After a very stressful week, our Henley Women’s 4- crew, complete with boat and trailer, finally arrived in Henley on the evening of the 20th June. After a productive 3 days training at St. Neots Rowing Club, our girls arrived eager to get on the iconic Henley stretch.
Our 4- spent Thursday getting to grips with the course with a solid final session, receiving a shout from Leander’s Men’s A 8+ (which prompted their subconscious’ to yam on it on Friday). This was followed by a final carb load at Henley Zizzi (note: no Russian nerve agents found, 5 stars). The evening saw some relaxation and final race prep with Love Island whilst stretching and foam rolling.
The good conditions were not enough to calm nerves on Friday morning as the 4- boated for their 10:35 time trial. However, the girls smashed the time trial, being cheered on by members of the Senior Men’s squad and finishing with a time of 5:17.9 and qualifying to race, news which left the girls elated after months of hard work. The 4- faced Southampton University in the heat and unfortunately, were beaten. With the logistical nightmares and learning to handle a new boat (and steering!) along the way, the club is incredibly proud of the girls’ performance.
The club would like to thank The Grange School for the hire of their boat, St Neots Rowing club for their hospitality, the Peachey’s for getting us out of more than one sticky situation, the McEwens and the Baileys for putting up our girls in the week before Henley Women’s, and to all the coaches who volunteered their time for us. We could not have done it without you!
