Henley

Henley Race Reports

Wednesday

We saw some some great racing today from our squad and recent alumni, but with mixed results.

It was a packed afternoon, with our Temple 8+ kicking off proceedings at 2.00 pm against Princeton A. The Lightweight/Goldie crew took the race to the Americans, never losing contact to their more highly favoured opposition, and continuing to threaten throughout the race, with Princeton taking a hard-fought 3/4 length win.

2019 Men’s President Dara Alizadeh, representing London Rowing Club, took on Cambridge 99s Will Young at 3.50pm. A close race for most of the heat ensued, with both scullers trading blows until Young establlished control of the race in the latter parts, holding Alizadeh at bay for the rest of the race.

Our Visitors’ 4- was the 3rd event after the tea break, at 5.30 pm, as they looked to progress against R.C. Allemannia, Hamburg. The race was extremely close through most of its progress, with the Germans leading through the first two markers, but the Cambridge 4 remained unflustered even after some complicated steering by the Germans which was not addressed by the umpire and drew to a 1 length win.

Our Prince Albert 4+ finished the day for Cambridge as they raced Adams House, Harvard at 6.15pm. The Harvard 2/3V 4 led the Goldie 4+ throughout, in the fastest race of the day through every checkpoint. The Cambridge crew may count themselves unlucky in the vagaries of the day 1 draw, but put together an excellent performance.

 

Thursday

Thursday was a quiet day for the Club and its athletes, with the flag being flown by Women’s Blue Boat 5-seat Freya Keto in the Princess Royal Challenge Cup at 9.20 am. After a trip past the Island where her steering was corrected by umpire Sarah Winckless, Freya pulled out to a dominant win against Hazel Wake of City of Oxford RC, in a great display of sculling

The Club’s remaining crews enjoy a rest day in the case of the Visitors’ 4-, and a bye in the case of Caoimhe Dempsey and Isabelle Bastian’s pair. Tom George and Ollie Wynne Griffith, racing for Leander, will commence racing on Friday.

Friday

 

After the highlight of Freya Keto’s win in her heat of the Princess Royal, the Club’s athletes and alumni had a packed day of racing today.

Freya kicked off the racing against Cara Grzeskowiak, a former Australian national team athlete and winner of Champ Single at this year’s Henley Women’s Regatta. Freya’s excellent sculling served her well, but the more experienced Australian met Freya’s challenges and went on to take the victory by 2 and 3/4 lengths in the fastest race of the day.

There was then a long break until 2022 Blues Ollie Wynne-Griffith and Tom George raced Ernst and Andrews of Isis. They were not troubled by their opponents, hitting clear water by the end of the Island, recording the fastest times of the day to the Barrier and Fawley, and cruising to a 2 1/2 length length win.

2023 Women’s Blue Boat members Isabelle Bastian and Caoimhe Dempsey took on Standing and Perry of Leander in the Hambleden Challenge Cup, and found the going tough against the GB development pair, fighting hard but recording a 4 length loss.

 

The second last race of the day for Cambridge came at 7.05 pm, when our Visitors’ Boat raced Princeton. The Americans started fast and were clear water up at Fawley but the CUBC crew was not daunted, pushing back past Remenham and into the enclosuresput together a storming finish to push the Americans to finish, coming off 2/3 of a length behind.

2023 Blues Noam Mouelle and Seb Benzecry took on Walkley and Cullen of Rowing Canada Aviron, who are the National Squad pair. Cambridge served it up the the Canadians, but greater experience in the small boat told, and Seb and Noam recorded a 3 length loss to the Canadian National Team.

 

Saturday

 

The CUBC flag today was flown by our alumni Ollie Wynne Griffith and Tom George, who raced Beeson and Geffen of Yale. Their task was aided by a steering error by the Elis, but the result was never in doubt, with the fastest ever GB pair recording a comfortable victory.