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Tideway Scullers School (a club, not a school) celebrate after winning the Diamond Jubilee (Junior W4x), beating Wycliffe Junior Rowing Club ‘A’ by 2 1/4 lengths.
26 July 2023
By Tim Koch
The second part of Tim Koch’s take on finals’ day at Henley.
The final strokes of the Diamond Jubilee. The HRR website said: “The Tideway crew led from the start, and held off multiple advances from the favoured Wycliffe crew who seemed unable to match the steady intensity which the London girls brought to Finals Day.” The Wyfold (Club M4-): London Rowing Club beat Thames Rowing Club ‘A’ by 1 1/2 lengths. London’s Wyfold win was their first Henley victory since 2011 and the fact that it was against old rivals and neighbours, Thames, must have made it even sweeter. The Diamonds (Open M1x): Oliver Zeidler, Frankfurter Rudergesellschaft Germania 1869 e.V., Germany beat Piotr Plominski, WTW Warszawa, Poland, “Easily”.Diamond Geezer. One of the least surprising finals results, World Champion, Oliver Zeidler, had no trouble in securing his third Diamond Sculls wins. Could the Diamonds record of six wins held by both Sam Mackenzie and Mahé Drysdale’s be under threat? Waiting for a race. A somewhat distorted panoramic view from the photographers’ stand sited next to the progress board, ten strokes from the finish.The Prince Philip (Junior W8+): Greenwich Crew, USA, beat Deerfield Academy, USA, by 1/2 length. An all-American final had Deerfield faster off the start and were a canvas ahead for much of the race, but Greenwich inched ahead and Deerfield could not respond.The Princess Elizabeth (Junior M8+): St Edward’s School beat St Paul’s School by 1/3 length.St Edward’s last won the PE 24-years ago but won a hard fought race against the defending champions, St Paul’s.The Remenham (Open W8+): Maple Bay Rowing Club, Canada, beat Leander Club ‘A’ by 1 1/4 lengths. Canada’s convincing victory was revenge for the Varese World Cup two weeks previously when the British took silver nine hundredths of a second ahead of them in third. The Princess Royal (Open W1x): Diana Dymchenko, Rowing Club Baku, Azerbaijan (pictured) beat Marta Wieliczko, Klub Wioslarski “Wisla” w Grudziadzu, Poland, by 3/4 length.Marta Wieliczko. The HRR website said of the Princess Royal: “In a race measured by feet and inches rather than lengths, the two scullers couldn’t be separated for the majority of the Course, until they came to pass the progress boards, at which point Dymchenko… put together a blistering finish…”The Queen Mother (Open M4x): Nottingham Rowing Club and Leander Club beat Akademicki Zwiazek Sportowy Torun and Wloclawskie Towarzystwo Wioslarskie, Poland, by 1/2 length. HRR: “The (open) secret of the British crew was their combined 19 Henley entries over the last few years, compared to the total unfamiliarity with Henley Royal Regatta for the Polish crew who are current world and European Champions.”
As noted yesterday, of the 26 events at Henley, 21 finals included representatives from at least one of Leander, Oxford Brookes or Thames, and together they won 17 trophies. Six events went abroad. The Canadians beat the GB women’s eight in the final of the Remenham (Open W8+). World silver medallists Aleix Garcia Pujolar and Rodrigo Conde Romero became the first ever Spanish crew to win at Henley when they defeated the GB crew in the Double Sculls (Open M2x). German World Champion Ollie Zeidler won the Diamonds (Open M1x) for a third time. Daina Dymchenko representing Azerbaijan won the Princess Royal (open W1x). Jill Moffat and Jen Casson of Canada won the Stonor (Open w2x) and the Greenwich Crew from the USA won the Prince Philip (Junior W8+).
We are told that a member of London Rowing Club found a Henley Steward’s silver badge like this one on the ground at the railway station. It was reunited with the relieved rightful holder and the finder was rewarded with refreshments on the hallowed Committee Lawn. Good show.
On Sunday there was a fly-past by an Avro Lancaster, the most famous and successful RAF heavy bomber of the 1939-45 War. Part of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, it is one of only two airworthy Lancasters left in the world – even though 7,377 were built. Wizard!Until the 1960s, society magazines reported on who “In Society” had been at Henley. You had to be born into Society but, for better or worse, we have replaced Society with Celebrity, a group that will accept absolutely anyone.HTBS brings back society reports from Henley.
Hear The Boat Sing 