Swans paddled alongside elite rowers, spectators lined Hammersmith Bridge and Barnes Railway Bridge, and after two years of weather-induced frustration, the Fours Head of the River Race finally returned to Putney waters today.
Four hundred and thirty-two crews completed the 4.25-mile course from Chiswick to Putney under grey November skies, racing the same route as the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race but in reverse. The successful event marked the end of a difficult period that saw cancellations in both 2023 and 2024 leave the race stranded by Storm Bert and strong stream conditions.
Leander Club dominated the championship categories, taking victories in five of the six elite events. Their coxless four won in 18 minutes 12 seconds, while Leander’s quad scullers claimed the fastest time of the day at 17 minutes 55 seconds in the open championship quads.
Thames Rowing Club showed strong form in club competition, with their crew winning the open club coxless fours in 19.02. London Rowing Club, Molesey and Nottingham also featured prominently across multiple categories, while Putney Town RC and Vesta RC represented local clubs throughout the day’s racing.
The race formed the centrepiece of a three-day “Fours Festival” that saw the inaugural Junior Fours Head bring 1,200 junior rowers to the Tideway on Friday, with the Veteran Fours Head completing the weekend on Sunday.
Reading University crews performed well in the senior academic categories, while Oxford and Cambridge university boats used the race to lay down early markers in their Boat Race preparations. Imperial College won the senior academic coxless fours, and Cambridge University took the senior academic coxed fours title.
The women’s championship events saw competitive racing across all boat classes. Leander continued their dominance with victories in the women’s championship categories, though competition remained tight with Reading University, Tideway Scullers and university crews pushing hard throughout.
Conditions proved ideal for racing despite the overcast skies, with the ebb tide running as expected and no wind to complicate steering on the tricky Tideway course. The two-year gap since the last successful race in 2022 made the return particularly significant for a rowing community that has watched two consecutive Novembers bring unraceable weather.
The race has run annually since 1955, when the fledgling “Head of the River 4s” saw just 34 crews row from Chiswick Steps to Putney Pier. Founded by the Tradesmen’s Rowing Clubs’ Association to be open to all rowers regardless of their amateur status, the event has grown into one of the largest single-day rowing events in the UK.
Full results are available at rowresults.co.uk/4shead25, with the Davison Award for “the standout performance from a small club” to be announced in due course.
The Veteran Fours Head concludes the festival tomorrow, with hundreds more crews expected to tackle the Championship Course.
