Ten Chiswick boat clubs will take part in the Fuller's ' Head of the River Fours ' rowing challenge along the Thames on November 5th. The race, now in its 57th year, starts at 11.30 a.m. when 2000 male and female rowers from across the UK and Europe, will battle it out for the coveted title. 

The race will give spectators a chance to see many of the country's top athletes competing on their home water before the Olympics. Fans of the Oxford and Cambridge boat race will also be able to guage the early form of the Universities' 2010 squads. Cambridge has six crews racing, while Oxford racing as Isis, has entered four. 

The difference between side-by-side racing seen at regattas and international events, and ' head racing' is that the latter takes the form of a time-trial. All 490 crews will be set off one after the other, and are timed covering the 4 1/4 mile Championship course. The boats then fight it out for the fastest water round the bends in the Thames, where overtaking, steering errors and the occasional clash of oars, make for exciting viewing. 

The action will last a couple of hours and spectating along the whole course is free. Stalls selling refreshments and rowing-related goods will be available outside many of the Tideway clubs, particularly on Putney embankment and near Hammersmith Bridge. 

The Chiswick-based  clubs taking part include, Cygnet Rowing Club, Kings College London Boat Club, Quintin Boat Club, University College London Boat Club, Emanuel School Boat Club, Thames Trademen Rowing Club, Barnes Bridge Ladies Rowing Club, Mortlake Anglian and Alpha Boat Club, University of London Boat Club, and Tideway Scullers.

Clubs from London and the surrounding area are well represented:

CLUB NAME	Crews	Based at
ST PAULS SCHOOL BOAT CLUB	3	Castelnau
CYGNET ROWING CLUB	1	Chiswick
KINGS COLLEGE LONDON BOAT CLUB	1	Chiswick
QUINTIN BOAT CLUB	1	Chiswick
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON BOAT CLUB	1	Chiswick
EMANUEL SCHOOL BOAT CLUB	3	Chiswick
THAMES TRADESMEN ROWING CLUB	3	Chiswick
BARNES BRIDGE LADIES ROWING CLUB	4	Chiswick
MORTLAKE ANGLIAN & ALPHA BOAT CLUB	6	Chiswick
UNIVERSITY OF LONDON BOAT CLUB	7	Chiswick
TIDEWAY SCULLERS SCHOOL	8	Chiswick
CURLEW ROWING CLUB	3	Docklands
GLOBE ROWING CLUB	2	Greenwich
GUILDFORD ROWING CLUB	3	Guildford
FURNIVALL  SCULLING CLUB	2	Hammersmith
SONS OF THAMES	4	Hammersmith
LATYMER UPPER SCHOOL BOAT CLUB	5	Hammersmith
POPLAR BLACKWALL AND DISTRICT ROWING CLUB	2	Isle of Dogs
TIFFIN SCHOOL BOAT CLUB	1	Kingston
WALBROOK  ROWING CLUB	1	Kingston
KINGSTON GRAMMAR SCHOOL BOAT CLUB	5	Kingston
KINGSTON ROWING CLUB	5	Kingston
LEA ROWING CLUB	5	Lea Valley
UNIVERSITY OF SURREY BOAT CLUB	2	Molesey
LADY ELEANOR HOLLES BOAT CLUB	4	Molesey
MOLESEY BOAT CLUB	13	Molesey
LON ORATORY SCHOOL BOAT CLUB	3	Mortlake
PUTNEY TOWN ROWING CLUB	4	Mortlake
BARN ELMS	1	Putney
ELIZABETHAN BOAT CLUB	1	Putney
PARR S PRIORY ROWING CLUB	1	Putney
DULWICH COLLEGE BOAT CLUB	2	Putney
HSBC ROWING CLUB	3	Putney
KINGS COLLEGE SCHOOL BOAT CLUB	3	Putney
WESTMINSTER SCHOOL BOAT CLUB	5	Putney
VESTA ROWING CLUB	10	Putney
IMPERIAL COLLEGE BOAT CLUB	14	Putney
LONDON ROWING CLUB	14	Putney
THAMES ROWING CLUB	15	Putney
STAINES BOAT CLUB	3	Staines
TWICKENHAM ROWING CLUB	4	Twickenham
WALTON ROWING CLUB	5	Walton

 

More details about the history of the race and a full start order are available on the event website at   www.hor4s.org.uk

 

October 25, 2011