Only one week on from Scullers Head, Pairs Head is spoiling us with back-to-back weekends of racing. The 4.5km time trial along what is expected to be a windy and unrelenting tideway course attracts the cream of the crop into the Championship category. With everything to play for, we are in for a treat at the start of this new and already fascinating racing season.
London Rowing Club
Starting off strong, we have two entries from the Tideway specialists, London Rowing Club. The first pair of Edmondson & O’Mahony claimed two Henley Royal Regatta wins between them this summer, the former in The Wyfold Challenge Cup, and latter in LRC’s historic Thames Challenge Cup winning crew. O’ Mahony in particular was a driving force in the stroke seat and saw London’s campaign dominate Dorney at Marlow Regatta, The Metropolitan Regatta, and Wallingford Regatta. This sheer truckload of experience will surely show on Saturday, with the ultimate confidence boost of having already tasted success in this very category, winning at Pairs Head last year. These two are at the top of my list to watch this weekend.
Next from LRC are Thomas & Dickens, who also bring a wealth of experience. Thomas was the stroke man in London’s Britannia Challenge Cup crew who very impressively made the final but unfortunately just missed out on securing one of those coveted red boxes. Dickens was in the previously mentioned Thames Challenge Cup-winning crew. Both achievements highlight the level of racing we can expect to see this weekend, as this pair has already raced in this very event in 2024, finishing fourth. They will be gunning for at least a podium finish this year, and between these two pairs, they will want to secure another first and second-place finish for LRC in this event this year.
Lea Rowing Club
Fresh from his second-place finish in the championship single at Scullers Head is Raymond-Barker and his pairs partner, Duffy. Both representing Lea Rowing Club, these two had very different Henley Royal Regatta campaigns, with Raymond-Barker attending Qualifiers for The Diamond Challenge Sculls and placing as the fourth fastest non-qualifier in a highly competitive international field. Duffy raced in The Wyfold Challenge Cup, but was unfortunately knocked out in the first round of racing. However, Raymond-Barker brings with him this weekend a fourth-place finish in the championship doubles event at Pairs Head last year, which will give both men some well-earned confidence heading into the race.
Vesta Rowing Club
Vesta, another tideway-based club, are fielding two pairs on Saturday. The first are Taylor & Nash, who spent their Henley Royal Regatta campaign as the bow pair of Vesta’s Wyfold entry, and did one better than the previously mentioned Duffy, making the second round before being knocked out. They also claimed a win in the club coxless four category on the Sunday of the Metropolitan Regatta and will be using this momentum from last season to fuel their fire on Saturday.
The second entry from Vesta sees two members of Vesta’s Thames Challenge Cup ‘A’ crew joining forces again at the start of this new season. Thorpe & Waring will be looking for a good result here after being knocked out in the first round of their Henley Royal Regatta run, with Thorpe in particular aiming for a higher position than his sixth place in this very category last year.
Upper Thames Rowing Club
Griffiths & Buckett are an exceptionally strong contingent hailing from Upper Thames. After winning the championship pairs time trial at Marlow and finishing third, they faced an upset at Henley Royal Regatta qualifiers, finishing as the fastest non-qualifiers. Yet, having rowed together for over five years, reaching the semi-final of The Wyfold Challenge Cup together in 2022, this pair know how to grind and rebuild. After a seventh-place finish here at Pairs Head last year in this same event, these two will be seeking to improve and battle with the midfield this weekend.
Nottingham Rowing Club
Making the trip down from Nottingham Rowing Club are Cross & Bailey. The former has recently competed in the British Rowing Beach Sprint Championships in both the mixed quad and double, placing seventh and 15th, respectively. With this experience, they should be well-prepared for all conditions on the Tideway this weekend. Moreover, together, this pair has a Henley Royal Regatta campaign in the Britannia Challenge Cup under their belt, alongside wins on both days in the club coxed four event at the Metropolitan Regatta. Alongside all of this, the duo also raced at Pairs Head in 2024 in the senior pairs category, finishing third, and will be looking to achieve a strong result on Saturday as they step up into this championship event.
City of Cambridge Rowing Club
With the biggest entry from a single club in the championship category, City of Cambridge are sending three crews down the Tideway course on Saturday. The first, Gasson & Davis, were the stern pair of City’s top Wyfold Challenge Cup crew, who were knocked out in the first round after placing eighth in the B-final at Marlow the weekend before. With time and experience already embedded as a pair, these two will look to lay down a promising result as we head into the new season.
Next up is Bland & Smith, who were both in The Thames Challenge Cup ‘A’ crew, who were also knocked out in the first round of their Henley Royal Regatta run, after placing eighth in the E-final at Marlow. Coming off the back of a strong summer of racing in an eight, this pair will be looking to transfer their skills into this smaller boat class and fight for a spot in the middle of this highly competitive pack.
Finally, rounding off the Cambridge entries is Winskell & Simpson, the latter also being a member of the aforementioned Thames Challenge Cup ‘A’ crew. This pair will be looking to prove themselves this weekend and could potentially spark some infighting between all three Cambridge crews as we wait to see who will come out on top.
Honourable mentions
The final entries come from Brown & Farrel of Upper Thames and Read & Fincham of Putney Town. Both crews are the current underdogs, and this weekend will provide the perfect opportunity to get their names on the map as we head into the 2025/26 rowing season.
Prediction
Based on the hard facts, I have to back Edmondson & O’Mahony for the win on Saturday, with fellow London Rowing Club members Thomas & Dickens giving them a good battle out on their home stretch. I would also be naive to dismiss Raymond-Barker & Duffy of Lea Rowing Club, who will be hunting down that third-place spot. Yet I cannot forget the absolute powerhouse unit of Griffiths & Buckett from Upper Thames, who have real potential to cause some London and Lea upset this weekend.
