Entries Revealed for Henley Women’s Regatta 2023

The UK’s top universities, clubs and schools will face off against strong international competition at Henley Women’s Regatta (HWR) next week.

Some 201 clubs will take to the Thames between 16 and 18 June, a rise of 17 compared to 2022. Marlow Rowing Club has the most entries, with 12 boats racing; Leander Club has nine crews plus athletes in two composite boats.

Thames Rowing Club is another big entrant, with 11 crews. The Putney club is one of three to be celebrating 50 years of female members in 2023, alongside Nottingham Rowing Club (eight crews) and Derby Rowing Club (two).

International entrants include the University of Pennsylvania, fresh off a strong showing at the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) championships at the end of May.

Pennsylvania’s first varsity eight finished fourth in the grand final at the NCAAs and will contest the Ron Needs Cup for championship eights at HWR.

They will be tested by Oxford Brookes University, who won the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Regatta earlier this year, among a field of 15 crews.

Other US universities making the trip across the Atlantic include Harvard University (racing as Radcliffe College), Princeton University lightweight women, and Georgetown University.

Several crews are travelling from Ireland, while Dutch crews are particularly well represented in sculling events this year.

A number of crews feature athletes who have represented Great Britain on the international stage. Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games champion Ellen Buttrick has teamed up with Molesey Boat Club’s Charlotte Coburn to compete in the Redgrave Challenge Vase for championship coxless pairs. In the same event, look out for the Leander and University of London pair of Abigail Topp and Phoebe Snowden, who won silver in the women’s eight at last year’s World Under-23 Rowing Championships.

Meanwhile, world under-23 bronze medallists Vwaire Obukohwo and Katherine George race in the W. Peer Cup for championship double sculls.Once again, the largest entry has come for the Frank V Harry Cup for development coxed fours, which attracted 57 crews. They will be whittled down to 16 in the time trials, which
start at 09:00 BST on Friday 16 June.