As the calendar year begins to draw to a close and the winter nights draw in, rowing clubs up and down the Thames Valley will be looking forward to this being the year that Wallingford Head goes ahead, with previous years thwarted by weeks of rain. Fresh off the exhilarating Fours Heads, where markers were set, and perhaps trajectories slightly altered, Wallingford Fours and Eights Head gives the rowers a chance to jump back in the big boats for a last hurrah before possibly the mince pies and pigs in blankets start to contend with the winter training.
Division 1
With this event not having run for the last two years, this year’s influx is making up for lost time; the athletes are showing up and performing exceptionally well. Within the day’s early start, we see a smattering of women’s eights entered into the open division, racing for time only. Local rivals Oxford Brookes University and Oxford University Boat Clubs will likely be using the opportunity on their home water to test the mettle of athletes and coxes alike, with lineups shifting between the two divisions.
For OUBC in particular, this comes at a crucial time, just three weeks out from Trial VIIIs, where coaches of both Boat Race clubs construct matched eights to race against each other in a simulation of the big day down the Championship Course. This morning racing provides an opportunity for a test run of those matched eights, with familiar faces including Heidi Long, Kyra Delray and Annie Anezakis featured across the top two entries, joined by new recruits including international athletes (and all, coincidentally, Stanford alumni) Esther Briz Zamorano, Julietta Camahort and Emily Molins. The Oxford Brookes women, noticeably absent from Fours Head under the new tutelage of Bodo Schulenburg and Hugo Sandars, will revel in the opportunity to open their racing season properly, and what better place than on their home stretch and with the healthy competition of OUBC and the surrounding open eights to chase down. This is a tricky one to call, but I imagine that the fastest times are likely to come from the OUBC eights, with Brookes hot on their heels.
Division 2
Bringing up division two across four bands is an impressive 31 entries into the women’s eights. This category features athletes who’ve already opened their season across the likes of Fours Head and Upper Thames Autumn Head, and who are clearly taking the opportunity to top up on the last bit of water racing before Christmas. City of Oxford had a formidable season in the eight last year, and now likely looks to build on this momentum going into 2026. Led by captain Jessica Dunham, who had an enviable summer, racing at Henley Royal Regatta for the first time in the club’s history, and recently placing a comfortable 15th out of 39 in the band one club coxless fours at Fours Head, City of Oxford will be looking to make their mark amongst this strong field. Similarly, City of Cambridge will be buoyed by their Davidson Award win and four standout performances from a small club at The Fours Head. Annabel Daugaard-Hansen’s crew, who tussled in the championship coxless four alongside heavyweights Leander, Thames, and Oxford, will be looking to close out the year strong and further assert dominance as a standout small club at another head race.
But, fear not – Wallingford Head is not just a battle of the rival cities, with the University of Bath, Lea Rowing Club, and Surrey University all venturing from further afield. A strong showing at the Fours Head from Bath, placing second in the senior academic coxed fours, makes them one to watch as they transition into the eight, and they’ll undoubtedly be looking to chase down the likes of the newly-reformed Oxford Brookes University, who have a further four eights entered down the start order, featuring U23 World Champion Olivia Hill at the helm, joined by the likes of US international, Megan Walsh, and a host of returning athletes and new recruits. Entries from Upper Thames Rowing Club and Marlow Rowing Club are further strong contenders, stacking the level of talent on the banks of the Thames this weekend through the roof, and I certainly wouldn’t put it past them to be shouldering their way to the top of the rankings.
What’s particularly promising is to see the depth of entries here. Warwick Rowing Club and Army Rowing Club both venture down to test themselves in this field, while several Oxford college clubs – including Pembroke, Wolfson, Wadham, and St. John’s – set out to race down a course more than twice the length of the stretch of river that they train on in the city centre, indeed no mean feat! Maidstone Invicta and University College London round out the racing in bands three and four respectively, and it’s all to play for the full way down the start order.
This is sure to drum up a spectacle. With no Putney embankment women’s squad venturing out west this weekend, probably preparing for the Remenham Challenge, it’s all to play for. That being said, it’s a tough call to suggest who might come out on top here. As OUBC shift into ranked eights for the second division, a potential Blue Boat lineup could certainly be looking to post the fastest time of the day, but I also wouldn’t put it past the likes of Oxford Brookes University – a relative unknown at this point in the season – to grab the metaphorical bull by the horns and pull it out the bag on the day. My bets are on the crew in dark blue for now, but could well be proven wrong come the weekend…
