Henley Royal Regatta - all the action from this year's races

Three Shrewsbury crews were entered into this year’s Henley Royal Regatta.

The Boys' 2nd VIII was entered along with seventy-four other crews into the Temple Challenge Cup for Student Eights. All school 2nd VIII eights are required to race in the qualifying races which saw fifty crews competing for the last seven place in the event. The 2nd VIII put in a great effort but sadly missed out on the chance to compete in the regatta proper. The crew can take some great pride in their result having turned over the bronze medalists from National School, Eton in the process.

The Girls' 1st Quad were prequalified off the back of their National Schools’ Regatta result and were drawn against Sir William Perkin’s School in the first round. The regatta has expanded to a six-day regatta for the first time in its history and saw the crews racing Tuesday. Off the start both crews got away cleanly and traded blows stroke for stroke over the first half of the course with little to separate them. In the second half of the course the Perkin’s crew managed to draw away and hold onto a lead of a length through the line. It was a valiant effort from the girls who can be proud of their performance.

The Boys' 1st VIII was drawn against St George’s College in the first round on Tuesday in the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup. The crew made a strong start to open up a length lead in the early stages which they built on to draw steadily away to record a pleasing win and set up a second round match up against Westminster School.

Shrewsbury faced Westminster in the quarter final in 2021 where Westminster reversed their National Schools defeat to take the win and seal a place in the semi-final. With the roles reversed in 2022 and that result still fresh in the mind of some of the boys and coaches, it set up a terrific encounter which saw Shrewsbury hold off the fast-starting Westminster crew to take a slight lead off the back of the island. Westminster pushed hard through to the Remenham Club to take the lead but were unable to shake off the tenacious 1st VIII. Westminster lead by half a length approaching the final five hundred meters and the Stewards enclosure, the 1st VIII started to draw back and pile on the pressure. Coming into the last one hundred meters the 1st VIII continued to chip away at the lead, leaving only a few feet splitting the crews. With nothing to separate the crews in the final strokes the Westminster crew faltered with one of the crew losing their oar leaving the result in no doubt as Shrewsbury crossed the line three quarters of a length up.

It was a tremendous race by both crews that earned them the accolade of the moment of the day by double Olympic Gold Medalist Alex Gregory. Watch it online.

The win secured the 1st VIII their fourth consecutive quarter-final appearance and a match up with Radley College on Friday. In tough conditions, Shrewsbury were up against a strong crew from Radley and unfortunately missed out on a semi-final place. 

Congratulations to all crews on their achievements at this year's Henley Royal Regatta.

Athol Hundermark
Master i/c Rowing