Henley Women’s Regatta 2025 – The W. Peer Cup for Championship Double Sculls Preview

Like so many championship-level events at Henley Women’s Regatta, former winners have often gone on to represent their national teams. Last year’s victors, Keto and Bates, have both worn GB colours, and Keto is currently racing as part of the British women’s double. Clearly, then, this is a runway for talent to stand out and so we can expect fierce and frantic racing.

Rebekah Court & Ella Fullman, Bath University

Fullman & Court have become a regular pairing on the university sculling scene in recent years, and again appear in the W. Peer Cup. As part of the South West Performance Development Academy, they most recently picked up a bronze medal in the championship doubles at BUCS Regatta to go alongside a championship quads bronze in the cabinet. Fullman & Court went out to the eventual winners in the first round here in 2024 – a feat repeated in The Stonor Challenge Trophy at Henley Royal Regatta just two weeks later. If they see the luck of the draw on their side this time, the Bath University duo could be in with a real shot at the final, or even a win.

Shannon Whelehan & Izzy Lancaster, Reading University

It goes without saying that Reading University puts out exceptional scullers time and time again, and this pairing is no exception. Izzy Lancaster picked up the Fiona Dennis Trophy for Aspirational Lightweight Singles here last year, and will be looking to add another HWR win to her name this time around with teammate Shannon Whelehan. The top two podium spots were taken up by Reading in the intermediate doubles at BUCS Regatta – gold for Whelehan with Meg Knight, and silver for Lancaster with Alex Grocock. With the pairings now mixed up, it’s all to play for over the 1500m course this weekend, but I’d certainly be placing my bets on there being at least one Reading crew in the final of this event.

Laura Kempen & Leonoor Bos – D S R Proteus-Eretes

Finalists from last year’s Aspirational Double Sculls event, Kempen & Bos are back for more. This duo appears to have been on a winning streak since their previous Henley appearance, having dominated the women’s pair and followed up with a fifth-place finish in the women’s double at the September European Universities Rowing Championships in Zagreb. Having also won the lightweight doubles at the Koninklijke-Holland Beker, this pairing appears to have exhausted their European opposition, so now they turn to the booms of Henley-on-Thames to challenge themselves against the best of their UK sculling counterparts.

Anna Turner & Alex Grocock – Reading University

Alongside teammates Whelehan and Lancaster, this pairing made up the crew that won gold in the intermediate quads at BUCS Regatta. In a field with much more depth, Grocock & Turner were both in a crew that finished seventh in the B-final on the Saturday at the Metropolitan Regatta, while on the Sunday, both athletes placed in the A-final in their respective combinations: Grocock fourth with Shannon Whelehan, and Turner seventh with Isobel Burridge. These scullers have immense experience in both side-by-side and time-trial formats, so they will be a force to be reckoned with come the weekend.

Anna De Lange & Emily Macredmond – M.S.R.V Saurus

M.S.R.V Saurus from Maastricht University are regular visitors to Henley Women’s Regatta, and add another Dutch entry to the field for the championship double sculls this year. Irish national, Emily Macredmond, pairs up with Anna de Lange for what is likely to be their fiercest competition yet. The duo have been racing in the ‘VB2x’ category for beginner women over in the Netherlands so far this season, and despite having performed relatively well, this event will likely be a big step up in terms of competition.

Bibi Colgan & Robyn Selby Smith – Upper Thames Rowing Club

The Colgan Foundation name has become synonymous with Henley Women’s Regatta – displayed proudly on the shells of Leander Club’s crews, and acting as the namesake for the Academic Eights event. Its managing director, Bibi Colgan, can often be found racing at the Regatta, and this year is no different. Now paired with Australian Olympian, Robyn Selby Smith, under the banner of Upper Thames Rowing Club, this duo may not be at the sharp end of the racing, but certainly fly the flag for the sport. Having raced in the Aussie women’s eight at London 2012, Selby Smith is no stranger to high-level racing, and for some of the young athletes in this field, the chance to race shoulder to shoulder with an Olympian certainly adds another string to their bow.

Prediction

This field is certainly a mixed bag in terms of experience, from Olympians to crews making the step up from a beginner category. Draw dependent, I imagine that the semi-finals will contain the two Reading University crews, Bath University and D S R Proteus-Eretes, and from there it could be anyone’s game, but I expect that the experince of Fullman & Court of Bath University will likely come out on top.

About The Author

Lara Robinson

Having first sat in a boat aged 13 at Stratford upon Avon BC, Lara’s love for the sport has only gone from strength to strength. Now Women’s Captain at City of Oxford RC and in her second season writing for JRN, she primarily covers student and club level women’s rowing alongside her day job as a neuroscience researcher at the University of Oxford.

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