Women's Eights Head of the River Race explained

Women's Eights Head of the River Race
Frequency:Annual
Location:Championship Course, River Thames in London, England
Years Active:1927 – present
Prev:4 March 2023
Next:9 March 2024
Participants:320 crews

The Women's Eights Head of the River Race (WEHoRR) is a processional rowing race held annually on the Tideway of the River Thames in London on the NaNmiles Championship Course from Mortlake to Putney.

A mirror of the Eights Head of the River for male crews, it is held a fortnight earlier when the tides are similar. It is raced on the outgoing tide and starting around one hour after high tide in order to maximise advantage from the tidal flow.

Around 300 crews of women (with the occasional male coxswain) compete for over a dozen trophies and pennants.[1] There are categories for beginners, elite and veteran rowers.

History

The race was first held in 1927 following the first running of the men's version in 1926. At first it was simply a match between Ace and Weybridge LARC. This race was run as a side-by-side race, with Weybridge winning in a boat borrowed from Thames Rowing Club. The second year featured the same two crews, and the same result. In 1929, for the third race, there was the addition of Alpha, having formed in a split from Ace in 1927. Alpha won this running of the race.

The first running of the race in processional format was in 1930, as the entries had risen to five, making it impossible to run fairly in the side-by-side format on the tidal river. Furnivall Sculling Club (then an all women's club) won this first processional version of the race. It then continued in similar format annually until the outbreak of war in 1939.

The event restarted in 1950, with a shortened course of 2 miles, as it was felt that the effects of the war years and food rationing made the full course too hard. Entries grew from the original five to twelve by the mid 50s, and then declined to only six by the mid 60s. The lack of sectional boats meant that it was extremely difficult to transport boats from further afield, so the event was largely confined to the London clubs.

In the period from the 1970s onwards, entries rose ten-fold from 27 in 1977 to 300 in 2009.[2] International crews have been visiting London to compete and entries have come from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands and United States.

Records

[3]

Award Year Time Crew
Head2014 17:42.21 Army RC/Gloucester RC/Imperial College BC/London RC/Minerva-Bath RC/Oxford Brookes University BC/Tees RC
Club2000 18:08.35 Marlow RC
Overseas2014 18:20.55 Aviron Grenoble/C Aviron Nante/ Gerardmer AS Rowing/Lagny SN/Societe d'Encouragement du Sport Nautique (FRA)
Senior2017 18:36.2 Imperial College A
Intermediate 12011 18:53.69 Reading University BC A
Provincial Club2013 18:57.54 Nottingham RC A
Intermediate 22007 18:59.76 Imperial Col/Jesus College (Cam)/London RC/Wallingford/Westminster
University2017 18:17.7 Cambridge University Women's BC A
Masters2014 19:02.42 Clydesdale ARC/Molesey BC/Leander Club/Marlow RC/Tideway Scullers School/Thames RC [raw time]
Intermediate 32013 19:07.92 University of London BC A
School/Junior2017 19:15.9 Headington School, Oxford BC A
Medium Club 2017 20:07.9 Exeter RC A
Small Club 2017 20:26.6
Novice Club2014 19:48.19 Henley RC C
Novice Academic2014 20:01.84 Newcastle University BC C

Past winners

Year Crew Time
2024Leander Club18:47.2[4]
2023Leander Club18:38.1[5]
2022Leander Club19:15.8[6]
201818:34.7[7]
201718:13.1[8]
201619:17.7[9]
2015Army BC/Imperial College BC/London RC/Marlow RC/Minerva Bath RC/Oxford Brookes University BC/Southampton Coalporters ARC 18:58.6[10]
2014Army RC/Gloucester RC/Imperial College BC/London RC/Minerva Bath RC/Oxford Brookes University BC/Tees RC17:42.21[11]
2013Imperial College BC18:16.57[12]
2012Thames RC20:10.92[13]
201118:06.57[14]
2010Gloucester RC/Imperial College BC/Marlow RC/Reading University BC/Thames RC/University of London BC18:10.67[15]
2009London RC/Hollandia RC/Thames RC/Marlow RC/University of London BC18:28.27[16]
2008Osiris BC19:32.81[17]
2007Marlow RC/Rebecca/Tideway Scullers School/Thames RC18:14.9[18]
2006University of Birmingham BC/Marlow RC/Reading University BC/Rebecca/Thames RC/Tideway Scullers School19:13.61[19]
2005Leander Club19:20.83[20]
2004Imperial College BC/Marlow RC/Reading University BC/Rob Roy BC/Thames RC/Tideway Scullers School18:18.79[21]
2003Imperial College BC/Kingston RC/Marlow RC/Oxford Brookes University BC/Thames RC19:36.58[22]
2001Thames RC19:22.28[23]
2000Marlow / Notts County / Queens Tower / Sheffield / Thames18:06.40[24]
1999Marlow RC18:33.88[25]
1998Marlow RC18:28.31[26]
1997Thames RC18:52.90[27]
1996Kingston / Thames / Tideway Scullers18:24.52[28]
1995Kingston / Thames / Tideway Scullers18:14.6[29]
1993Tideway Scullers School19:03.7[30]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: WEHoRR Website. 8 March 2016.
  2. http://www.britishrowing.org/blog/womens-head-prizegiving British Rowing Women's Head Prizegiving
  3. Web site: Results - Women's Eights Head of the River Race. wehorr.org.
  4. Web site: Women's Head of the River Race 2024 results .
  5. Web site: Women's Head of the River Race 2023 results .
  6. Web site: Women's Head of the River Race 2022 results .
  7. Web site: Women's Head of the River Race 2018 results .
  8. Web site: Women's Head of the River Race 2017 results .
  9. Web site: Women's Head of the River Race 2016 results.
  10. Web site: Women's Head of the River Race 2015 results.
  11. Web site: Women's Head of the River Race 2014 results.
  12. Web site: Women's Head of the River Race 2013 results.
  13. Web site: Women's Head of the River Race 2012 results.
  14. Web site: Women's Head of the River Race 2011 results.
  15. Web site: Women's Head of the River Race 2010 results.
  16. Web site: Women's Head of the River Race 2009 results.
  17. Web site: Women's Head of the River Race 2008 results .
  18. Web site: Women's Head of the River Race 2007 results .
  19. Web site: Women's Head of the River Race 2006 results .
  20. Web site: Women's Head of the River Race 2005 results .
  21. Web site: Women' Head of the River Race 2004 results .
  22. Web site: Women's Head of the River Race 2003 results .
  23. Web site: Women's Head of the River Race 2001 results .
  24. Web site: Women's Head of the River Race 2000 results .
  25. Web site: Women's Head of the River Race 1999 results .
  26. Web site: Women's Head of the River Race 1998 results .
  27. Web site: Women's Head of the River Race 1997 results .
  28. Web site: Women's Head of the River Race 1996 results .
  29. Web site: Women's Head of the River Race 1995 results .
  30. Web site: Women's Head of the River Race 1993 results .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Women's Eights Head of the River Race".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2025, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.