Unequal matching, equal enthusiasm: Henley Rowing

There’s a lot of organising that goes into one of rowing’s oldest traditions, the Henley Royal Regatta on England’s River Thames. No, it’s not the weeks of shopping to procure the perfect hat and frock. It’s not even the ordering just the right amount of Pimms. It’s about the birds.

Before racing begins bird enthusiasts known as Swan-uppers catch all of the swans along the Henley regatta course and move them out of harm’s way from the virtually continuous stream of oars from the 432 crews pelting down the 2112 metre course. The swans are penned up then released again after the regatta.

“It’s all terribly humane,” says Henley’s longstanding press officer, Robert Treharne Jones. 

Nineteen trophies were raced for over the weekend. Ten of them left British shores. New Zealand scored one with the Diamond Challenge Sculls for the men’s single going to World Champion Mahe Drysdale who forced Oxford University’s Charlie Palmer into second – the same position Palmer finished last year. Drysdale had a comparatively easy ride to the top, but still managed to equal the course record for the opening stage of the race – the Barrier – along the way.

In a demonstration of dominating power, the United States women’s eight overpowered the Dutch national team in the Remenham Challenge Cup. On the way to the final the US women also set a new course record, breaking the former record by 12 seconds. This crew will continue on to the final Rowing World Cup in Lucerne, Switzerland at the end of this week, but will race in a new yet-to-be-seen line up.

The showdown set between Great Britain and the Netherlands in the men’s four (last year’s World Champions and silver medallists respectively) never eventuated after the stroke for Britain, Andy Hodge, was ill and the crew scratched from the race. A disappointed Dutch crew did a course row-over to take another cup away from British shores.

In one of the most exciting races of the day, Great Britain managed to hold onto a cup. Favourites and World Champions, Luka Spik and Iztok Cop of Slovenia, racing in the men’s double, were challenged by Great Britain’s Matthew Wells and Stephen Rowbotham. Spik and Cop pushed for most of the race but appeared to taper off towards the end. Wells and Rowbotham become the 2006 owners of the Double Sculls Challenge Cup.

Two-time cup holders of the Silver Goblets & Nickalls’ Challenge Cup for the men’s pair, South Africa, cancelled at the last minute due to illness leaving Serbia & Montenegro’s Goran Jagar and Nikola Stojic as favourites. But a crash into the side-of-the-course booms stopped Jagar and Stojic leaving them to play catch-up with the Oxford University pairing of Canadian Olympian Barney Williams and United States World Champion Paul Daniels. Williams and Daniels held them off the Serbian & Montenegran’s take the cup.

Sophie Balmary of France had an easy ride in the Princess Royal Challenge Cup for the women’s single. In the final Balmary faced Dutch lightweight champion Marit van Eupen to take the cup back to France.

And from the very rich history of Henley file, the Water Line News describes: “From the Henley Standard of 1906: ‘Entries for the Royal Regatta were a record… no fewer than 35 boats were out during the day… the resources of the boat tents were taxed to a very considerable capacity’. The Boat Tents currently have space for about 320 craft!”

For a full list of results go to: www.hrr.co.uk

Information thanks to the Rowing Service and Robert Treharne Jones.