Henley At Home Programme - Flipbook - Page 7
Double Sculls
To mark the Centenary Regatta in 1939, presentation goblets were offered
for a Double Sculling Race. THE DOUBLE SCULLS CHALLENGE CUP
and medals were instituted in 1946, whilst a silver base was added in 1987.
Single Sculls
The race for The Diamond Sculls “for amateurs, open to all England”
was introduced in 1844. At that time, The Diamond Sculls trophy was a
presentation prize of a diamond scarf-pin. THE DIAMOND CHALLENGE
SCULLS was not instituted until 1850. In that year the diamond scarf-pin
prize gave way to a silver-gilt ‘pineapple’ cup, which was similarly presented
to the winner to keep. In 1957 a new case was made for the trophy as there
was no more room for further silver plaques in the old case, which had held
the sculls for 116 years.
The Diamond Challenge Sculls was the first open event to go abroad, J. K.
K. Ooms taking the trophy back to Amsterdam as long ago as 1892. This event
has been won six times by both Stuart MacKenzie of Australia and Mahé
Drysdale of New Zealand.
THE SIX OPEN EVENTS FOR WOMEN
Eights
At the 1998 and 1999 Regattas the Stewards held an Invitation Race for
Women’s Eights. At the Stewards’ Meeting in December 1999 it was decided
to make this event into an Open Women’s Eights event, formally incorporated
in the Rules of the Regatta and to be known as The Henley Prize. At the 2002
Regatta the event became known as THE REMENHAM CHALLENGE
CUP when the Stewards accepted the gift of a trophy presented by Remenham
Club in recognition of the support its founding clubs had given women’s
rowing and in memory of its past President, Ian Rogers, M.B.E.
Coxless Fours
An invitation Race for Women’s Coxed Fours has previously been held at
the Regatta in 1981 and 1982. In 2017, a new Open event was inaugurated for
“Women’s Fours”, raced in coxless boats in line with World Championship
and Olympic regattas, and with qualification rules the same as those for The
Remenham Challenge Cup. In 2018, when trophies were commissioned for all
three of the new Open Women’s events at the Regatta by Ottewill Silversmiths,
the event became known as THE TOWN CHALLENGE CUP; this recalls
the name of the trophy for coxed fours which was presented alongside The
Grand Challenge Cup for eights at the very first Regatta in 1839 and annually
thereafter until 1883, after which it was given in trust to Henley Town and
Visitors’ Regatta.
7