Stepping into a new year, Quintin Head positions itself perfectly as another event for crews to jump straight back into the 25/26 head season. Quintin Head also serves as an excellent opportunity for clubs that don’t regularly train on the Thames to familiarise themselves with the river’s challenging conditions ahead of the Head of the River Race and Women’s Eights Head of the River Race, due to take place later in March.
City of Cambridge Rowing Club
City of Cambridge Rowing Club will enter open crews across the senior and intermediate categories for this event, signifying the squad’s depth and strength this season. Looking back to 2025, City of Cambridge RC had an immensely successful year with crews qualifying for both Henley Royal Regatta and Henley Women’s Regatta, as well as other big-ticket events such as the Head of the River Race, Wallingford Regatta, and the Head of the Charles Regatta. Continuing this momentum into 2026, City of Cambridge RC will undoubtedly aim to sustain this upward trajectory. The men’s squad fielded two crews for Wallingford, placing fourth and fifth respectively in their bandings. Just 18 seconds separated these crews, showing promising results over a four-kilometre course. We also saw strong competition earlier this season at the Fours Head, where this club entered eight crews across the men’s and women’s squad. This effort was recognised by the event organisers, resulting in the Davison Trophy, which honours excellent performance by smaller rowing clubs. This win was more than deserved, especially since all crews that raced finished in the top 25 of their categories. Coming into this event, this crew, stroked by Sam Stephenson, will be looking to lay down a competitive time to secure the win.
Marlow Rowing Club
Marlow Rowing Club’s ability to field multiple crews across multiple divisions has always been a strength. This event doesn’t deviate from this standard. Having also raced at Wallingford in November, Marlow RC secured some impressive times that we hope will translate into equally competitive times for this event. Three crews took to the water at Wallingford head, with their band one eight holding their own against the likes of Oxford Brookes and Oxford University crews, laying down an impressive time of 13:58.0, just one second between fifth place and the podium. This timing suggests another potential podium finish.
Imperial College Boat Club
One of the few academic crews to enter band one, Imperial College Boat Club, always finds itself amongst the finest academic crews in the UK. Looking not too far back, Imperial College BC dominated the top spots at Teddington Head with their three men’s eights finishing second (15:44.1), fifth (16:23.4), and seventh (17:32.2). This serves as a clear reminder that Imperial College BC means business this season. The Fours Head yet again yielded fantastic times, further affirming Imperial College BC’s headstrong mentality to push further and further into the zenith of competitive rowing. The open senior academic crews raced across the fours and coxed fours, with the coxless academic four winning their category. Producing some razor-sharp times alludes to another potentially successful event for this squad.
City of Bristol Rowing Club
The only club to enter crews from the West of England, City of Bristol Rowing Club, will bring intense competition from outside the South East. Having had a record-breaking 2025, the men’s squad qualified 22 athletes for Henley Royal Regatta across both The Thames and Wyfold Challenge Cups. City of Bristol RC also delivered exceptional results at the Head of the River Race, fielding seven crews. Placing fourth in the Jackson Trophy demonstrated clear ambition and intention, which they carried into regatta season. Stepping into a new season and this event, we’ll be hoping to see the same determination that bore this squad to success last time round.
Vesta Rowing Club
No strangers to the challenges the Thames throws at crews, Vesta Rowing Club will be able to use their home-water advantage to develop a strategic race plan to pull the fastest time possible. Looking over what Vesta have achieved so far in the season, it’s fair to say they’ve gotten off to an impressive start with stacked entries at Fours Head. Engaging 15 men’s crews across the club events, Vesta RC left no stone unturned. Their top results came from the open club coxless and coxed fours, which both finished in the top ten. Having achieved these results under the coaching of David Brand (who led the intermediate men) and Harry Perry (who coached the senior men), this squad will certainly have set itself on a firm footing. More recently, in December, the Remenham Challenge allowed Vesta RC to defend their title as the fastest development eights. This goal was achieved, with both the men’s and women’s development crews taking the win, demonstrating commitment and success in honing new talent within the club. With a squad fresh with emerging talent and having already laid down a solid foundation so early into the season, Vesta can enter this event with an assuredness that they are capable of finishing in competitive positions.
Prediction
With a fine selection of crews throwing their hats into the ring, it’s fair to say that racing this weekend will be close. City of Cambridge Rowing Club’s crews look to be strong contenders for the win, though, with a Brookes entry, this may be easier said than done.
