The Metropolitan Regatta, raced on Saturday and Sunday this coming weekend, is my favourite of the pre-Henley Dorney showdowns. It frequently attracts the best crews from across the country and beyondand is at a very interesting time in the season—late enough that crews will be getting pretty close to the peak of their powers, but still early enough that these results will have a serious bearing on what boats certain programmes will prioritise in the run-up to Henley, making the stakes all the higher.
I have the privilege of previewing the championship eights, and I’ll focus my preview on the Saturday. At the Metropolitan Regatta, Saturday’s timetable is replicated on Sunday, giving crews that wish to stick around two chances at glory, though Sunday’s entry list is generally a little more limited. This year’s Saturday draw in this category is big and chock-full of swift crews. Competition for the A-final will be ferocious, and that race will, I think, probably be the highest-quality domestic regatta race that we’ll see all year.
As always, I will go into detail with all the clubs I think will be ‘main players’ in this event. In an event like this, there are quite a few clubs to cover, so please excuse the length of this preview – rivalries and battles will play out across this category, which all deserve a note. Ultimately, I’ll offer my prediction as to who I think will make the eight-lane A-final and who will make up the podium positions from that list.
Oxford Brookes University BC
The perennial powerhouse, Oxford Brookes will return to the Metropolitan Regatta after a hiatus last year. The question on everyone’s minds: how will the recent controversy affect performance?
It would be foolish to suggest that Brookes will falter overnight, particularly given the results they’ve shown thus far during the season. Strong performances at the Head of the River Race, BUCS, and most recently at Poplar Regatta – where Brookes took the win over London RC in a final that was, perhaps, closer than they might’ve hoped for – suggest that there’s plenty of speed and depth remaining at the club. It’s hardly surprising, either; there is a wealth of talent among the student and club membership, lead by the likes of double U23 gold medallist and multiple Henley Royal Regatta winner Toby Lassen, and bolstered by Henley Royal Regatta winners throughout their lineups, including the Arnerich brothers, Richard Hawes, Ed Lemanowicz, Jono Cameron and Kai Schlottmann. Notably, the ‘B’ entry is under Jamie Copus – does this mean a return to racing with Brookes for the current Fordham Head Coach? The depth across the Brookes squad remains pretty much unrivalled.
But there’s no denying that the field is closing, both at the elite and student levels, and the loss of coaching staff can’t be easy. That being said, the strength of culture at Brookes is basically unparalleled, and I fully expect strong results throughout the summer, culminating in Henley Royal Regatta wins. Whether the programme can hold fast at the lofty heights it has enjoyed for the past decade is another matter. I expect the top entry here to finish on the podium, but I think they’ll have a tough time getting their nose ahead of the next boat in this preview.
Cambridge University BC
Last year, Cambridge won this event with a strong Blue Boat/Goldie composite crew. The crew went on to make the final of The Ladies Challenge Plate at Henley Royal Regatta, falling to Princeton University. This was part of a significant effort by Head Coach Rob Baker to extend CUBC’s reaches beyond the Boat Race, and while a Henley win wasn’t to be for the Light Blues, it was a significant step in the right direction.
This year, CUBC are once again using the Metropolitan Regatta as a stepping stone for Henley Royal Regatta. However, this is a full Blue Boat, strengthened by the reintroduction of talismanic Olympic Champion Tom Ford, entering in place of Gabriel Mahler. Considering that, I think this will likely be the crew to beat here. Back in April, they dominated The Boat Race in a manner that few would’ve expected, given Oxford’s calibre, but looking back, it’s easy to see how well set up these guys were for such a performance. Looking back through the season, the Cambridge Blue Boat has yet to lose a race: they won the Head of the Charles last October, beating the best that the US University system had to offer, and they trounced strong international opposition in the fixture series. Meanwhile, their top performers – Douwe de Graaf, George Bourne and James Robson – were right at the top of the GBRT Trials. Under the leadership of Luca Ferraro, who is himself a double U23 gold medallist – and now a three-time Boat Race winner – they have crafted a truly formidable unit. Cambridge might be new to success in the summer season, but these athletes certainly aren’t, and if there was ever a boat to end Cambridge’s winning drought at Henley Royal Regatta, this Blue Boat – which Rob Baker himself has suggested is the best he’s ever coached – is the one to do it. The Metropolitan Regatta will be an important part of their campaign.
Leander Club
Always competitive, Leander Club are entered here with two eights – the first of which is likely to be their The Ladies’ Challenge Plate combination, looking to reclaim the Henley Royal Regatta title that they won most recently back in 2022. This experienced boat has been steadily improving since a rocky winter and a fourth-place finish at the Head of the River Race (Leander’s winning boat that day was basically a full-Caversham lineup). Most recently, at Ghent, they pulled off a four-second win over the Polish National Team, though they were run close by their own ‘Cuppies’ eight – the gap year development boat Leander runs in The Thames Challenge Cup.
There’s no shortage of talent in this boat, stroked by former Brookes athlete at Henley winner Miles Devereux, and backed up by the likes of Jack Prior, Boat Race winner Kenny Coplan, Head of the River Race winner Levin Graf and former Northeastern Husky Alex Abulhoff. Given the difficulties that Brookes is facing, Leander will feel there is plenty of momentum on which they can capitalise. The Metropolitan Regatta will be a real grudge match, I think, between Leander and Brookes, with both desperate to show that they’re on course for The Ladies’ Challenge Plate. At this stage, it’s very hard to tell which of the two will come out on top, particularly given that Leander seems to be still strengthening itself with an influx of fresh talent. Certainly ones to watch; they’ll have a keen eye on a podium finish.
London RC
Last season, London‘s hopes for finally winning the coveted Thames Challenge Cup were dashed in a nervy semifinal against longtime rivals Thames RC. It was a crushing defeat for the London boys in a season that felt like it might go their way. They will be keen not to make the same mistake again, and while Thames and London have traded blows this season, this weekend will reveal who really has the upper hand at this crucial stage in Henley Royal Regatta preparation.
London’s most recent outing, at Poplar, will have certainly boosted their confidence. A second-place finish behind Oxford Brookes, ahead of all other Brookes crews, and in a pretty quick 5:39, suggests they are on the right track. With seasoned veterans of last year’s campaign like Sean O’Mahony, Calum Jenkins, Ben Dickens, Laurence O’Connor and Rosie Margolis on board, these guys have plenty of racing experience and a massive amount of motivation to right the wrongs of last season. I expect them to leave no stone unturned in pursuing a victory over Thames.
Thames RC
London’s arch-rivals, Thames enter here as the reigning Thames Challenge Cup champions, eager to recapture the glory in July. Thames have had the upper hand over London in a few key races thus far this season, notably the Boustead Cup and the Head of the River – though at the Head, Thames was bolstered by athletes who are ineligible for The Thames Challenge Cup, including Olympic gold medallist James Rudkin, and two Henley Royal Regatta winners (James Beattie and Josh Braithwaite). This Metropolitan entry appears to be their Thames Challenge Cup lineup – at least, as it currently stands, given the relentless selection pressure from below that the massive Thames squad cultivates.
It’s undoubtedly a strong crew. Former Dartmouth and St Paul’s athlete Max Deering, who rowed in the quick The Ladies’ Challenge Plate crew for Thames last year, is joined by young talent in the form of Bob Rawlinson and Tim Gutsev, both of whom were in the GB eight at the U19 World Rowing Championships for the past two years. Ex-UL rower Josh Burke also has international experience; he rowed in the coxed four at the U23 European Rowing Championships in 2021. Head Coach Sander Smulders is no stranger to producing Henley-winning combinations, and I think these guys probably go in as favourites for the Thames – though I am fascinated to see the showdown that this weekend promises, if both Thames and London end up together in the A-final.
University of London BC
It would be remiss not to mention UL in this field, given the performances that they’ve been putting down over the past few weeks, though with an important caveat: this may well not be their first VIII. The top boat seems to be entered into championship coxed fours, which is understandable given the spectacular run that UL has been enjoying in the smaller boat class. Wins have come in the form of BUCS golds in both the championship coxed and coxless four, and at Ghent, again in the coxed and coxless fours. Their top four is likely still being selected, though mainstays appear to be the supremely technical George Lauchlan, and the powerful backing of David Wallace, Harry Ruinet and Theo Doyle.
I take this to mean that UL will be looking to prioritise a Prince Albert Challenge Cup entry for Henley Royal Regatta, with a Temple eight playing second fiddle. This should still be a decent boat – UL were the top-performing university crew at the Head of the River Race besides Cambridge and Oxford Brookes, and won the Thames Valley Trophy in the process. Their performance at BUCS Regatta – knocked out in the repechage of championship eights – might be more of a portent of things to come. How I expect this entry to fare depends on who is in the crew, but signs certainly point towards this being a second boat. With that in mind, I think they’ll struggle to keep up with the pace of this field.
Durham University BC
Despite some disappointing results during the head season, Durham are back with a vengeance. Taking that silver-medal spot behind Brookes at BUCS was a massive moment for the programme, and it will give the Palatinate a renewed fervour in their pursuit of the ever-elusive Temple Challenge Cup. It was a four-second gap to Brookes at BUCS – a sizeable margin, but not an insurmountable one. This boat has some real strength with the likes of Charlie Warren, ex-Princeton Tiger Lachlan Toovey, Norwegian import Frederik Reite, and the talented youngster William Morgan-Jones. They will be desperate to prove that this strength is enough to capture Henley Royal Regatta’s prize, and their race at the Metropolitan will be a key part of that campaign. A win over the Brookes students here, as difficult as it would be to pull off, would be a decisive shift in momentum. Will Durham be able to make it happen?
Newcastle University BC
Close-fought battles with Northern rivals from Durham and Edinburgh have characterised Newcastle‘s season thus far. Angelo Savarino‘s squad have been put through the ringer repeatedly, but there is a sense that Blue Star has been slowly falling away from the pace over the past couple of years. However, a strong bronze medal at BUCS Regatta and a Victor Ludorum win may have changed that. It was clear from their jubilant reaction at the finish just how much being back on the BUCS podium means to Newcastle, and they’ve certainly put themselves back into the conversation regarding late-stage Temple competitors. They’ve certainly got the firepower for a great unit: old hands like Ben Brockway are backed by the strength of Edward Ridley, Lucas Bowes and Gwilym Johnson, all of whom have performed well in the ongoing GBRT Trials. The gap between Blue Star and Brookes was big at BUCS – eight seconds, just over two lengths – but they were only a length back on Durham. The Metropolitan will once again act as a proving ground for these rivalries, and Newcastle/Durham is a race that I think will be particularly fierce, if they end up in the same final.
Edinburgh University BC
The third contender in the battle for Northern supremacy, Edinburgh enter here after a disappointing BUCS result that saw them pushed out of the medals by Newcastle – particularly frustrating for the club given their great result at the Head of the River Race, finishing ahead of the Blue Star and Durham, and winning the Scott Skirving Trophy in the process. This is another great combination from Edinburgh, who have been performing at a good level over the last few years, but feel some way off replicating the Henley Royal Regatta successes seen in 2016 in The Prince Albert Challenge Cup. They’ve got plenty of experience with the likes of Freddy Foxwell, Gabe Messner, and Murray Bone, but Edinburgh crews over the last few years have often struggled a bit with the top-level pace required over 2K racing. I might be wrong, but I think these guys will struggle to get ahead of Newcastle and Durham.
University College Dublin BC IRE
Ireland’s finest university rowing programme, UCD have had another great season, with wins in the Gannon Cup – the senior men’s race in the Colours Boat Race between UCD and DUBC – the Irish University Championships (in the senior eights, coxless fours and pairs), and Trinity Regatta (in the senior pairs and coxed fours). This is a formidable eight that might well cause some upsets. They’ve enjoyed the presence of Olympic bronze medallist Daire Lynch in their Colours Boat Race campaign, but Head Coach Niall Farrell has worked hard to develop a fantastic group of rowers, including Dach Murray, Ross Mason and Paul Flood. It’s hard to know how these guys will stack up against this exceptionally strong field, but they’re certainly not ones to discount.
Commercial RC IRE
Another fantastic Irish programme, Commercial are entering here as Ireland’s top-performing crew at the Head of the River Race: 18th overall, winning the Overseas pennant, putting them right between Newcastle and Durham in the finish order. They’ve had a good season since, with a second-place finish to Cork at Skibbereen Regatta, and a win over DUBC at Trinity Regatta in the senior eights. There’s plenty of strength across the Commercial squads, and they’ll be keen to see how they stack up against the top London-based clubs – though I think going by Head of the River Race results alone, they won’t have the pace to have a serious shot at The Thames Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta. That said, this will be a strong crew – potentially a dark horse here.
St Paul’s School BC
The giants of British schoolboy rowing, St Paul’s School, were handed a shock defeat at National Schools’ Regatta last weekend by the mighty Shiplake College (with Radley in second). It will have been a bitter pill to swallow for the Bobby Thatcher-coached crew, coming off the back of a Quadruple-winning season in 2024 (Head of the Charles, Schools’ Head of the River, National Schools’ Regatta and The Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta), and being on-track to repeat the feat this year. It’s a shocking result given just a week before National Schools’ Regatta, St Paul’s came out on top in a brutal showdown with Shiplake at Poplar Regatta, where they came from almost a length down to win by half a length.
Was the National Schools’ Regatta result just a bad day, then, or indicative of something more serious? There are a few factors at play, here, to be sure, including the loss of their excellent bowman Arthur Hamill due to injury, and the chaotic nature of the National Schools’ Regatta this year, which featured an abridged regatta for the championship eights due to inclement weather. St Paul’s was actually forced to race a third time for their bronze due to a disruptive wash in the original final, which they were able to hold onto in a strong performance over a ferocious Hampton School. I think the likely scenario is that the National Schools’ Regatta performance was more anomalous than reflective of a downward trend. This is still a very talented eight, led from the front by the powerhouse Alp Karadogan, and replete with exceptional rowers, including Pat Wild, Christian Reese and Kynan Tallec-Botos, who, alongside cox Victor Bocquet, are all Henley Royal Regatta winners from last season. They have everything in the toolkit to fight back into a winning position this season – the question is whether they’ll push on in the face of this setback.
Winning back-to-back Henley Royal Regatta campaigns is notoriously difficult at the junior level. Despite all the success that St Paul’s has had since their Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup win ten years ago, they have yet to win it in consecutive years. While Shiplake looks to have stolen a march, underestimating this St Paul’s unit would be foolhardy, and I think the National Schools’ Regatta result will have given them ample fire to mount a serious charge for Henley Royal Regatta. It will start with this race at the Metropolitan – just a week after their disappointment, will they be able to pick up the pieces and assert themselves not just as the fastest junior crew at the regatta, but as one of the fastest crews outright? Expect a serious challenge for an A-final spot from Bobby’s boys.
Prediction
With so many quality crews in this field, including multiple from the same programmes, predicting an A-final here is really hard, likely coming down to fractions of a second in the time trial. I think there are certainly some safe bets – Cambridge, Oxford Brookes A & B, Leander, London and Thames A. Rounding it out, I’m expecting Durham and Newcastle to be the leading contenders, though expect significant challenges from Commercial, UCD, Edinburgh and St Paul’s.
As for the podium – I’m going with Cambridge out front, with Oxford Brookes ‘A’ in second and Oxford Brookes ‘B’ in third, pushed very close by Leander and London.
Best of luck to all crews.
Five Man
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