Across The Line: All the action from three Fours Head competitions on the Tideway
Your weekly roundup of all the racing action across the UK
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We’re Across The Line! Join us to look back on a landmark weekend of rowing as the three Fours Heads take centre stage.
Inaugural Junior Fours Head sees over 1000 athletes take to the water
History was made as 275 crews participated in the first-ever Junior Fours Head, supported by Putney High School as a principal partner. Friday’s racing kickstarted a bumper weekend as juniors from around the country and further afield clashed at one of the biggest tests of the head racing season.
Marlow RC had a cracking day at the races, coming away with both the Open and Women’s Junior Quadruple Scull title. Pete Chambers‘ squad has had a tremendous start to the season and a seven second win in the Open event coupled with a 1.3s win in the Women’s event puts the programme in the driving seat as we head into the depths of winter. Across the weekend, close margins was a consistent theme and the first of those stories came in the Women’s Junior Quads. Wycliffe College BC were hot on the heels of Marlow RC while Tideway Scullers rounded out the top three, just over a second ahead of Hartpury University & College BC.
Norwich School BC were triumphant winners in the Open Coxless Fours. Despite a 10 second penalty, they finished comfortably ahead of Abingdon School BC who took second place ahead of Eton College BC. It’s been a thrilling couple of week’s for NSBC’s Nicholas Conway who adds another trophy to the cabinet after winning Boston Junior Sculling Head just one week ago. After winning the Prince Philip Challenge Trophy, Headington School BC have picked up from where they left off. Wins in both the Women’s Coxless and Coxed Four show they are once again the team to beat, being chased hard by Henley RC and Wallingford, respectively.
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10 crews took to the water in the Mixed Junior Quadruple Sculls. The razor-sharp margins were another key theme in this event as Canford School BC came out worthy winners, half a second ahead of Tideway Scullers with Tideway neighbours Emanuel School BC rounding off the podium. Perhaps the tide is turning for Canford School BC who delivered one of the races of Henley Royal Regatta to beat Boulogne 92 for a historic win in the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup. The Mixed Quadruple Scull also featured Avon County RC. This crew made history as the first ever Paralympic boat to take part in a Fours Head, as a crew of pathway athletes. Royal Shrewsbury School BC won the Open Coxed Four event, led by captain of boats Max Evans, beating Shiplake College BC by less than a second.
The Junior Fours Head also saw dozens of J16 crews taking to the water. Taking a leaf from the Head of The Charles, the J16s would race in Coxed Quads and Team Lombardia form Italy won won the Women’s event while Shiplake College BC would beat Abingdon School BC to lift the Open title. There would be success for the Tideway programmes in the two Coxed Four events. St Paul’s School BC and St Paul’s Girls’ School BC were both victorious, beating Hampton School BC and Wallingford RC, respectively.
Full Junior Fours Head Results
Leander return to Henley with all but one of the Championship titles
Leander Club dominated the Fours Head which returned for the first time since 2022. The Henley-upon Thames based programme welcomed back it’s athletes from Caversham to create a formidable lineup and swept every Championship event, except the Open Coxed Four.
That title went to Newcastle University BC and Oxford Brookes BC, which contained three members of the crew that won silver at this year’s World Championships in the Men’s Eight. The close margin theme was never more prominent than this race, as they beat Leander by 0.1s.
One of the highlights of the weekend for the pink palace was finishing first and second in the overall standings on the Tideway. Their top quad featuring Tobias Shröder, Jamie Gare, Rory Harris, and Cedol Dafydd was the fastest crew of the day, but their top Championship Coxless Four was second overall. Dan Graham, James Robson, Douwe De Graaf and George Bourne brought World Champion zest to Putney, winning their event by more than 20 seconds ahead of the men from Oxford University BC.
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The Great Britain Women’s Quad that won silver in Shanghai were back together and taking on the best of clubs and universities. Lola Anderson, Becky Wilde, Hannah Scott, and Sarah McKay faced an almighty challenge from Reading University and the crew of Finnola Stratton, Zara Povey, Meg Knight, and Ellie Cooke came within 0.3s of the world silver medallists. If it hadn’t have been for a crab from one of the Clams, the headlines could have been very different in the hours following Fours Head.
London RC raced well on home water. Stu Heap’s athletes won the Women’s Club Coxless Four as well as the Open Club Quad with numerous other podium positions across the day’s racing. This included taking third and finishing fourth overall in the Open Quadruple Scull. Not to be outdone by their Puntey rivals, Thames RC defended their Open Club Coxless Four title. George Nelson made it two wins in a row in this event as he teamed up with the likes of Stan Cannons to give Thames their only win of the weekend despite placing third in both the Championship and Club Open Coxed Fours.
Speaking of Remenham clubs, Molesey BC’s women had a cracking Saturday. with wins in the Club Quadruple Scull and Coxed Four, they’re riding the wave of momentum after winning the Wargrave Challenge Cup back in July. Sam Tuck’s squad have also returned from impressive outings at November Trials and Head of the Charles, and placed second in the Championship Coxed Fours as well as finishing second and third in the Club Coxless Fours.
The Boat Race crews were also in action on Saturday. The world was teased with what might come when the two clubs did battle across the pond but this was the first showdown on British waters against one another. It must be caveated though that the only the lightweight light blue crews racing on Saturday, but that didn’t stop them winning both the Open and Women’s Senior Academic Coxed Fours. Oxford University BC’s women, fresh from putting Cambridge to the sword by more than 20s in Boston had a great day at the championship end of racing. Led by President Heidi Long, the crew featured Kyra Delray, Spanish Olympian Esther Briz Zamorano, and U23 bronze medallist Julietta Camahort and placed third, 0.1s off second place and 2.5s behind the winners Leander Clubi nthe Women’s Coxless Fours.
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Tideway Scullers go top at Veteran Fours Head
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Nearly 260 crews raced in this year’s edition of the Veteran Fours Head. Much like the Fours Head taking place the day before, It was a Coxless Quad on top, but hot on its heels was a lightning quick Coxless Four.
Tideway Scullers were the fastest crew of the day and won Masters A Quadruple Sculls. Second overall were the Crabtree BC Masters B Coxless Four. Stroked by Henley winner Simon Lester and back up by the likes of Olympic Champion James Rudkin and Boat Race winner Fred Gill, the quarter were just four seconds back on the winning TSS boat.
The quickest Women’s crew of the day was the combination from Mortlake Anglian and Alpha BC and Upper Thames RC, teamed up with Newark RC’s Jen Titterington. A number of these athletes had raced Fours Head the day before. With a practice run already in the legs, the crew were well positioned to do well and won the Women’s Masters A event by more than minute.
The next fastest women’s crew came from Upper Thames RC. Alongside her crewmates, Henley Women’s Regatta Chairman Naomi Ashcroft steered her boat to victory, nearly 30 seconds ahead of Wallingford RC who were best of the rest.
Marlow RC continued what was a very successful weekend. having performed very well in the Junior events on Friday, their Women’s Masters D Coxless Four was the fastest Women’s Four at the Veteran Fours Head. They finished ahead of an Upper Thames RC, Aberdeen BC, and Strathclyde Park RC composite that won the Women’s Masters D category.
In the Coxed Fours, London RC were the fastest Open boat of the day as their combination romped to victory in the Open Masters C event.Marlow RC were the quickest women’s coxed Four. With Paralympic Champion Naomi Riches onboard, they rose nearly 100 places from their start position to be the fastest Women’s Masters D Coxed Four and the fastest Women’s Coxed Four for that matter.
The three days of racing would not have been possible without hundreds of volunteers who played a vital role in delivering safe racing for 4000 athletes. This included some who were at the Tideway for all three days. Thank you to all the volunteers, marshals, umpires, timers, coaches, and supporters who helped create a spectacular three days of racing.
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That’s all from Across The Line this week!
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