The second of three major regattas that immediately precede Henley Royal Regatta, the Metropolitan Regatta occupies a special place in the summer rowing season. Many clubs have journeyed abroad on camps to finalise crew selection, and have been competing with each other throughout the head and the start of the summer season. The Metropolitan Regatta is also arguably the beginning of the movement of foreign crews to British shores in search of a Henley Royal Regatta qualifying spot, or at least some silverware to boot. The double does not get the same domestic and foreign entry enthusiasm as the eight or the four. This provides an interesting entry list in this year’s competition, with some old favourites and potential younger contenders.
Hinksey Sculling School
An interesting new entry into the event this year, the rise of Hinksey Sculling School is one of the stories of the decade so far. A community rowing club that built its early success erging under gazebos at South Oxford Community Centre, Hinksey went from failing to trouble the scorers at many national level events to a Henley Royal Regatta qualification in 2019 in the The Fawley Challenge Cup and making the final of The Britannia Challenge Cup two years later. Hinksey seems to be getting better and better year on year. The conditions at Nottingham, having scuppered the championship doubles from taking place this year, Hinksey will need to summon their athleticism and grit to take on some of the big hitters in this category. One that suspects that each of the two Hinksey entries may form part of a Fawley Challenge Cup entry at this year’s Henley Royal Regatta, with one entry stroked by National Schools’ Regatta Championship quad stroke man Eli Kuehne, who will be looking to go several better than the disappointing fourth his crew achieved at Holme Pierrepont. History has shown that Hinksey can take on older and on paper stronger crews and come out on top, so barring any mishaps, I would expect them to make the A-final and place well.
Queen’s University Belfast Boat Club
Coming off the back of a successful BUCS 2025, which saw the club take home 15 medals, including a sweep of Beginner eight in the men’s and the women’s events and several medals across the club’s trademark lightweight rowing squad in both sweep and sculling events, Queen’s University Belfast Boat Club is amongst the best UK university rowing programmes. Queen’s position as a Rowing Ireland performance pathway centre also allows them the luxury of selecting the best domestic and international recruits. Their entry in this event is stroked by Irish U23 Fergus Bryce, who represented his country in St Catharines at last year’s U23 World Rowing Championships, finishing seventh overall. Fergus also secured silver in the championship doubles at BUCS Regatta at the start of this month. Unfortunately in this case, Queens seem to be a slight victim of their own success, as doubles partner Konan Pazzaia has been sent on national team duties in Bulgaria. Whoever Queen’s conjure up to fill Pazzaia’s seat, this double should be in the hunt for a podium placing in this event, and I would expect them to be on the hunt for the win.
Leander Club
The pink palace has clearly come to play hardball in this event. With many of its rowers on international duties in Bulgaria, Leander pins its hope on its youngsters, relatively speaking, hoping they will continue the dominant legacy of success that has seen it become the domain of champions. The two Leander doubles entered into this event are characteristic of Leander crews – they contain athletes who have several GB vests between them and have already proven themselves in waters both foreign and domestic. Dan Jones, former GB Start athlete at the University of York and then Edinburgh University, has already proven himself as a doubles partner to the Lightweight double of himself and Dale Flockhart, who competed at the European Rowing Championships in 2023, finishing 12th. Whilst Flockhart has returned to his alma mater to coach, Jones has endured success tinged with frustratingly close results in the single, being in the fastest group of non-qualifiers for The Diamond Challenge Sculls at Henley Royal in consecutive years. In the opposite double, is former Leander gap year rower Isaac Hillicks-Tulip, who had previously rowed with success at Tyne Amateur Rowing Club, and then at St Edwards Oxford, where he was part of the eight that brought The Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup back to the school for the first time in over twenty years. Issac is currently rowing for Brown University in the USA. Leander will make the A-final and should take the win or at least come in the chasing pack.
Prediction
With smaller boat classes, it’s often hard to predict a winner given the slight sparsity of doubles-specific races throughout the season and crew changes aplenty. However, I predict Leander Club to win the event overall, with an A-final containing Hinksey Sculling School, Queen’s University Belfast Boat Club, Galway Rowing Club, and the Leeds Rowing Club / Bath University Boat Club composite also being in the mix.
