Time now to move on to the Intermediate events, and some of the most fiercely contested trophies at the Regatta

Ladies Challenge Plate

Holders: Oxford Brookes University and Taurus Boat Club

Entries: 6

Selected crews: Oxford Brookes University, Leander Club

Oxford Brookes University, under Director of Rowing Richard Spratley and chief coach Henry Baillache-Webb, have established themselves as the premier University rowing programme in Europe, and have ambitions to be no.1 in the world. Earlier this season they raced at Ratzeburg Regatta placing 1st 2nd and 3rd in the open 8’s. The 1st 8’s time of 5:29 is the fastest ever by a British 8 outside of the senior national squad. They are unbeaten by any crew in Europe so far this season. Their only defeat came at the Windermere Cup in Seattle when they were narrowly defeated by the University Of Washington Varsity 8. The crew is Quentin Antognelli, Ed Grisedale, Sam Nunn, Matt Hnatiw, Rory Gibbs, Matt Aldridge, Henry Swarbrick, Morgan Bolding and cox Harry Brightmore. Antognelli raced for Monaco at the World Championships last year, finishing 23rd in the M1X. Gibbs, Aldridge, Bolding and Swarbrick all return from the crew that won this event last year.

Such is the strength in depth of the Oxford Brookes programme that they have a 2nd crew racing as Oxford Brookes and Edinburgh University this is the basis of the Brookes 3rd 8 that won bronze in Ratzeburg with James Axon, Brendan Edwards, James Snowball, Tim Grant, Gareth Syphas, Oliver Wilkes, Morgan Glover (who won this event last year) and Joel Cassells (a former World and European champion).

The main challenge to a Brookes repeat victory will come from Leander Club. They were winners at Marlow Regatta in a time of 5:34. The standout oarsman in this boat is Cam Buchan (almost as famous for his rowing vlogs as for his actual rowing!) He’s coming back from a long-term injury and will be looking to return to the GB squad for 2019. He was a member of the British M8 throughout the 2017 season, winning medals at the 1st and 2nd World Cups and then finishing 7th at the World Championships. The Leander boat has an international feel to it with Brazilian Francisco Mendes and Ollie Wilkes (an U23 silver medallist in 2017). Frazier Christie is another oarsman with senior international honours having raced for GB in the M2X during the World Cup series last year. Two of the crew are returners from the boat that lost to Brookes in last year’s Ladies Plate final, Jack Godesen-Kaye and Oxford Blue Will Geffen. The boat is stroked by another Oxford Blue, Vass Ragoussis (a member of the outstanding Abingdon School crew that won the “Triple” in 2012). If Leander and Brookes meet in the final there could be some fireworks.

The fourth crew in this event are, Berliner Ruderclub from Germany. This boat has some outstanding oarsmen in it, including Rio Olympians Felix Krane and Anton Braun. They were both members of the German M4- that finished 12th in Rio. Braun was also in the German M8 that won a silver medal at the World Championships in 2015. Strokeman Bjoern Birkner is another senior international having raced in the M4- that finished 8th at the 2014 World Championships. Stephan Riemekasten at 7 and Michael Trebbov at 3 are both U23 World Champions. Clearly this is going to be a very fast boat and could spoil the Brookes/Leander party.

The other overseas entry is from UTS Haberfield and Sydney Rowing Club. I haven’t had a chance to see what the line-up will be, but there was a Sydney Rowing club 8 originally entered in the Thames Cup and a UTS Haberfield 4 in the Visitors (neither of which are in the main draw so I assume the Ladies Plate 8 is a combination of these two boats).

The final entry are Cantabrigian Rowing Club. This crew had originally entered the Thames Challenge Cup but were bumped up to the Ladies Plate by the Stewards. The crew raced in Tier 2 8’s at Marlow regatta finishing 4th in the C-Final , but the Stewards felt there were a few too many Cambridge students in the boat and that it wasn’t in keeping with the spirit of the Thames Cup, so they had the choice of moving up a class or changing their crew to race the Thames….they chose the former and will face-off against Oxford Brookes & Edinburgh in the 1st round.

My picks…I think it’ll be close, but I’m going for Brookes to defend their title.

The Visitors Challenge Cup

Holders: Leander Club

Entries: 16

Selected crews: University of London, Leander Club, Wairau RC & Pentone RC New Zealand, Cambridge University & Leander Club

This has the potential to be one of the most competitive events in the regatta with a lot of really high class crews entered from across the world including Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, the USA and France.

One of the most interesting crews are the “Bad Boys Rowing Club” of Wairau and Petone Rowing Clubs, New Zealand. They are a crew of recent New Zealand internationals who’ve come together with the explicit intention of winning at Henley. The crew is James Hunter, 5th in the LM4- at the Rio Olympics and a bronze medallist in the M2- at the Sarasota World championship, Ian Seymour, who rowed in the NZL M8 at the 2011 World Championships, Axel Dickinson, who rowed at the World cups in 2016 and Dirkus Conradie, a member of the New Zealand M8 in 2017.

The 2nd New Zealand crew entered are Waikato rowing Club. This crew contains some of the top club oarsmen in New Zealand with James Ingham and Will Guest who were 3rd in the Senior M2- at the New Zealand championships, Tom Bedford who was 2nd in the Senior pairs and Fergus McSwiney who won gold in the Championship 8’s at the New Zealand University Championships.

From the Netherlands are K.S.R Njord. The crew of Joris Bergman, Jan Lankhorst, Milan Pastoors & Sven Brinkman were winners of the development LM4- at the ARB Bosbaanwedstrijden regatta last week and 3rd in the LM4- at the Dutch Varsity Championships.

Australia have one representatives in the event. UTS Haberfield and Sydney Rowing Club composite. This crew includes world silver medallist Darcy Wruck along with senior internationals Ben Coombs and Nathan Bowden, both of whom were in the M8 at the World Championships last year. The fourth member of the crew is U23 international Peter Koster.

Another overseas crew are the lightweights from Columbia University in the USA. They were the top lightweight programme in the US for the 2018 season and their crew for Henley includes one member of the Varsity 8 that won the IRA Championships – Cypriot Alex Zisimides. Also in the crew are Brit George Patterson and John Robison who were in the 2nd Varsity 8 that won at Eastern Sprints. The final member of the crew is Levi Beckett who was in the Varsity 4 for the 2017 IRA Championships.

The final overseas crew in the event are the French from C.A Nantes & A.C Bolougne. This boat includes LM4X World Champion Francois Teroin. Also in the crew are Luke Epain, who won bronze with Teroin at the World University Championships, and former junior international Ismael Bourennane.

Leander Club are the defending champions in this event and they have one returner from the 2017 crew, Barnaby Stentiford. He’s joined by former Oxford Brookes strokeman James Stanhope (who won the Ladies Plate last year). Also in the crew is senior international Ross Jarvis, A Harvard graduate, he’s an U23 silver medallist and made his debut in the senior squad in 2017 and raced at the Belgrade World Cup this season with Tom Ransley in a GB M2-. The 4th member of the crew is Tim Clarke. His international debut came in 2012 when he won silver in the men’s eight at the FISU World University Rowing Championships. He went on to place fifth in the under-23 men’s eight in 2013, and won gold in the FISU men’s eight in 2014 and 2016.

After joining the GB Rowing Team senior squad at the start of 2017, Clarke was selected in the men’s eight for the first World Cup in Belgrade, winning silver behind the Netherlands. At World Cup III in Lucerne, Clarke teamed up with fellow Newcastle University graduate Tom Ford in the men’s pair, finishing second, and added a cox in the form of Harry Brightmore for the World Rowing Championships in Florida, where they finished just outside the medals in fourth. They were winners at Marlow Regatta in the impressive time of 5:54. They also won at the Metropolitan Regatta (with Callum Johnson racing in place of Jarvis). They will probably start as favourites to retain their title.

Runners-up to Leander at both the Metropolitan and Marlow regattas was the University of London. Their crew of Matt Benstead, Pat Sullivan, Rufus Schoelfield and Richard Clarke have all represented Great Britain at U23 level with all but Schoelfield having won medals at that level. Benstead and Schoelfield were in the crew that won the Champ 4’s at the BUCS Regatta. They warmed up for Henley with a trip to Amsterdam to race at the Holland Beker taking gold in the M4+ event (with legendary Dutch cox Peter Wiersum sitting in the coxes seat.

Another strong crew will be a boat of potential U23 GB oarsmen racing as Cambridge University and Tideway Scullers. This crew includes Cambridge Blue Freddie Davidson and Harvard student David Ambler. They had also entered the Silver Goblets (and were mentioned in my preview) but have subsequently withdrawn to concentrate on racing this event). Ambler, stroke of an impressive Harvard Varsity boat this season, is also an U23 medallist from the GB BM8 last season. He’s joined by Princeton student David Bewicke-Copley – who was also in the bronze medal U23 BM8 last year and former New Zealand junior international Braeden Camp.

Eton Vikings contains a crew full of athletes who have represented Great Britain at age-group level. Benedict Aldous and Charlie Pearson were in the JM8 that won bronze in 2016. Charlie Thurston raced in the JM4+ in 2014 winning a silver medal and James Goble finished 5th in the BLM2- at the U23 World Championships in 2015. Aldous rowed in the Oxford Blue Boat this year. At Marlow Regatta they made the B-Final of Champ 4- but didn’t start that final.

The composite of Molesey Boat Club & Thames Rowing Club has three athletes who study in the US, Jens Clausen who was in the Princeton 2V at the IRA’s, Orlando Nixon (Yale’s 2V and former winner of the Thames Cup) and Rufus Biggs from Brown. The only non-US educated athlete is George Stewart from the University of Surrey, who won silver in the BM4+ at the U23 Worlds last year.

I must also give a shout out to the masters crew from Upper Thames Rowing Club, Tom Carter, Hamish Floyd, Josh Davidson and James Burkitt. The draw has thrown up a local derby for these guys as they take on favourites Leander Club in the first round. Whatever happens in the race they’ll be sure to get a huge cheer as they pass their club house.

My picks…Leander look very strong but the Kiwis have a fearsome line-up and these two are slated to meet eachother in the final. I reckon the boys in cerise will just take it, but it could be a classic.

The Prince of Wales Challenge Cup

Holders: Leander Club

Selected crews: AASR Skoll Netherlands, Leander Club, Edinburgh University & Nottingham Rowing Club, RTHC Bayer Leverkusen & TVK Essen Germany.

This event has been running since 2001 and since then Leander Club have only not made the final twice (2004 and 2005) and they’ve won 9 times (including an all-Leander final last year). This year’s crew will be one of the favourites to make it 10 wins. The boat is Charlie Waite-Roberts, Rowan Law, Ollie Stevens & Andy Joel. All 4 of this crew were involved in the final last year with Law and Joel in the winning Leander A crew and Waite-Roberts and Stevens in the B crew. Law and Joel are also in the unusual position of having won the Queen Mother Challenge Cup before winning the Prince of Wales. All four of them are either U23 or senior internationals. Waite-Roberts raced in the senior LM4X at the World Championships in 2016 and both Law and Joel raced in the M4X at the Belgrade World Cup in 2017 and New Zealander Stephens won silver in the U23 BM4X in 2016. At Marlow regatta they finished 2nd to the GB U23 quad.

The U23’s, racing as Edinburgh University & Nottingham, could well be the ones to spoil the Leander party. Winners at Marlow Regatta the crew is George Bourne of Durham University, Sam Meijer from Harvard, Josh Armstrong of Edinburgh and Matt Haywood of Nottingham. Meijer is the reigning U23 BM23X World Champion and rowed in the Harvard Varsity 8 this season. One, perhaps apocryphal, story about Meijer is that whilst at Westminster School he raced at one of the European long distance sculling races finishing in the top 10 and beating double Olympic champion Olaf Tufte. After the race Tufte congratulated Meijer asking if he was the new GB sculler and what had happened to (the then GB M1X) Alan Campbell? Meijer replied, “no, I’m 17 and still at school” to which Tufte replied “F*ck” and stomped off! Armstrong, a junior World Champion in 2015, raced in the BM1X at last year’s U23 Worlds finishing 7th and also made his senior debut racing in the single at the Poznan World Cup, finishing 11th.

The third Selected crew are the Dutch from AASR Skoll. Job Huigsloot, Guillaume Krommenhoek, Olav Molenaar and Leonard Van Lieorp. They have warmed-up for Henley by winning on both days at the Holland Beker this weekend. Krommenhoek raced in the Dutch M4X at the Belgrade World Cup last year finishing 5th. Van Lierop raced in the Dutch U23 squad in 2015 and 2016 finishing 4th in the BLM4x in 2015. Molenaar, the youngest of the crew at 19, raced at the World Junior Championships last year finishing 6th in the JM8. They also raced at the Essen Regatta earlier this year claiming 4th place in the final (beating the Czech M4X into 5th

The final selected crew are the Germans from RTHC Bayer Leverkusen & TVK Essen. Their crew is Heiner Schwartz, Michael Wepplemann, Fabian Weiler and Dominik Drueke. They also at the Essen Regatta making the B final and finishing 4th (10th overall). Weiller & Drueke raced at Ratzeburg in the M2X finishing 6th in their heat.

Reading University have the remarkable record of having qualified 4 crews for this event, one quarter of the draw are from one club, a remarkable achievement. Their no.1 boat finished 3rd at Marlow Regatta and has Rory Harris, Olly Dix, George Lawton and Franklin Hamilton. Harris and Lawton raced together at the Junior World Championships, finishing 14th in the JM2X. At the BUCS Regatta they finished runners-up to Queen’s University Belfast.

Leander club also have athletes in two other composite boats, the first is Leander Club & Army. This crew includes Zimbabwean international Peter Purcell-Gilpin. He joins James Sudlow, James Mawby and Patrick Munnelly who all raced in the M4X at Marlow regatta, finishing 1st in the B-Final.

The 2nd Leander composite is Leander Club and Upper Thames Rowing Club. This has Will White of Birmingham University, George Eden from Leander and Upper Thames’ James Scott and Tom Foster. This quartet raced at Marlow making the A-Final.

Another crew which made the A-Final of Champ 4X at Marlow was the composite of Newcastle University and Edinburgh University. This has Dale Flockhart of Edinburgh, Dominic Jackson and James Stevenson of Newcastle University and Leander Club’s Sebastian Matthews. At the final GB trials Matthews and Flockhart made the B-Final of LM1X with Stevenson and Jackson in the C Final. They face Durham University (who finished 2nd in the B-Final at Marlow) in the 1st round and will be confident of progressing.

The final crew to mention are the Edinburgh University and Oxford Brookes composite of Matthew Curtis, Ben Reeves, James Temple & Gavin Horsburgh. These are all experienced U23 and senior internationals. Horsburgh and Curtis won gold in the U23 BLM4X in 2016 and Horsburgh went on to win silver in the senior LM4X in 2017 and raced in the LM2X with Jamie Copus at the Linz World Cup. Reeves is an U23 bronze medallist from the 2017 BLM4- and Temple finished 4th in the BLM4X in 2017, he also made his senior debut racing in the LM2X at the Belgrade World Cup and then the LM1X in Linz. This looks like the potential U23 BLM4X for the World Championships at the end of the month.

My picks….the draw should pit Leander against the Edinburgh/Nottingham composite. The U23’s have already beaten Leander this season and I reckon they could do it again.