2026. The year Marlow Rowing Club made history.
Throughout junior rowing, the infamous ‘Triple’ is one of the hardest things to win. To do so cements those rowers in the history books and generates a legacy that will be remembered for decades to come.
To win ‘The Triple,’ crews must win at Schools’ Head, the National Schools’ Regatta, and Henley Royal Regatta. However, 2026 was the year that Marlow Rowing Club won ‘The Quintuple.’ In addition to the three aforementioned races, the quartet of Ione Haley, Lauren Kennedy, Alice Moss, and Eve Pinsent conquered Boston at the Head of the Charles back in October and won the Bea Langridge Trophy for Junior Quadruple Sculls at the Henley Women’s Regatta. Legendary.
Following their success this season, Kennedy and Moss have been selected to represent Great Britain at the U19 World Rowing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. They’ll team up with some of their toughest opposition this season, two outstanding rowers, Kate Cohalan and Holly Weddell from Tideway Scullers School.
Kennedy is back from the crew that won bronze in this boat class last year when the team travelled to Trakai, Lithuania.
“Last year was an incredible experience, said the J18 sculler.
“The racing was so much fun, but also, the lead-up to it was fantastic, and it was nice to carry on the season a bit longer. I like rowing with new people and learning about different programmes, how they row and what they do, and bringing together the best parts of everybody’s style to create the fastest boat.
“I also learned a lot about my confidence. I’ve struggled with quite a lot of self-doubt, and it’s showed me that I am capable of doing things, which was helpful to carry forward into this season and race with a bit more self-belief, which was really helpful.
For Moss, having a friendly face to help her navigate the season, the trialling process, and take on the world has been brilliant. “Rowing with your clubmates definitely decreases the stress levels quite a lot when you’ve been with them for years. It gives me more confidence, but it’s also good to have the chance to row with people from other clubs, get to know their rowing styles, and adapt it into the fastest boat possible.”
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For Moss, Kennedy, and the rest of the Marlow Quad, 2025/26 will be remembered for years to come. A super block of racing and training throughout the winter months laid the foundations for a summer of unbridled success. Very few will experience the ecstasy and elation of winning a red box on the Sunday of Henley Royal Regatta, but it’s an emotion that the two will bottle up and keep for life.
“I need to make sure I don’t cry,” said Kennedy with a laugh.
“Winning Henley was just the biggest dream come true. Winning the other races was obviously very cool, but it’s always been Henley. For all the years, for everyone, everything else has been a lead-up to that. To be able to achieve it with Alice, with Eve, and with Ione was a dream come true. It was incredible.
“On the way here [to Caversham], I was driving past the Henley boat tents, and I was looking out at them, and I did start crying. There’s so much emotion packed into it, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to match a moment like that again.”
What made their triumphs even more special is that it was the first time in the club’s history that they won the Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup. Marlow were runners up in 2024 and 2025, but 2026 was the year they hoisted the trophy at Prizegiving under golden Henley sun.
Every stroke of the season has been undertaken under the attentive eye of Pete Chambers. Having spent 10 years rowing for Great Britain, Chambers now heads up the Marlow Rowing Club junior programme.
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For Moss and Kennedy, having the 2012 Olympic silver medallist in their corner has been a huge asset throughout their time at the club.
“I speak for everyone at Marlow Rowing Club when I say that we could not imagine a better coach and somebody who pushes us to our limit but also looks after us so well. His support is so unmatched, and he’s done an incredible job with the juniors,” explained Kennedy.
“This season was something he’s been working towards. We wanted to win for ourselves, but we also wanted to win for Pete, and that was something we’d speak about before we went into races, ‘This is for Pete.’ We’re really glad that he’s coming to Bulgaria, coaching the Men’s Quadruple Scull, so he’ll be around, and he’s fantastic.”
From J14 Octos to Henley finals, it’s been quite a journey for the two rowers. However, it’s been one that has been full of passion and enjoyment, where they now find themselves in a position where they can’t imagine life without the sport and the community that has come from the whole club.
“My love for rowing has been built through my years at Marlow,” said Kennedy.
“It started off as something fun to do on the water at the weekend, and I made some friends too. I didn’t really think about what it would be in the future, and I think each year as the training increased, and the stakes increased, I started to enjoy it more and more. I wanted to push on, I wanted to do more training, and I wanted to win, and that’s built through the years.”
“It’s an incredible community at Marlow Rowing Club,” added Moss.
“Everybody supports each other from the J14s up. Whether it’s the ex-Juniors to the Masters, there’s such a community and support network there.
“Winning the Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup was something that not just the junior squad was working towards, but everybody was wanting throughout the entire club. There’s no better feeling rowing through Stewards and hearing the roar of everyone screaming for Marlow. It’s quite special, especially to be local; there’s no better feeling.
Attention now turns to Plovdiv and a new campaign. The U19 quartet will be coached by Chris Boddy from Sir William Perkins’s School Boat Club. The British will race 15 others crews from around the world, with racing in the Junior Women’s Quadruple Sculls starting from 12:39 BST on Thursday.
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