Strong Results at Henley, Kings Worcester and Marlow Regatta for Shrewsbury Rowers

Henley Women’s Regatta report

This past weekend, the RSSBC girls began the 2026 Henley Campaign in exciting and well executed racing at Henley Women’s Regatta. The squad took two boats- the top Quad and Girls Eight. 

The top quad began the regatta by qualifying in the top 16 crews, beating over thirty crews to secure their place in the heats. In their first heat, they met a strong crew from George Heriots School- who had narrowly beaten them at National Schools a few months ago. The girls produced an exciting race, beating the Scottish crew by a verdict of 2 lengths. They then progressed to the Quarter Finals, meeting a crew from Wycliffe College. The girls raced strongly but unfortunately lost by just a 1 3/4 length margin. This overall commanding performance from the quad puts them in a strong position as they have pre-qualified for Henley Royal in the coming week. 

The girls 8 also had a brilliant run at Henley Women’s, progressing through qualification to earn one of the 16 coveted spots in the heats- beating over 16 crews in the process. They then met Latymer Upper School in the first round of heats- a crew that had beaten the girls for the first place spot in the B final at National Schools. Unfortunately, the girls were unable to overturn this result, but reduced the gap significantly since Nat Schools, showing clear progress within the crew. Overall, this puts the 8 in an exciting position for the Henley Royal Qualification Regatta, looking forward to hopefully producing a result representative of the hard work the girls have put in throughout the season. 

By Bea C (UVI, G)

Kings Worcester Match Report

The day began with six J14 boats racing in a 500-metre time trial, where the boys’ quad produced the fastest time of the day. 

This was followed by some closely contested side-by-side racing against the much more experienced athletes from King’s School Worcester. 

The day ended with the mixed oct winning the main event, giving us the points we needed to overtake King’s School Worcester and secure the Sabrina Challenge Cup.  

It was a brilliant first day out for many of the J14s and we’re immensely grateful to King’s School Worcester for putting on such a great day. 

Report by Jason Knowles, J14 Lead Coach 

Marlow Regatta Report

This year’s Marlow regatta featured large combined eights categories, meaning both Shrewsbury’s 1st VIII and 2nd VIII were racing in highly competitive fields alongside top school and club eights. This created a challenging but valuable racing environment, with both crews required to deliver technically sharp and composed performances against high-calibre opposition. 

The 1st VIII raced in the Championship/School J18 Eights category and produced a strong performance in the time trial, progressing through to the D Final. The crew rowed with confidence and composure, establishing a strong rhythm early and maintaining speed through the middle stages of the course. In the final, they faced quality opposition and responded with determination, showing resilience and commitment throughout the race. Their performance reflected the progress made during the summer campaign and provided another valuable benchmark ahead of Henley. 

The 2nd VIII also faced a demanding field in the School J18 2nd Eights category. Despite the depth of competition, the crew showed maturity and determination to progress into the M Final. Racing against strong opposition, they delivered a disciplined performance, maintaining focus and composure throughout. The crew demonstrated excellent effort and determination, continuing to push right through to the finish and gaining valuable race experience at a high level. 

Marlow Regatta once again proved to be an important step in the season for both crews. The experience gained at Marlow provides valuable momentum as preparations continue for the final stage of the season, with attention now turning firmly towards Henley. 

By Max E (UVI, SH)