Regatta season is finally here. After a long and gruelling winter, with many hours of training in the dark and wet, crews now have a chance to test their speed over the shorter distance. The challenge category at Wallingford Regatta is rather unique in that it allows school and club rowers to race side-by-side, which could lead to some surprising results.
Leander Club
Leander is arguably one of the most famous rowing clubs in the world, and its strength and depth are often unrivalled on the UK rowing scene. This year, they would have placed four eights in the top ten at the Women’s Head of the River Race had there not been a ten-second time penalty for their ‘B’ crew. At this regatta last year, their crews placed second and third, with their ‘A’ crew less than one second behind the winners from Molesey Boat Club. This year, they only have one crew entered, and, in Molesey’s absence, they should definitely be looking for the win on Sunday.
Thames Rowing Club
Thames have entered two boats this weekend and are another club with vast talent and depth in their squad. They had no fewer than six crews racing at the Women’s Head of the River Race, with all placing inside the top 40, and their first boat coming second overall. They have also won the last three editions of The Wargrave Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta. Their sculling squad is also no slouch and includes Freya Keto, a 2023 Boat Race winner with Cambridge, who was also selected to race at World Rowing Cup III in 2024 as part of the ‘Project LA’ Group. With crew lists not out yet, it is unknown whether she will be in this crew, but regardless, I would expect Thames to be very competitive.
Headington School Oxford Boat Club
Headington has been perhaps the benchmark in junior women’s rowing over the last two decades, winning nine championship eights titles in a row at the National Schools’ Regatta between 2009 and 2017, and more recently, winning the Prince Philip Challenge Trophy at Henley Royal Regatta in 2021 and 2024. Earlier this week, it was also announced that four of the eight women’s sweep athletes heading to the prestigious Munich International Junior Regatta would be from Headington. Traditionally, Headington have targeted the eight as the top boat, so this crew is likely to be their four next best athletes. Last year, the equivalent crew made it to the Thursday of Henley Royal Regatta, so it will be interesting to see how they fare this year.
Upper Thames Rowing Club
Upper Thames is a club that has been going from strength to strength in recent times. Their first boat placed 17th at the Women’s Head of the River Race, which is an excellent result for them, and current Olympic Champion and lightweight legend Imogen Grant trains out of the club. This boat will likely include fellow Tokyo Olympian and World Champion, Fi Gammond. Her international experience has likely been invaluable for the club, and I expect them to do very well at the weekend.
Other Entries
Other entries in this event include two crews from Twickenham Rowing Club. Last year, they placed last in this event by a considerable margin, so they will want to improve on that this time around. Cantabrigian Rowing Club’s women’s side have dominated racing in Cambridge for a number of years now. They were also five seconds quicker than Headington’s second crew at Women’s Head of The River, so it will be interesting to see if they can stay ahead of them in the quad.
Prediction
The women’s challenge quads appear to be a two-horse race between Leander and Thames for this win. These two clubs have extraordinary talent that will be hard for any of the other crews to match. If some of Leander’s top athletes are racing, I would expect them to come away with the win, but the margin should be very close. Upper Thames should be able to clear the rest of the field, and I would not be surprised if they beat Thames ‘B’ on Sunday. All in all, it promises some exciting racing.
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