Henley Royal Regatta’s four junior finals on Sunday rewarded established programmes. Leander Club won the Fawley Challenge Cup, Marlow Rowing Club took the Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup, Headington School claimed a third successive Prince Philip Challenge Trophy, and St Paul’s School sealed a ninth Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup title in one of the tighter races of the day.
The results confirmed a pecking order built over several seasons. Tideway Scullers’ School reached both junior sculling finals and lost both, in contrasting fashion, while St Edward’s School pushed St Paul’s to within two-thirds of a length in the marquee schoolboy eights event.
Fawley Challenge Cup
Leander’s junior men’s quad controlled the Fawley final from the opening strokes against Tideway Scullers’ School. Half a length clear by the end of the Island, Leander absorbed repeated TSS pushes through the middle of the course and extended to a two-length margin at the finish. It was Leander’s third Fawley title since 2023, built on a season that included wins at the Metropolitan Regatta and Marlow Regatta.
Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup
Marlow’s junior women’s quad came through a closer final. TSS led the Diamond Jubilee final by half a length at the Barrier, passing that mark in 2 minutes 9 seconds. Marlow responded through the middle section, moved back in front, and then held off a further TSS challenge at the Mile to win by a length. Victory for Marlow was all the sweeter for having lost the 2025 final.
Prince Philip Challenge Trophy
Headington School and Shiplake College reprised their 2025 Prince Philip final, and again Headington won. The Oxford school held a canvas advantage at the end of the Island, stretched that to two lengths by the Fawley mark, and maintained the gap to the line. The win gave Headington a third straight title in the girls’ eights event and a fourth since the trophy was introduced in 2021.
Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup
The closest final of the four came in the Princess Elizabeth. St Paul’s School got away sharply against St Edward’s School, leading by five feet in the opening strokes, and held a narrow advantage through the first quarter. St Edward’s, who had dealt with illness in the crew earlier in the week and beaten the National Schools’ Championship Eights winners Radley College’s conquerors to reach the final, stayed close and cut the margin to half a length.
St Paul’s answered late. The London school found enough in the closing stages to stretch back out and cross the line two-thirds of a length ahead, claiming a ninth victory in the event.
