September-October 2002 > John Harvard's Journal

Historic Henley

Even given the storied history of Harvard crew, it was an unprecedented day. On Sunday, July 7, the final day of the Henley Royal Regatta in Henley, England, Harvard won three titles. The Crimson varsity captured the Ladies’ Plate—Henley’s number-two international eights race—by 2 Cv lengths over London’s Molesey. Coach Bill Manning’s freshmen took the Temple Cup by three-quarters of a length over Oxford Brookes University. In the coxed-four Britannia Cup, Harvard split its JV eight into "A" and "B" fours, who defeated all comers on the first four days to set up the event’s first-ever all-American, one-squad final. The "B" crew prevailed over the "A" boat by 1Cv lengths to complete a saga of Crimson speed and dominance. Manning called the Sunday sweep "the best day rowing has given me," and head coach Harry Parker made a typically concise observation: "That was quite a day."