Thursday Reviews
Henley R.C v Hartpury College
Henley R.C and Hartpury College made for an intriguing matchup in today’s Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup, with two strong young crews duking it out in a maelstrom of blades, fighting for a chance to progress towards the final. Hartpury attempted to make the early move, exploding out of the gates, and sacrificing a little bit of technique to lever themselves to a slight lead by the end of the island with sheer rate and grit. However, by the Barrier, Henley seemed to have found their rhythm, and started to find their way back, and they seized a length lead at Fawley. The two crews proceeded to battle down the course, matching the others’ rate, but Hartpury’s steering suffered slightly and caused them to correct, and perhaps shave off speed and lose valuable seconds. At this point, Hartpury had settled down and their bladework looked a lot tidier. Despite this, Henley continued to shift away, building their lead, and neutralising the effect of Hartpury’s final sprint, as Henley crossed the finish line over a length ahead.
Claires Court Sch. v Canberra Girls G.S, AUS
A truly international battle, the crew from Canberra Girls G.S making their way over to Henley to prove that they can hold their own amongst the best of the schoolgirl rowing scene, most definitely met their match in the crew from Claires Court School. Following a highly successful season on home turf, the Canberra girls leapt out of the gate, trying to put some distance between themselves and the girls of Claires Court. This resulted in a length lead at the barrier, but a steering error carried them across to the middle of the course, which led to warnings from the umpire, and a significant change in direction, which cost the Canberra crew. The girls from Claires Court seized upon the opportunity and made use of a settled rhythm and smooth bladework to pull back past Canberra. As the fatigue set in, Canberra started to deteriorate slightly, and whilst they tried to respond to Claires Court’s methodical push, they couldn’t close the gap. Claires Court continued to pull away, ending the Australian hopes of a Henley trophy by around three lengths.
Wycliffe College ‘B’ v Tideway Scullers’ School
With Tideway Scullers’ School being one of the main competitors for the Trophy, there was plenty of pressure to see how they would perform – Wycliffe College ‘B’ lined up against Tideway Scullers’ School, which is a daunting task for any crew, but Wycliffe were determined to show that they were not to be messed with. They clearly wanted to take some chunks out of Tideway before the latter stages of the race. Both crews absolutely blasted out of the start, rating around 45 strokes per minute, with Tideway steering to threaten Wycliffe, leading to a warning from the umpires. Having moved away, Tideway dropped into their stride, working up a length lead, as the umpires also warned Wycliffe to watch their course, but Tideway maintained a higher rate to prove to all Wycliffe that they were not to be messed with. Wycliffe looked very composed and relaxed in their pursuit, but their power was no match for Tideway’s as the gap widened to two and a half lengths by Fawley. Tideway cruised home with a three and a quarter length lead over Wycliffe, teeing up Tideway for a competitive quarterfinal fight with Sir William Perkins’ School.
Friday Previews
Mercantile R.C, AUS v Marlow R.C ‘A’
The sole international contender going into the quarterfinals following the defeat of Canberra Girls, Mercantile R.C will be looking to build on their dominant performance against Kew House in their last heat, which they finished looking like they still had plenty left in the tank. Mercantile will want to settle into their stride early on, and make use of the excellent technique, bladework and strength they demonstrated to beat their competition. However, their victory won’t come nearly as easily as in their heats, as they will be lining up against Marlow R.C ‘A’. The club fielded the 2024 finalists, and this crew has a wealth of experience between the booms. Marlow demonstrated excellent technical rowing in their heat, and with the additional sting of last year’s loss, I think this may prove enough to drive them past Mercantile into the semifinals, and closer to the victory.
Claires Court School v Wycliffe College ‘A’
An excellent lesson in consistency paying off, Claires Court School did well to see off the international contingent of Canberra Girls G.S in their recent heat, and this calmness and consistency may be what punches their ticket to the semifinals. Their ability to stay calm under pressure, row well, and go through other crews will go a long way in helping them in their battle against one of the leading contenders for the overall win, Wycliffe College ‘A’. Wycliffe’s consistency throughout the season, culminating in success at Henley Women’s Regatta, sets them up well to seize the trophy. To do this, they will first have to go through the girls of Claires Court. Wycliffe’s dominance off the start will, I believe, give them the advantage in this contest, as it will allow them to set a decent lead over Claires Court before settling into their stride. I would by no means discount the Claires Court girls here, but Wycliffe will ultimately dominate the race and move onto the next round.
Henley R.C v Maidenhead R.C ‘A’
Fighting for the last spot in the semifinals, neither Henley R.C nor the girls of Maidenhead R.C ‘A’ will go down easily, as both crews will be desperate for a shot at the final. They look to be quite evenly matched going into this race, making for an edge-of-your-seat battle down to the wire. Maidenhead’ A’ put down a good performance in their recent heat, beating out Marlow’s ‘B’ crew, but potentially let the pressure get to them, ultimately affecting their steering and bladework. This raises the question of whether they’ll have enough to beat Henley. Henley, on the other hand, only seemed to get better as they charged down the course against Hartpury, running beautifully despite some choppy bladework, and I think that this composure will eventually edge them out in front of the girls of Maidenhead R.C, propelling them into the semifinals.
