Some of Bedford’s finest rowing talent will get the chance to test themselves against the best at Henley this week.
Star Club are entering two senior events and hope to go one stage better than last year when a crew reached the semi-finals of the Wyfold Challenge Cup. They are also entering a boys’ crew in the The Fawley Challenge Cup along with Bedford Modern School.
Barry Green, chairman of the Star Club, said: “We are looking forward to this year’s regatta at Henley, and will have two teams competing in the Thames Challenge Cup, for eights, and Wyfold Challenge Cup, for coxless fours. With the crew we have this year, I’m confident we can do better than last year.” The rowing club are in superb form this season, having already claimed the Jackson Trophy for being the fastest provincial club at the Tideway, Head of the River race in London.
Green said: “Our form this season has meant that we haven’t had to qualify for the events. The eights won the Jackson Trophy in March with a time of 17.48 minutes.
“By competing at Henley, we are doing what we were founded to do, compete at the highest level.
Back then, there weren’t any national events, so we were solely geared toward Henley, so it’s good to still be honouring our history.” However, one club in Bedford won’t be competing at rowing’s showpiece event next week.
Bedford Rowing Club have said that they are continuing to focus on juniors and once again haven’t put forward a team.
Bedford Rowing club’s John Mingay said: “We have struggled to get the right people in recently, especially coaches. We are concentrating on our junior crews and the potential that they have, so we have decided not to enter any senior teams.
“Henley isn’t as important to us as some of the national events.” Bedford School and Bedford Modern have both entered crews into the Temple Challenge Cup, and the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup, with Bedford Modern especially confident of a strong challenge following their silver medal in the championship Coxed Fours at the National Schools Regatta at the end of last month – just 0.5 seconds behind Eton College.
