a half lead by Fawley, Leander continued to break away and control the race from ahead in this battle of the bucket-rigs. With thirty-five combined Henley Royal Regatta appearances against Thames’ twenty-five, Leander have shown themselves as a force to be reckoned with in this event, and it’ll be great to see how they match up against the top club crews in these next rounds.
Saturday Preview
Thames Rowing Club ‘A’ vs. Molesey Boat Club ‘A’
This isn’t a match-up we’ve seen directly race one-on-one before, but it’s certainly one to strap in for. At Henley Women’s Regatta, Molesey posted the second fastest time-trial, with Thames lagging four seconds behind. Both lost out to the eventual winner, the UL-Durham-Leander Composite, who now race in the Bridge, but it’s difficult to tell how they’ll fare in a side-by-side duel. Thames did come out on top in the A-final at Metropolitan Regatta, and I have to say that my bets would be with them to take the win and progress to the final on Sunday.
London Rowing Club ‘A’ vs. Leander Club
This should certainly be an interesting match-up, as these crews appear to be relatively similar in speed. At Metropolitan Regatta, Leander finished near the tail-end of the A-final, while LRC placed in the top half of the B-final, with four seconds separating them. Whether or not London will be back to full-strength without substitutions remains to be seen, but I do think that Leander could snatch the spot in the final from their grasp and end their Wargrave hopes early, despite London not having to fight quite as hard for their spot in the semi. No matter the outcome, this definitely shapes up to be an exciting race.
