This Saturday, the Tideway will accommodate hundreds of athletes as the Pairs Head of the River Race returns to the Thames. Hosted by Barnes Bridge Ladies Rowing Club, this annual 4.5km time trial attracts crews looking to test their mettle on one of the UK’s most demanding stretches of river. The Women’s Championship Double Sculls category usually attracts a high calibre of athlete – including GB triallists, both Henley Women’s and Henley Royal Regattas winners and the occasional Olympian. This year’s entry of 11 crews is no exception.
Newark Rowing Club
Jen Titterington, one half of last year’s victorious double sculls duo, is back—this time with a fresh twist. She will be racing for Newark Rowing Club alongside new partner Anna Santruckova, bringing together two athletes with serious credentials. Titterington struck gold twice for Team England at the 2024 Home International Rowing Regatta, dominating both the women’s single and quadruple sculls events. This year saw her in the quarterfinal of the Stonor Challenge Trophy at Henley Royal Regatta. She also reached the A-final in no less than three separate sculling events at the British Rowing Club Championships earlier this year. 24-year-old Olympian Anna Santruckova from Czechia placed second in the B-final of the Women’s Double Sculls at the Paris Olympic Games. Santruckova has performed well this season, earning podium finishes at both World Rowing Cups and competing in both the Women’s Pairs and Mixed Eights at last month’s World Rowing Championships. With experience, grit, and international success between them, this double promises to be one to watch.
Nottingham Rowing Club
Poppy Baker, the other returning Championship Doubles winner, is back in action, this time representing Nottingham Rowing Club with new partner – fellow Performance Development Academy athlete – Ursie Fleming. Baker had a standout summer, becoming a U23 World Champion in the quadruple sculls at Poznan. She also made history at the St Netz Cup, racing in a women’s quad (the first time women’s crews have ever competed at the event). Her teammate Fleming is no stranger to success, either, having won the Chairman’s Trophy for Aspirational Quadruple Sculls at this year’s Henley Women’s Regatta.
Reading University Boat Club
Setting the standard for elite-level sculling, Reading University Boat Club regularly achieves international success. Led by Olympian Chris Bartley, they field four entries this year in Women’s Championship Doubles. There are two standout crews – Ellie Cooke with Finn Stratton and Zara Povey with Meg Knight. These four athletes have delivered a string of impressive performances, starting with a dominant win in the quad at BUCS Head earlier in the year, where they finished well ahead of the competition. Their momentum continued with victory in the Borne Cup (Championship Quads) at Henley Women’s Regatta, followed by a semifinal finish in The Princess Grace Challenge Cup (premier quadruple sculls) at Henley Royal Regatta. On the international stage, Cooke and Stratton won gold in the quad at the U23 World Rowing Championships. Knight also raced at the U23s in the double sculls, while Povey competed in the single at the World University Games.
Tideway Scullers School
Racing for Tideway Scullers School is GB Junior Izabella Habdank-Toczyska, who in 2024 won a silver medal at the U19 World Rowing Championships and took four medals at the Coupe de la Jeunesse. This year, she was part of the Tideway Scullers School eight that earned the title of fastest junior /school crew at the Women’s Head of the River race. Showing versatility, Habdank-Toczyska excelled in the junior women’s quad event at Henley Royal Regatta, where she reached the semifinal of The Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup. Joining her is Meg Saunders, a Stanford University rowing scholar and seasoned GB athlete with experience on both the Senior and U23 teams. A silver medallist at the U23 World Championships, Saunders first learned to row at Scullers, so will undoubtedly feel at home on the Thames. This crew’s strength lies not only in their international racing experience, but in their extensive knowledge of what it takes to move boats well on the Tideway.
Honourable Mentions
London Rowing Club are fielding a double of Lizzie Dashley and Kate Griffiths. Griffiths made her mark earlier in the season, finishing 13th in London’s top crew at the Women’s Head of the River Race. The duo later joined forces in an eight, competing in Championship Eights at Henley Women’s Regatta and reaching the semifinal of The Wargrave Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta.
Also returning are two tideway-based combinations – Myburgh and Gallagher of Walbrook Rowing Club, who placed sixth in Championship Doubles last year, and Canto-Mira and Hulst of Furnivall Sculling Club, who secured third in the Club Doubles category.
Another notable returner is Hazel Wake, a former Oxford Lightweight Blue now rowing for City of Oxford Rowing Club. Wake finished fifth in Championship Doubles in 2024 and will be teaming up with new partner Ennis Cashin. Having come out well on top of the Lightweight category at Scullers Head, Wake could be one to watch as she and Cashin take on this stacked field.
Prediction
With such a talented field of athletes, predicting the winner of this event is no easy task. My pick is Newark Rowing Club’s pairing of last year’s winner, Titterington, with the Olympian Santruckova. Their combined experience and tenacity make them serious contenders for the title. Reading University’s scullers should not be discounted. Cooke and Stratton appear to be the fastest of Reading’s four doubles and likely to be battling it out with the Newark crew for the top spot. That said, local duo Habdank-Toczyska and Saunders from Tideway Scullers School regularly train and race on this stretch of the Thames. Their combined Tideway knowledge and experience could prove invaluable, especially if steering proves a decisive factor. With exciting racing lying ahead and the potential for some close finishes, I’m looking forward to seeing how this event unfolds.
