Entries Press Release 16th June 2010

The Stewards are pleased to announce an exceptional top level entry for this year’s Henley Royal Regatta. The total entry of 505 crews (468 in 2009) includes 116 overseas crews (93 in 2009) from 20 different nations. Great Britain, New Zealand and Canada have entered the majority of their crews preparing for the World Championships in New Zealand later this year and there are strong entries from the U.S.A., France, Holland, Germany and Italy.

The Grand Challenge Cup has six entries. The British eight, rowing as Leander Club & Molesey Boat Club, won the first round of the World Cup last month and will meet up with the German and American eights this coming weekend in Munich for the second round. The Canadian eight will be making its first appearance this year while the New Zealand eight is a combination of their World Championships four and their World Under 23 four, steered by a coxswain from The Tideway Scullers’ School. The Cambridge University & London Rowing Club crew contains seven oarsmen from this year’s winning Boat Race crew.

In The Stewards’ Challenge Cup there are ten entries, easily the largest entry in this event for decades. The British four, rowing as Leander Club, are the reigning World Champions. They will face stiff opposition from the heavyweight national crews from Canada, France, the U.S.A. and Argentina. Just to add spice to this event there are also national lightweight crews from Canada, Denmark, Japan and Holland. This is the one event in the year that the lightweights can take on the ‘big boys’ and, with Henley’s side by side format, they will relish the challenge.

The Queen Mother Challenge Cup will showcase the first appearance in this country of the new British quad from Reading University & Leander Club. They can expect fierce opposition from the national crews from France, New Zealand, the U.S.A. and the Czech Republic.

In The Silver Goblets & Nickalls’ Challenge Cup the New Zealand pair of Hamish Bond and Eric Murray are the holders of this event and also the reigning World Champions. They will renew their intense rivalry with the British pair of Peter Reed and Andy Triggs Hodge, silver medallists from last year’s World Championships. This event has a very large overseas entry and features pairs from Canada, Spain, France, Hungary, Italy and Japan.

The Double Sculls Challenge Cup will be keenly contested this year. The British double of Matthew Wells and Marcus Bateman from Leander Club were the winners of the first round of the World Cup in Bled. However, New Zealand has entered two crews in this event, the new heavyweight combination of Nathan Cohen (winner of this event last year) and Joseph Sullivan and the lightweight double of Storm Uru and Peter Taylor, the reigning World Lightweight Champions.

The competition in The Diamond Challenge Sculls will see the renewal of many old rivalries. First and foremost will be the ongoing head to head of New Zealand’s Mahe Drysdale and Great Britain’s Alan Campbell. Both are previous winners of The Diamond Challenge Sculls but last year Drysdale went one up by beating Campbell in the Final. Drysdale then went on to reinforce his dominant position by winning gold at the World Championships, just ahead of Campbell who took the silver medal. The Swedish sculler, Lassi Karonen, came 6th at the Beijing Olympics while Marcel Hacker from Germany won The Diamond Challenge Sculls in 2004 and is seemingly back on top form. Not to be ignored is Duncan Grant, the current World Lightweight Champion from New Zealand – given a following wind he could cause real problems for the ‘big boys’.

The Remenham Challenge Cup for women’s eights has received 13 entries. The British eight has entered as Leander Club & Oxford Brookes University. They will relish the chance of taking on the Canadians from Western Rowing Club. They will also renew their rivalry with the Dutch crew from Hollandia, who they defeated at the first World Cup in Bled last month.

This year the women’s quadruple sculls event, The Princess Grace Challenge Cup, will feature the new British quad racing as Gloucester Rowing Club & Leander Club. This crew is stroked by Katherine Grainger and won the first round of the World Cup in Bled last month. There will be strong opposition from the Canadians, the New Zealanders, the Italians and the Dutch national crews.

The Princess Royal Challenge Cup for women single scullers has received a very large entry with entries from New Zealand, the U.S.A., Canada, the Czech Republic, Italy, Belgium and Japan. The current holder of this event, Emma Twigg from New Zealand, is back to defend her trophy. She will face stiff opposition from Mirka Knapkova from the Czech Republic, the current World Bronze medallist. The top British entry is Debbie Flood from Leander Club, a member of the GB Olympic silver medal quad in Beijing and a previous winner of The Princess Royal Challenge Cup.

The Chairman of the Committee of Management, Mike Sweeney, said “I am absolutely delighted that we have been able to attract such a high quality entry for this year’s Regatta. This is the strongest entry at the top level for decades.” 

Any further information required can be obtained from:

Daniel Grist, The Secretary, Henley Royal Regatta, Regatta Headquarters, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, RG9 2LY, telephone +44 1491 572153.

OR

Caroline Searle, Henley Royal Regatta Press Officer, +44 7831 755351 or press@hrr.co.uk.