Women’s Head 2024 – Another Step Forward
Brookes matched their entry from last year, taking five VIIIs to the Women’s Head of the River on Saturday 9th March. With the entry halved due to the flag status and very little racing prior to this, all the athletes were very keen to show the hard work that had been done over the last months.
At the showcase event of the winter season, the results were a great endorsement of the training program, atmosphere and culture of what is rapidly becoming one of the most established and high performing women’s rowing programmes in the world.
The 1st VIII had a strong row from start to finish in challenging headwind conditions, closing the gap almost entirely to Leander B in front of them. Starting in 3rd position to finish in 2nd place, just 3.8 seconds behind 1st over the 6.8km course was the closest finish at WEHORR since 2005. Congratulations to Leander on retaining the Headship. An exciting summer season of racing lies ahead.
The 2nd VIII improved on last year’s result by finishing in 5th place. This crew beat Cambridge University’s Blue Boat and was the highest-ranking 2nd VIII at the race. An outstanding demonstration of the evolving strength and depth in our women’s squad over the last few years, having placed 15th in 2022.
The 3rd VIII continued this theme of improvement, coming home in a club record of 11th place. They were the 3rd fastest University VIII on the day. From placing 28th in 2022 this once again shows the exceptional environment that has been created here by both the coaches and athletes.
The 4th VIII finished in 33rd place, moving up from 39th in the previous year. The 5th VIII finished in 83rd place after finishing 200th overall in 2023. Fabulous performances!
A big thank you should go to the organising committee of the race for running the event with some questionable forecasts prior to the race. It was also fantastic to see so much encouragement along the towpath, we look forward to seeing continued support throughout this summer. Some great results for this team following a torrid winter seasons worth of weather. Another hugely positive step in the right direction for the group. Preparations now turn to the U23/Development trials in April and more rapidly approaching multi lane racing in the Spring.
Photos Courtesy of Allmarkone