Royal Chester Rowing Club

Henley Royal Regatta 2026 - The Wargrave Challenge Cup

Our senior women’s 8+ did the club proud at HRR. Having gone through qualifiers at a later time than initially planned to avoid the scorching heat, they were one of only six provincial crews who made it into the main draw for the Wargrave.

Racing for the first time on Tuesday, a tough draw against Molesey R.C ‘B’ saw them knocked out in the first round. The race was close; having been beaten by the same Molesey crew at HWR ten days earlier, the girls approached the race with great determination, and held their opposition to the same verdict of 1¼ lengths over a longer distance.

Our Wargrave ‘A’ boat was the only women’s crew from the North-West region to qualify for HRR this year, which represents the continual growth and strengthening of the senior women’s squad here at Royals. They are hugely grateful to everyone who came to support and clap out (or watched from afar), and to those who helped with trailering, blade painting, and supporting them across the season.

Want to join us next year? DM us or fill out the form in our bio.

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Henley Royal Regatta 2026 – Britannia Challenge Cup

Our men’s coxed four, made up of athletes Ed Press, Harry McGarva, Alex Bain, Will Lupton, and cox Sarah Armstrong, arrived in Henley with a recent run of excellent regatta results, and a combined HRR appearance count of 46. This experience proved critical in their campaign of thrilling races across the week.

Wednesday saw them win by 1¼ lengths over Fairmount R.A (USA) in the fastest Brit race of the day. Their quarter final on Thursday featured a strong comeback versus Thames R.C ‘B’, rowing through to win by ½ a length. On Saturday, their gutsy semi-final against London RC saw the crew close from 1½ lengths down to overlap, finishing just ½ length short in an incredible display of physical and mental strength.

Royals as a whole is extraordinarily proud of the crew for their achievements this week, and the composure and passion with which they represented our club. They were also one of only two provincial club crews to make it through to the semi-finals this year, once again punching above our weight on the national rowing scene.

Congratulations to K.A.R.Z.V. De Hoop, who won the event, and massive thanks from the crew to everyone who supported – including on the bank, at the boat tents, watching online, sending messages, towing trailers and painting blades.

Want to join us next year? DM us or fill out the form in our bio.

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ROYALS RACING TOMORROW

HENLEY ROYAL REGATTA

Wargrave ‘A’ races tomorrow at 3pm against Molesey ‘B’. They will be boating at 2:15pm, Boat Tent E - meet us there to clap the crew out.

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HENLEY ROYAL REGATTA

The Britannia Challenge Cup

C: S. Armstrong
S: E. Press
3: H. McGarva
2: A. Bain
B: W. Lupton

Coach: Jamie Leighton

Our Brit entry heads to Henley bolstered by a hugely successful racing season so far, having won at Nottingham City Regatta and reached the A Final at both Met and Marlow. They have been selected by the Stewards, and will race on Wednesday against Fairmount R.A, USA.

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Our senior athletes did us proud at Henley Royal Regatta qualifiers this week.

Royals had five crews racing at qualifiers across a wide range of boat classes - Wargrave, Wyfold, Double Sculls, and Diamond. Whilst four of the five did not qualify this time, each crew put everything into the race on a very hot and windy course, and we are enormously proud of every athlete who competed.

It was also incredible to see so many current and past Royals athletes racing on the Henley stretch, as well as the other North West clubs. Well done to all who qualified!

Onwards to the big one - crew announcements and race times coming soon.

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HENLEY ROYAL REGATTA
The Wargrave Challenge Cup ‘A’

C: Z. Smith
S: C. Gray
7: M. Garbutt
6: A. Beacom
5: I. Wild
4: E. de Vries
3: E. Shipston
2: A. Simms
B: G. Silver
Coach: Chris Hudson, Jamie Leighton, & Pete Dean

Wargrave A are aiming to repeat history and qualify for a second time. They gave a strong performance at HWR, which saw them finish 6th out of 26 crews in the time trial and reach the quarter finals. With over half of last year’s Wargrave crew returning in this combination, their goal is to go even further - and climb even higher - at HRR.

Time Trial: 8:30pm, Friday 26th June

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HENLEY ROYAL REGATTA
The Wyfold Challenge Cup

S: B. Barker
3: J. Bentley
2: T. Lawrence
B: M. Lees
Coach: Jamie Leighton & James Kinsey

Our Wyfold crew has demonstrated their determination on the national stage, and now head to HRR for one final run down the course. Containing both first-time entrants and seasoned competitors, they are ready to flex their speed at qualifiers tomorrow.

Time Trial: 7:21pm, Friday 26th June

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HENLEY ROYAL REGATTA
The Wargrave Challenge Cup ‘B’

C: R. Moritz-Cammack
S: F. O’Donoghue
7: E. Bradley
6: J. Roach
5: P. Cox
4: E. Warhurst
3: L. Westwood
2: A. Dyson
B: A. Aykroyd
Coach: Chris Hudson, Jamie Leighton, & Pete Dean

Wargrave B are already making history, as the first time ever Royals has fielded a second women’s eight at HRR. Having built on positive early-season results at WEHORR, Nottingham City, and Met, we are so excited to see what this group of strong women can do.

Time Trial: 8:30pm, Friday 26th June

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HENLEY ROYAL REGATTA
The Double Sculls Challenge Cup

J.A. Simons & N.P. Cerulus
Coach: Jamie Leighton

After winning Nottingham City Regatta, and reaching successive ‘A’ Finals at Met and Marlow, our men’s double is raring to go. Racing for the Double Sculls Challenge Cup against international opposition, they will be seeking to box off another HRR qualification on Friday.

Time Trial: 7pm, Friday 16th July

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#212

The senior men tested their speed at Marlow Regatta on Saturday. In this final race prior to Henley, the squad delivered promising results against strong national opposition.

The standout performance was from the Champ 4+, who finished 8th in the A Final, and have subsequently prequalified for the Britannia Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta next week.

Our Champ 2x performed strongly in a highly competitive field, also finishing 8th in the A Final, while the Champ 1x gained position, rising from 14th in his TT to 2nd in the B Final. Finally, our Tier 2 4- won in their G final.

Keep your eyes peeled for crew announcements as the final countdown towards HRR begins 👀