Henley Women’s Regatta set for record year

A record number of women will race at Henley Women’s Regatta (HWR) in 2022, with over 2,000 athletes from eight countries taking to the course between Friday 17 and Sunday 19 June

A total of 184 clubs will compete at Henley Women’s Regatta this year across 25 events, with several top international names in the mix.

HWR chairman Naomi Riches MBE said: “The number of crews and athletes that have entered this year is incredible, and I am thrilled to be welcoming so many women to Henley. The record numbers show the strength of women’s rowing and I am sure HWR 2022 will be a regatta to remember.”

Locals Marlow Rowing Club, Henley Rowing Club and Leander Club are among those with the most entries – fielding 11, 10 and nine crews respectively.

Tideway Scullers School from Mortlake has entered 12 crews across senior and junior events, the most of any club.

Oxford Brookes University will seek to defend their 2021 title

After overseas crews were unable to attend the regatta in 2021 due to pandemic travel restrictions, this year 48 crews from Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the USA will compete. American crews include Brown University and the University of California Berkeley with both reaching the final of the USA’s top collegiate event, the NCAA division I championship, at the end of May. Brown and California are competing in the Ron Needs Challenge Cup for championship eights, which received its largest-ever entry of 15 crews.

Entries are particularly strong in the larger boat classes, with entries across the championship, aspirational and junior eights events up 50 per cent compared to 2021. Entries in events for fours and quadruple sculls are up by 25 per cent, and entries for pairs and doubles up 20 per cent.

Oxford Brookes University will seek to defend their 2021 title against domestic rivals including the University of London, Leander and Thames Rowing Club, while overseas entries include Canadian champions the University of British Columbia, and Irish champions University College Dublin.

Another event packed with international quality is the Haslam Trophy for championship lightweight double sculls, with entries from Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland and New Zealand, among the nine crews competing.

The largest entry has come for the Frank V Harry Cup for development coxed fours, which has attracted 57 crews in total. They will be whittled down to 16 in the time trials, which start at 09:00 BST on Friday 17 June.

Semi-finals and finals will be held on Sunday 19 June.

The regatta will also be livestreamed on YouTube to enable family and friends of those competing to keep track of racing from the comfort of their own homes here >>>

For more details on events, entry criteria and regatta news, visit www.hwr.org.uk