With the schools and universities having crowned their national champions, the run-in to Henley Royal Regatta is well and truly on. One of the key stops on the pathway is the Metropolitan Regatta, offering two discrete days of racing on the Olympic course. In the coxless four, athletes in the championship event will likely be preparing for The Visitors’ Challenge Cup, while those in the club event may have their eye on The Wyfold Challenge Cup. With various combinations being raced across the two days, the best of this group will leave with the Doggett Cobb Cup on Saturday and the Horton Cup on Sunday.
Thames Rowing Club
Holders of the Doggett Cobb Cup from last season, Thames Rowing Club, will race three championship crews in both the Saturday and Sunday events, the largest contingent of any club. With a talented group in Putney, the ‘A’ crew in both events draws the eye, with Olympic champion James Rudkin listed in the crew. Presumably loaded with talent from their third-place crew at the Head of the River, with plenty of red boxes on board, this crew will have a target on their back this weekend. Alongside them are two crews identified by Prior and Cannons, who both raced in the 14th place ‘C’ crew at the Tideway head, further underlining the depth on show at Thames.
London Rowing Club
The form crew entering the regatta, London Rowing Club have won the premier events in the coxless four at both Wallingford and Poplar regattas. Across these events, the lineups have changed slightly, but London will return from their Varese training camp with a vengeance, entering a crew containing elements of their first eight, including Henley winners from their 2023 Wyfold Challenge Cup campaign. With significant success in the coxless four, London will be wanting to continue their winning streak in this boat class across the major multilane regattas of the spring.
Marlow Rowing Club
The winners in Sunday’s racing last year, Marlow Rowing Club won last year’s Wyfold Challenge Cup in dramatic fashion. Returning at least half of that crew, Marlow are not short of talented replacements as the listed member of the crew in both Saturday and Sunday’s events is Harry Ruinet: a member of age-group world championship squads in each of the last three seasons. This crew will look to be competitive with their down-river neighbours and could stay in the fight with their highly-ranked crews.
Oxford University Boat Club
While traditionally, the season at Oxford University Boat Club ended after The Boat Race in the spring, in recent years, we have been treated to seeing some more blue boat stars racing throughout the spring. Headlined by stroke seat Nicholas Kohl, this crew is expected to be made up entirely of blue boat athletes. The precise composition of this crew is unclear, as some athletes have moved into smaller boats for this weekend, but with such talented squad members still completing their studies throughout the summer, expect a strong challenge from this crew as the summer builds.
Oxford Brookes University Boat Club
The biggest brand name in the entry list, Oxford Brookes University Boat Club have two different crews racing across the Saturday and Sunday entries. On Saturday, Charlie Chick, from last year’s Prince Albert Challenge Cup winning crew, is the noted name, while double Henley-winner and GB and US international Jamie Copus returns from a year coaching in New York to rejoin the burgundy powerhouse. After their well-documented troubles this season, there will still be a strong resolve in Wallingford to ensure they can maintain their usual level of success throughout the summer, and they are utilising this regatta to evaluate the prospects across the several events they will target this summer.
Newcastle University Boat Club
It is unusual for a University programme like Newcastle University Boat Club to see an entry in a coxless four but with a championship and academic entry in both Saturday and Sunday’s draws. Possibly balancing with coxed fours that are also racing in the morning session, one can presume that this is part of Angelo Savarino’s evaluation of the relative prospects of Prince Albert and Temple Challenge Cup campaigns this summer. Whether or not this is part of some wider summer project, you can be sure that the Newcastle crew will be giving their all to competing this weekend and should be competitive for a shot in the A final.
Irish Contingent
With five crews from across the Irish Sea racing in the championship category alone on both Saturday and Sunday, the Emerald Isle is once again represented at ‘London Met’ as it is referred. Last year, Cork Boat Club finished second in Saturday’s racing with University College Dublin in fourth. This year, both clubs return alongside Galway University Boat Club, Limerick’s Shannon Rowing Club and Dublin’s Commercial Rowing Club. Following Dublin Metropolitan Regatta’s cancellation last weekend, there has been limited full-status racing this season. Still, by winning the only Grand League coxless four so far at Skibbereen Regatta, Commercial could be described as the form crew. In contrast, University College Dublin Boat Club won the event at the university championships over the same weekend.
Predictions
While the Irish entries provide an unknown quality to shake up the results, the level of quality in the domestic boats makes them grab the frontrunner status. While training levels may determine the order, I would expect it to be between the Oxford universities and Putney clubs, with Thames Rowing Club being my pick for the winners.
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