THERE are strong prospects for Oxford Brookes and Headington School at the Henley Royal Regatta, which is under way, writes John Wiggins.

As the Great Britain crews face strong international opposition, so, too, do Brookes in both the Ladies Plate and Temple Challenge Cup.

Their crew of the ‘Ladies’ is largely that which won the Temple last year, now with some of the Brookes graduates and the inclusion of Oxford Blue Josh Bugajski.

Brookes’s undergraduate crew in the ‘Temple’ have been hot on the heels of their seniors all season.

Headington – strong contenders for the Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup quad sculls – are celebrating the qualification of their B crew in the same event.

Wallingford RC have three crews in the draw, contesting the Britannia (men’s fours), Princess Grace (women’s quads), while Pete King and Dan Harvey are in the Double Sculls.

City of Oxford have a men’s eight in the Thames Cup.

l Oxon schools and clubs were busy racing at four regattas across the country.

At Reading Town, Abingdon School had success with eights and fours at both J15 and J16 level, as well as both A and B events for the J14 octuples. Oxford University’s lightweight women claimed the IM3 eights, as well as IM2 quads and novice doubles.

St Edward’s School had victories for their J14 girls’ octuple and men’s novice doubles while St Edward’s Martyrs clinched the Masters doubles.

Headington’s next generation showed their potential at the Peterborough Junior Regatta with wins for their J14s in doubles, quads and octuples.

Their J13s triumphed in the octuple and were only half a second off victory in the double.

Abingdon RC’s women competed at the Ironbridge Regatta on the River Severn, where Bev Ashton was victorious in three events.

She took the Masters B single, the IM2 doubles with Elly Kilsby and was part of the Masters C eight.

The novice doubles was won by Cheryl Hewlett and Katherine Ostrich.

The City of Oxford women’s development squad continued their winning ways with victory in IM3 coxed fours.

Falcon RC’s J18 rower Martin Benfeghoul won at the Egham Regatta.