The Start Line: Defending champions back for the 2025 Wingfield Sculls
Join us at The Start Line and look ahead to a scintillating weekend of domestic racing
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Welcome back to The Start Line! Check out some of the racing that is taking place across the UK this weekend.
The best of British sculling heads to the Tideway for the 2025 Wingfield Sculls
First raced in 1830, The Wingfield Sculls is a side-by-side single sculling race on the Championship course in London for a pair of silver sculls presented by H.C. Wingfield, ‘to be held by the best, forever’.
First raced in 2007, the women’s event is set to be a thrilling contest. Imogen Grant is back, hoping to win her fourth title in a row. Racing for Upper Thames RC, the Olympic Champion was in action at the Head of The Charles taking 10th place in the Women’s Championship Single Sculls. Back in Blighty, Reading University BC is going from strength to strength and is sending two of its best Clams to Putney to mount a charge against Grant. Finnola Stratton had a sensational season last year, culminating in a gold medal in the Women’s Quadruple Scull at this year’s U23 World Championships. She’s arguably the strongest challenger, having placed third last year, but club mate Isabel Lancaster, the youngest competitor in this year’s race, is a two-time Henley Women’s Regatta Champion. It will be fascinating to watch her race down the course, especially after finishing as the third fastest U23 woman at Scullers Head.
While Scullers Head is raced in reverse to the Wingfield Sculls, the early-season contest over such a long course provides a good marker to gauge some of the form of this year’s competitors. Hazel Wake, who will race for City of Oxford RC, winning the Women’s Lightweight event, and in a time that saw her finish in front of Newark RC’s Jennifer Titterington, who returns from the 2024 race. Wake also came out ahead of Vesta RC’s Isabel Mawell, who won the Women’s Senior Event, but that Tideway knowledge that the Scotland sculler takes into the race will pay dividends as these scullers race seven abreast, fighting over the racing line.
The field is rounded off by Molesey BC’s Aoife Keane. After racing in Molesey BC’s second Eight in the Wargrave Challenge Cup, she jumped in her single, placing second at the Home International Regatta behind Georgie Robinson Ranger, and comfortably ahead of Maxwell.
On the men’s side, six scullers will race in a brilliant field. Callum Dixon, who won a silver in the Men’s Quadruple Scull in Shanghai, is back to defend his title but will face stiff competition from British teammate George Bourne. Bourne won a sensational gold in the Men’s Four alongside some of his fellow Cambridge University BC oarsmen who beat Oxford on this course back in April. While the two British stars grab the headlines, Reading University BC’s Matt Long is the current Prince of the Tideway. Long qualifies for the Wingfield Sculls, having won Scullers Head by more than 22 seconds. Second in that race was Lea RC’s Max Raymond-Barker, who will be hoping to cut that deficit from a few weeks ago. Rounding out the entrants who raced Scullers head is Marlow RC’s Bryn Ellery. The Old Windsorian has won Henley Royal Regatta for The Windsor Boys’ School, Leander Club, and placed fifth, 10s behind the Hackney sculler, a few weeks ago at Scullers Head.
Rui Xu will once again pull on the colours of London RC. The Canadian sculler will hope that third time is the charm, having finished fourth and third in 2021 and 2024, respectively. Xu is off the back of a Wyfold Challenge Cup win.
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Event Secretary Sam Meijer, who won the men’s race in 2019, said, “We are looking forward to another set of exciting races in this year’s Wingfield sculls.”
“We have both champions, Imogen and Callum, defending and a great field in each race vying to take their spots as Champions of the Thames and British Amateur Champions. On the men’s side, we have recently crowned world champion George Bourne entered as well as several very strong club athletes. On the women’s side, we have many second-time racers with strong club and university experience.
“This year, we have partnered with the Scullers Head to give a clearer way to guarantee entry into the race. The Men’s and Women’s winners were offered entry into the Wingfield Sculls final, and we are very happy to have Matt Long taking up this spot on the men’s side. We hope that this partnership will last into the future as we continue to refine our entries process. We would like to thank the many clubs who allow us to borrow equipment, launches, and space on the day, and to all those who support the race!”
The 2025 Wingfield Sculls will take place on Sunday 26 October:
Men 13:05 Women 14:45
Upper Thames Autumn Head
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Having opted not to make the trip to Boston for The Head of The Charles, Upper Thames Autumn Head will be the first time we see the Oxford University BC men in action. Racing across both divisions over the 3000m upstream course, the dark blues will go head to head with London RC’s men, who are looking to build on a historic season that saw them win the Thames Challenge Cup and the Wyfold Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta. With rumours of London RC building a squad to launch a Ladies’ Plate campaign, this is a big test for both programmes in the early stages of the season.
Also in division one are nine Open Quadruple Sculls from Reading University BC. Yes, nine. They’ll all race across Bands 1, 2, and 3, as will five of their women’s boats racing in Division 2.
As crews also build towards Fours Head and Junior Fours Head, fields like the Women’s Coxless Fours and the Women’s Quadruple Sculls should be brilliant. In the J15 events, keep an eye on the Thames Scullers’ Women’s J15 Coxed Quad. They placed second in the J15 Double Sculls at Wallingford Long Distance Sculls and got the 1-2Â in the J15 Single Sculls.
What else is on this weekend?
- Clydesdale Scullers Head
- Gloucester Autumn Head
- Dee Autumn Head
- Burway SBH CANCELLED
- Wansbeck LDS (Northern LDS Series) CANCELLED
Weathering the storms: How the Sport England Movement Fund provided a crucial winter training fix for Bedford RC
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Fergus Mainland spoke with club President Hugh Maltby about how the fund has helped the club level up its facilities and about some of the exciting work going on in Bedford.
Social Spotlight: The British Rowing Awards celebrate the people, clubs and crews from across the community who deserve recognition!
Last year’s winner was the Newcastle University BC 1st Eight, after ending their season as the first Newcastle women’s Henley Royal Regatta finalists (and the first NUBC Eight to race a Henley final). Could your crew win this year?
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That’s all from The Start Line this week!
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