Women’s eights rowing is an exciting place to be right now, and the record 29 entries into the Ron Needs Cup for Championship Eights speaks volumes to the calibre of the domestic scene in particular. Acting as a melting pot for crews who are likely to grace the Island, the Wargrave, and Remenham Challenge Cups, as well as the inaugural Bridge Challenge Plate at Henley Royal Regatta in just two weeks time, this is a unique opportunity for a showdown of some of the best UK and International women’s crews.
The Club Crews
Thames Rowing Club
Having picked up first and second place at the Metropolitan Regatta, Thames Rowing Club have already made their stamp on the club rowing scene this season. With their ‘A’ and ‘B’ crew lineups remaining the same into Henley Women’s Regatta, they – draw dependent – may be one another’s biggest threats. With a total of 43 athletes entered into the regatta, including Olympian Chloe Brew and a host of previous Henley Royal and Henley Women’s Regatta winners, Thames will certainly be hunting down this trophy for their cabinet once again, and its return to the embankment is certainly not out of the question.
Leander Club
The pink palace’s top crew this year takes the form of a composite with Anna Grace of Durham University and Georgie Robinson Ranger of the University of London, while the ‘B’ and ‘C’ crews are littered with talent such as Olympian Silver medallist Esme Booth and Inaugural Island Challenge Cup winner, Isy Hawes. Steered by Paralympic Champion, Erin Kennedy and featuring yet more Olympic medallists, I certainly wouldn’t be surprised to see this Leander composite towards the top of the time trial rankings, while a similar outfit to this ‘B’ crew only managed to pull off a sixth place finish at the Metropolitan Regatta, so I’d hope to see at least the hallmark cerise blades of the top two crews cement themselves at the sharp end of the racing and present more of a challenge to the likes of Thames and Molesey.
Molesey Boat Club
Molesey are another club who have proved themselves to be a force to be reckoned with so far this season, and their entries could throw a spanner in the works for the likes of Thames and Brookes, who could be looking to get their hands on the trophy. Their third-place Metropolitan Regatta crew is now making up the majority of the ‘B’ crew, while Molesey ‘A’ gains the likes of Olympic bronze medallist, Holly Dunford, U23 Gold medallist Hope Cessford, as well as up-and-coming athletes Lilly Abbot, Harriet Drake-Lee, and Jade Lindo. If the stellar performance of the ‘B’ crew at the Metropolitan Regatta is anything to go by, any advance on this will surely shake up the draw. Molesey and Thames have already been back and forth via the Heineken Roeivierkamp, Poplar Regatta, and Metropolitan Regatta, so it’s exciting to see whether they’ll remain on top of the rankings.
London Rowing Club
LRC may be a little off the pace compared to some of their Remenham Club counterparts, but I’d certainly expect them to make it through the qualification round in this competitive field. Placing at the top end of the B-final at Dorney the weekend before last, behind the B crews of Brookes, Thames, and Molesey, I’d like to see London take a step forward to present more of a threat down the Henley track. Five of last year’s Wargrave Challenge Cup finalists return, joined by former Oxford Blue, Sara Helin; Birmingham alumni Elizabeth Dashley; and JRN’s own Saskia Klinkenberg. As a slightly different outfit to that who raced the Metropolitan Regatta, I’m excited to see what the blue and white stripes of LRC can pull out of the bag as we enter the season’s closing stages.
The University Crews
Oxford Brookes University
Last year, Brookes achieved the first retention of the Championship Eights title by a single club in over 30 years. Two rowers from that crew return this year, alongside coxswain Bea Argyle and four of the Island Challenge Cup-winning crew from 2024. This outfit raced at the Metropolitan Regatta at the end of last month, coming in fourth in the A-final behind strong Thames and Molesey crews, so the crew in maroon may have to work slightly harder than anticipated if they want to retain this title. Last year, we saw dominant performances over the likes of Edinburgh University, their own ‘B’ crew and a stong Leander composite before going on to win The Remenham Challenge Cup, so I look forward to seeing whether Brookes women can build this same momentum heading into the climax of the season at Henley Royal Regatta.
Newcastle University
The Blue Star had what may have been a disappointing run at the Metropolitan Regatta after their BUCS Regatta high, missing out on the A-final by eight-tenths of a second, then posting a time at the top of the B-final that would have placed them fifth overall. After a thrilling run in this event last year, knocking out Thames’ A crew in the quarterfinal by just a canvas, Newcastle University are back for more and will be looking to prove that their BUCS Regatta championship eights win was more than just a good day at the office. If the Blue Star can pull off another quick time trial and put themselves towards the top of the ranks before seeding for the draw, I think we can hope to see them make it to the late stages of this event once again.
University of London
Fresh off the back of a sunny French camp, this appears to be another test drive of UL’s Island Challenge Cup offering. Having already placed ahead of a strong Leander’s crew at Ghent Regatta, and been hot on their heels of the likes of Brookes and Cambridge in the A-final at the Metropolitan Regatta, I would hope to see UL at least in the top half of the 16 qualifying crews. Despite the absence of some of their top athletes (namely Jessie Martin, Saskia Delray, and Irish Olympians Aoife Casey and Emily Hegarty) UL have already shown that they have the speed to beat out the likes of Durham and Oxford Brookes, so any of these crews meeting side by side could certainly make for some exciting racing.
Edinburgh University
The top eight from Edinburgh University have had a season of ups and downs so far, having found themselves in the B-final of the championship eights at BUCS, then posting a time that would’ve won them silver in the A-final. A slightly altered crew then placed sixth in the B-final at the Metropolitan Regatta – perhaps not quite the run up that they’d hoped for into this event. However, the Baby Blues have recently been on their pre-Henley camp, and we’ve often seen them pick up speed into the sharp end of the season, having reched the quarter fianls of this event last year, only to lose out to eventual winners, Oxford Brookes, and their Aspirational Academic Eight reaching a similar fate in the final. I hope to see them having stepped on since BUCS, back in their full outfit, and to put themselves in the running for the later side-by-side rounds.
Durham University
Having lost one of their top athletes, Anna Grace, to the Leander composite rumoured to be a Bridge Challenge Plate crew, this appears to be a test drive for Durham‘s Island Challenge Cup crew. A slightly altered lineup from that we’ve already seen at BUCS Regatta and the Metropolitan Regatta, we saw them on a much more even keel with UL’s Island entry, and it’ll be great to see how these two compare again in this field. The familiar palatinate blades snuck into the A-final ahead of Newcastle University at the Metropolitan Regatta, so it’ll be interesting to see whether the time trial format plays into their hands again. There’s some stellar talent in this crew, including U19 World Rowing Championships gold medallist Izzie Kennedy in the stroke seat and former USC athlete Zoe McCutcheon in six, so I’m excited to see what they can pull off in their first run down the Henley track this season.
The International Crews
Cornell University, USA
The last time Cornell University’s crimson appeared at Henley Women’s Regatta was in 2015, when both of their crews were eliminated in the first round. No doubt aiming to top their past result, this appears to be the majority of the Cornell women’s rowing 1V, joined by the 2V stroke, Amelia King. Cornell most recently finished in eighth place at the Ivy League Championships, falling short of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Brown, who have previously seen success at Henley Women’s Regatta. This has been a consistent lineup throughout the season, with Emma Leary and Ellie VanHouten also named ‘All-Ivy’ this spring. I’m excited to see what Cornell can pull out of the bag and hope they qualify for side-by-side racing in this strong event.
Mercantile Rowing Club, Australia
Within Australia, Mercantile have a reputation for being a strong club, with excellent depth throughout their squads. Alongside their valiant fundraising efforts and social media campaigns to attend the regatta, this crew also picked up gold in the women’s club eight event at the Victoria State Championships – a staggering 26 seconds ahead of the second-place crew. On a national stage, Mercs only lost out to Sydney Rowing Club at the Australian Rowing Championships, and also picked up bronze in the U23 women’s eights in a composite with Melbourne University at Nationals. This is undoubtedly a strong crew, and it’ll be great to see how they stack up against the UK field, given that they also have eyes on The Wargrave Challenge Cup in a few weeks’ time.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA
Based in Massachusetts, WPI have made the journey over for Henley Women’s Regatta for the second time in three years, having last raced in 2022. Where their ‘A’ crew previously ranked in the middle of the pack for the academic eights, both eights now make the step up to the championship category. The two WPI entries appear to largely reflect their 1V and 2V crews from throughout the season, and the 1V picked up the Varsity Eight title at the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC), featuring four of the ‘A’ crew entered here. Qualification in this strong category may be tough for these crews, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them feature in The Island Challenge Cup later in their UK trip.
Prediction
This is a tricky one, especially with the talent drawn so far and wide across these crews. I’d like to see a showdown between Thames and Molesey in the final, but think that the closing stages of the racing will likely also include the likes of Oxford Brookes, the Leander composite crew, and possibly Newcastle or UL. The outcomes here are very draw-dependent, so it’ll be all to play for in the time trial seeding, but no matter what comes out in the wash, this is set to be a spectacular side-by-side showdown of domestic women’s rowing, backed by one of the greatest stages in the world.
