Holders: Wycliffe College Boat Club
Entries: 61 (to be reduced to 24 by Qualifying races)
While this event’s outcome seemed a certainty last year, the junior women’s sculling circuit has opened up massively in 2025 – we will see this change in both Qualifying races and the real deal. Boats will be fine-tuned, technique polished, grudges finally settled: this year’s edition of The Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup looks to be one of the most thrilling yet.
Tideway Scullers’ School
Tideway left us itching for a showdown after they scratched from Henley Women’s Regatta, where they likely would have taken on Wycliffe once again in their scrap for glory. It’s been a season-long duel deliciously reminiscent of 2023, when Tideway overturned Wycliffe in the final of The Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup to cause one of the weekend’s most acute upsets. Amalka Delevante, a Junior 16 athlete when she won back in 2023, returns this year for one last crack at The Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup alongside some of London’s best scullers as her crewmates: both Jess Kerbiriou and Charlotte Van der Wiele were named to the GB squad for Munich International Regatta. I won’t go as far as to say that no one wants the win more than Tideway, but victory would mean they would complete the triple of Schools’ Head, National Schools’ Regatta, and Henley Royal Regatta for the first time in club history. Their crown is by no means steady – the depth of this category makes sure of that – but few crews manage a difficult race quite as well as Tideway Scullers.
Marlow Rowing Club
While the Wycliffe-Tideway rivalry has drawn my attention all season, I cannot deny the possibility of Marlow, last year’s losing finalists, finishing the season on top. This crew has a wealth of experience between the booms – bowwoman Ione Haley is a returning finalist, and Junior 18 athlete Aoife Turner is set to take on her third regatta, though first foray into The Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup, alongside Lauren Kennedy in her second regatta. June often signifies a time of change for Marlow, using Henley Women’s Regatta as a springboard to peak just in time for Henley Royal Regatta. It seems they are doing the same this year, delivering dominant performance over and over to storm into the final of the Bea Langridge Trophy. They lost to Wycliffe by under a length – a far smaller margin than last year, and one they could certainly overturn in the next week.
Maybe not potential winners, but not to be counted out: kudos has to go to Marlow’s coaching team for fielding an armada of four quads for this year’s regatta. Subject to whether they qualify, Marlow’s B quad will look for a repeat of their fourth place at the Junior Sculling Regatta and aim high towards the weekend’s racing. Their Junior 16 quad are also entered following their qualification into the heats of Henley Women’s Regatta. Knocked out by eventual winners Wycliffe, Marlow’s J16s will race hard in the knowledge there are many more crews to beat.
Wycliffe College Boat Club
What is there left to say about Wycliffe? Ruthless, tenacious, tough beyond belief: it’s no surprise they win as often as they do. Any flickers of weakness – fourth place at Schools’ Head, second at National Schools’ and on the Sunday of the Metropolitan Regatta – are met with quick revenge from this formidable quad. There is little doubt that their top boat will reach the weekend (and quite possibly the final) for the fourth time in four years, even with a new, younger line-up. They peaked just at the right time to cinch the Bea Langridge Trophy for the third year running; momentum, I’m sure, they will aim to maintain in the final week before Henley Royal Regatta to retain last year’s title. Barring an upset at qualifiers, Wycliffe B and possibly C will also battle far into the week – in fact, last year’s B boat could only be stopped by the untouchable Wycliffe A in the semifinal.
Maidenhead Rowing Club
The drama and the strength of crews at the top end of women’s sculling made it difficult to notice Maidenhead’s ever-rising pace – until we could not help it. My underdogs of the season, Maidenhead first wowed with third place at the Schools’ Head of the River and most recently teased their frightening speed with an outright victory on the Sunday of the Metropolitan Regatta, outdoing Wycliffe in both the time trial and the final. They scratched from Henley Women’s Regatta to really keep us waiting, no doubt a well-thought-out decision that will reward them in the long run. Many know how Henley Royal Regatta loves an underdog, and if planned out correctly, I think Maidenhead could mount a campaign for the history books.
Canberra Girls’ Grammar School BC, Australia
Australian crews have a strong tradition in The Prince Phillip Challenge Trophy for schoolgirl eights: Canberra Girls’ Grammar are on a mission to show they are just as competitive as scullers. They had a baptism of fire in their warm-up on British waters, taking on eventual winners Wycliffe College in the quarterfinals of the Bea Langridge Trophy. Arriving as state and national champions from down under, Canberra are eager to make their debut a meaningful one and will have benefited from their experience at Henley Women’s Regatta, ready to go even further on their second quest between the booms.
Mercantile Rowing Club, Australia
Mercantile Rowing Club double the Australian effort this year, arriving into Henley Royal Regatta as Head of the Schoolgirls victors to launch a debut Henley Women’s Regatta campaign that paralleled Canberra Girls’ Grammar: they too made it to the quarterfinals, their plans foiled by eventual finalists Marlow Rowing Club. This crew are undefeated in schoolgirl coxed quad scull racing in their home state of Victoria, winning the Victorian state open women’s quad before placing sixth at the Australian National Championships. From the riverbank, Mercantile looked particularly strong on Sunday’s racing – like Canberra, they will use the next week wisely to prepare themselves once again for their ultimate stage, Henley Royal Regatta.
Sir William Perkins’ School Boat Club
Sir William Perkins’ School entered Henley Women’s Regatta with a bang, posting a one-length victory in a fiery but classy race against a fierce Newport crew. The two were nearly indistinguishable, both in kit and power, until SWPS proved they were just a cut above the rest. They showed up with dynamic rhythm and aggressive style – strengths that cannot be overstated in one-on-one racing. Though SWPS lost out to Wycliffe in the semifinal, they have improved leaps and bounds throughout the season from an already outstanding baseline, upheld by the international pedigree in this boat – at this rate, they could be contenders for the weekend.
Shiplake College Boat Club
This year, they’re national champions. Last year, they had a crew racing in every junior event on the Thursday of Henley Royal Regatta. Shiplake are a strong bet in any year, but this season has been a real step forward for their entire squad, though their Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup quad is, at time of writing, yet to qualify. Racing as a coxed four, their A boat took silver at National Schools’ Regatta before stepping into the quad for the Metropolitan Regatta and Henley Women’s Regatta, qualifying for the Bea Langridge Trophy. They have yet to reach quite the level of success they enjoyed as a four, settling for the C-final at the Metropolitan Regatta and losing out in the heats of Henley Women’s Regatta, but would contend well in The Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup if they can snag a qualification spot.
Putney High School Boat Club
A new focus on sweep rowing at Putney High School has seen their once-prolific quad now a rarity on the circuit. Their apparent switch in discipline still did not cost their quad the pre-qualification spot they earned last year, such is the strength of this crew. Three of their four top scullers return from last year’s boat, which became their first-ever quad to qualify for The Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup and had previously represented Great Britain in the GB/France Junior 16 fixture. This strength will not have been lost in the space of just one season – Putney High qualified through to the heats of Henley Women’s and were knocked out by losing finalists Marlow. This feisty, fast-starting boat are keen to progress further through the week come Henley Royal Regatta.
Headington School Oxford Boat Club
Placing seventh at the National Schools’ Regatta and eighth at the Metropolitan Regatta, Headington earned a prequalification spot following a string of successes in the quad. While their eight famously dominated in The Prince Phillip Challenge Trophy last year, Headington’s Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup outfit defeated Putney High to reach the Thursday, matching their efforts from 2022. Ryan Demaine’s program is clearly something special and seems poised for yet more greatness at the pinnacle of this season. To merit prequalification takes major strength – I am sure this crew will do the Headington name proud.
Henley Rowing Club
I’ll finish with the home favourites, Henley Rowing Club. They reaped the benefits of their home advantage at Henley Women’s Regatta to reach the semifinal against Marlow, and will aim for a similar result at Henley Royal Regatta: absent from this event last year, they were semifinalists in 2023 and reached the Friday the year before. With another week to prepare on their own water, and the comfort and confidence of racing on their home stretch, Henley bears a sizable advantage over their competition right when it matters most. They kicked off regatta season impressively with silver at the Junior Sculling Regatta, not far off Wycliffe and ahead of several strong crews: in top form, Henley will be ones to watch for weekend racing.
Oundle School
Completing the set of crews to have prequalified for the Draw, Oundle have secured a spot in a female Trophy for the first time ever. Coached by Neville Aston, this outfit placed eighth at the National Schools’ Regatta at the end of May to follow up on a seventh-place finish at the Oarsport Junior Sculling Head. Henley Women’s Regatta was another good day out for this group, as they qualified for the side-by-side racing in the Bea Langridge Trophy before falling to home favourites in the first round. One of their number is only 15 years old, so to have made it into The Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup – regularly one of the most oversubscribed Trophies at Henley Royal Regatta – is an exceptional achievement for this school.
Predictions
In the tug of war between Wycliffe and Tideway, it’s the latter’s turn to pull. Wycliffe approaches Henley week as the crew to beat, but Marlow are quickly closing the gap – they have a score to settle, just as keenly as Wycliffe has a title to retain. Tideway’s absence from Henley Women’s Regatta makes them one to watch in more ways than one, as there is no telling the speed they’ve gained since the Metropolitan Regatta. Maidenhead are the only crew to outdo Wycliffe since the National Schools’ Regatta’ but have joined Tideway in laying low, hoping to surprise with their speed come July. I expect both Australian crews, Canberra Girls’ Grammar and Mercantile, to hang on long into the week alongside Sir William Perkins’ School and Henley RC, but ultimately it will be the aforementioned four fighting it out at the weekend. Reigning victors Wycliffe, national champions Tideway, revenge-seeking Marlow, and tide-turning Maidenhead: it really is too close to call.
