London Rowing Club, Men’s Eight
This was the year that London’s insurgent programme finally came of age. In 2024, a lot of noise surrounded Stu Heap’s men as they approached Henley Royal Regatta, having put ten seconds into their closest rivals at Marlow Regatta. Thames, though, found another gear when it really mattered. In 2025, London’s performances approaching the climax of the season left no room for doubt; they won Marlow Regatta outright and clocked the fastest time of the day on the Sunday of the Metropolitan Regatta. Their record-equalling run down the Henley Royal Regatta course to clinch The Thames Challenge Cup cemented them as one of the stand-out club crews of the season.
Thames Rowing Club, Men’s Coxed Four
Flying under the radar – as Thames’ four-man boats so often do – this crew swept all before them in their assault on The Britannia Challenge Cup (an event Thames have now won four years in a row). As the only ‘club’ event that Sander Smulders and his squad won in 2025, it felt especially significant after a tricky year playing second fiddle to a generational set of athletes across the road.
Marlow Rowing Club, Men’s Quad
Given the relative quietude of sculling on the club circuit in this country, we do not often praise quads. However, this Marlow boat impressed hugely in 2025, finishing up as the fastest domestic contender in the competitive Prince of Wales Challenge Cup. Although they lost out in the final to a very talented outfit from Germany, their efforts – which included finishing second overall at Marlow Regatta and positioning both Max Bird and Harry Ruinet in the fourth-placed British quad at the U23 World Rowing Championships – warrant a spot on this list.
Molesey Boat Club, Women’s Eight
A new winner engraved into The Wargrave Challenge Cup, and what a winner it was. Under the guidance of Sam Tuck, Molesey smashed the course record in this relatively embryonic event by some 20 seconds on their way to a phenomenal victory. Club rowing felt ultra competitive in 2025, and Molesey’s tussle with Thames, Leander and London for domestic supremacy was one of the key narratives throughout. Ultimately, this richly talented unit found the speed to take home the top prize for the first time in their history.
Leicester Rowing Club, Women’s Double
Lizzie Webster and Eleanor Gough’s partnership has helped put Leicester Rowing Club back on the competitive rowing map. The exploits of world, European and Olympic champion Lauren Henry have also contributed enormously, but the achievements of Lizzie and Eleanor feel closer to home and altogether more impactful as Leicester reassert themselves. They took the Rosie Mayglothling Trophy for aspirational doubles at Henley Women’s Regatta before becoming British Rowing club champions in the same boat class a month later.
