The Stewards' Challenge Cup is a rowing event for men's coxless fours at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing clubs. Two or more clubs may combine to make an entry.
The event was established in 1841.Henley Royal Regatta Results of Final Races 1839–1939 Henley Royal Regatta Results of Final Races 1946–2009 It was originally for coxed four crews. In 1868 Walter Bradford Woodgate arranged for his Brasenose cox to jump overboard at the start of the race to lighten his boat. While the unwanted cox narrowly escaped strangulation by the water lilies, Woodgate and his home-made steering device triumphed by 100 yards and were promptly disqualified.H.T. Steward Henley Royal Regatta, 1903, pp. 133-34 Whatever passing fame the hapless cox gained on the Henley reach in 1868 was eventually eclipsed by his accomplishments in later life when he, Frederic Edward Weatherly, wrote and published the Irish ballad "Danny Boy".
A special prize for four-oared crews without coxswains was offered at the regatta in 1869 when it was won by the Oxford Radleian Club. When Stewards' became a coxless race in 1873, Woodgate "won his moral victory", the Rowing Almanack later recalled. "Nothing but defeating a railway in an action at law could have given him so much pleasure."The Rowing Almanack, 1921, pp. 148-49
Past winners 1841–1872 Stewards' Challenge Cup – Coxed fourYearWinnerCrewTimeDistRunner-upref 1841 The Midge, Oxford Club, 10min+ 1l Cambridge Subscription Rooms, 1842 The Midge, Oxford Club, 9:16 E Dreadnought Club, Henley 1843 St George's Club, 10:15 2l The Midge, Oxford Club, 1844 Oxford University 9:16 l St George's Club, 1845 Oxford University 8:25 Aw St George's Club, 1846 Oxford University ntt E Guy's Club, 1847 Christ Church, Oxford ro Worcester College (withdrew) 1848 Christ Church, Oxford ro Row over 1849 Leander Club ntt E Second Trinity Boat Club, Cambridge 1850 Oxford University ro Row over 1851 Cambridge University 8:54 4l Brasenose College, Oxford 1852 Oxford University ntt 2-3l Argonaut Club, London 1853 Oxford University 8:57 3-4l Argonaut Club, London 1854 Pembroke College, Oxford 9:38 Lady Margaret Boat Club, Cm 1855 Royal Chester Rowing Club E Lady Margaret Boat Club, Cm 1856 Argonaut Club ro Royal Chester (withdrew) 1857 London Rowing Club 8:25 4l Lady Margaret Boat Club, Cm 1858 London Rowing Club roRow over 1859 Third Trinity, Cambridge 8:25 2ft London Rowing Club 1860 First Trinity, Cambridge 9:26 E London Rowing Club 1861 First Trinity, Cambridge 9:35 2l London Rowing Club 1862 Brasenose College, Oxford 8:40 2l Third Trinity, Cambridge 1863 University College, Oxford 8:24 1l Brasenose College, Oxford 1864 London Rowing Club 8:45 l University College, Oxford 1865 Third Trinity, Cambridge 8:13 l London Rowing Club 1866 University College, Oxford 9:28 4l Kingston Rowing Club 1867 University College, Oxford 8:45 1l Oxford Radleian 1868 London Rowing Club 8:22 4l University College, Oxford 1869 London Rowing Club 8:36 2l Oxford Radleian 1870 Oxford Etonian 8:05 l London Rowing Club 1871 London Rowing Club 9:09 1l Kingston Rowing Club 1872 London Rowing Club 9:21 sevl Kingston Rowing Club
1873–1899 Stewards' Challenge Cup – Coxless fourYearWinnerCrewTimeDistRunner-upref 1873 London Rowing Club 8:23 3l Kingston Rowing Club 1874 London Rowing Club 9:00 3l Thames Rowing Club 1875 London Rowing Club 7:56 l Leander Club 1876 London Rowing Club 8:27 sev l Thames Rowing Club 1877 London Rowing Club 9:7 2-3l Thames Rowing Club 1878 London Rowing Club 8:37 p Monroe, Shoe-wae-cae-mette BC, USA 1879 Jesus College, Cambridge 9:37 2l Lady Margaret Boat Club, Cambridge 1880 Thames Rowing Club 7:58 3l Molesey Boat Club 1881 Hertford College, Oxford 8:15 p Thames Rowing Club 1882 Hertford College, Oxford E Thames Rowing Club 1883 Thames Rowing Club London Rowing Club 1884 Kingston Rowing Club disq Twickenham Rowing Club 1885 Trinity Hall, Cambridge 7:53 p Jesus College, Cambridge 1886 Thames Rowing Club 7:39 1l Trinity Hall, Cambridge 1887 Trinity Hall, Cambridge 7:53 E Leander Club 1888 Trinity Hall, Cambridge 8:25 St Brasenose College, Oxford 1889 Thames Rowing Club 7:53 E Third Trinity, Cambridge 1890 Brasenose College, Oxford 7:37 l Thames Rowing Club 1891 Thames Rowing Club 7:45 l Trinity Hall, Cambridge 1892 Royal Chester Rowing Club 8:38 l Thames Rowing Club 1893 Magdalen College, Oxford 7:45 l Thames Rowing Club 1894 Thames Rowing Club 8:20 l New College, Oxford 1895 London Rowing Club 7:43 l Thames Rowing Club 1896 London Rowing Club 8:42 1l Thames Rowing Club 1897 Leander Club 7:30 2l New College, Oxford 1898 Leander Club 7:42 l New College, Oxford 1899 Magdalen College, Oxford 7:51 5l Favorite Hammonia RC, Hamburg, GER
1900–1939 YearWinnerCrewTimeDistRunner-upref 1900 Leander Club 7:55 l Trinity College, Cambridge 1901 Third Trinity, Cambridge 7:54 E Leander Club 1902 Third Trinity, Cambridge 7:45 E Leander Club 1903 Third Trinity, Cambridge 8:5 l Royal Netherlands R&SC 1904 Third Trinity, Cambridge 7:30 l Winnipeg Rowing Club 1905 Leander Club 8:26 P Third Trinity, Cambridge 1906 Leander Club 7:36 2ft Third Trinity, Cambridge 1907 Magdalen College, Oxford 8:42 3l Leander Club 1908 Magdalen College, Oxford 7:40 l London Rowing Club 1909 Thames Rowing Club 7:38 l Magdalen College, Oxford 1910 Winnipeg Rowing Club 7:52 E Mainzer Ruder-Verein, Germany 1911 Thames Rowing Club 7:35 l Trinity Hall, Cambridge 1912 New College, Oxford 7:36 l Thames Rowing Club 1913 New College, Oxford n/a disq Mainzer Ruder-Verein, GER 1914 Leander Club 7:52 St Mainzer Ruder-Verien, GER No races 1915–1919 (WWI) 1920 Magdalen College, Oxford 8:03 E Thames Rowing Club 1921 Magdalen College, Oxford 7:32 3l Leander Club 1922 Eton Vikings Club 8:25 E Grasshopper Club Zürich, SWI 1923 Third Trinity, Cambridge 7:30 E Magdalen College, Oxford 1924 Third Trinity, Cm 8:37 3l Leander Club 1925 Third Trinity, Cm 7:27 2l Leander Club 1926 Thames Rowing Club 7:34 E Leander Club 1927 Thames Rowing Club 8:01 2l Leander Club 1928 Thames Rowing Club 7:43 2ft London Rowing Club 1929 First Trinity, Cambridge 7:32 1l London Rowing Club 1930 London Rowing Club 7:34 l Leander Club 1931 London Rowing Club 8:45 3l SCV Da Feltre Di Piacenza 1932 Thames Rowing Club 8:09 2l Berliner Ruder Club, GER 1933 Pembroke College, Cm 8:16 l London Rowing Club 1934 Pembroke College, Cm 7:24 ac London Rowing Club 1935 Zurich Rowing Club, SWI 7:14 3l London Rowing Club 1936 Zurich Rowing Club, SWI 7:50 2l Leander Club 1937 Leander Club P.H. Gaskell, J.M. Couchman, J.C. Cherry, J.D. Sturrock (stroke) 8:32 1l Thames Rowing Club 1938 Leander Club 7:33 E Trinity College, Oxford 1939 Zurich Rowing Club, Switzerland H. Betschart, E. Rufli, W. Schweizer, K. Schmid (stroke) 8:09 4l Oriel College, Oxford No races 1940–1945 (WWII)
1946–2000 YearWinnerCrewTimeDistRunner-upref 1946 Leander Club 7:48 l Oriel College, Oxford 1947 Thames Rowing Club 8:04 E London Rowing Club 1948 Thames Rowing Club 7:48 4l Isis and Granta Clubs 1949 Trinity College, Oxford 7:13 3l London Rowing Club 1950 Hellerup Roklubb, DEN 8:03 4l Leander Club 1951 Thames Rowing Club 7:53 l Leander Club 1952 Thames Rowing Club 7:24 2l London Rowing Club 1953 Leander Club 7:25 l First & Third Trinity BC, Cm 1954 Club Krylia Sovetov, USSR 8:26 l Royal Air Force 1955 Club Krylia Sovetov, USSR 7:40 3l Leander Club 1956 Thames Rowing Club 8:06 l London Rowing Club 1957 Club Krylia Sovetov, USSR 7:35 E London Rowing Club 1958 Barn Cottage Boat Club 7:16 l National Provincial Bank RC 1959 St Edmund Hall BC Lincoln College, Ox 7:39 E GS Moto Guzzi, ITA 1960 Barn Cottage Boat Club 7:10 4l St Edmund Hall Boat Club Lincoln College, Oxford 1961 Trud Club, Leningrad, USSR 7:23 2l Thames Rowing Club 1962 Trud Club, Leningrad, USSR 7:23 l Nereus Rowing Club 1963 Molesey Boat Club 7:16 l Thames Rowing Club 1964 Tideway Scullers School 7:11 E Leander Club 1965 Quintin Boat Club 6:55 E Nautilus Rowing Club 1966 Roforeningen Kvik, DEN 7:17 1l Derby Rowing Club 1967 SG Dynamo, Potsdam, GDR 7:31 2l Nereus Rowing Club 1968 Nautilus Rowing Club (Midlands) 8:53 4l London Rowing Club 1969 Nereus Rowing Club 7:06 E Nottingham & Union Boat Club 1970 SG Dynamo, Potsdam, GDR 7:22 3l London Rowing Club 1971 Thames Tradesmen's RC 7:12 1l Cambridge Univ BC 1972 Spartak, Moscow, USSR n/a disq Univ of British Columbia, CAN 1973 Univ of London BC 7:03 l Potomac Boat Club, USA 1974 Dynamo Club, USSR 7:12 E Leander Club Tideway Scullers School 1975 Potomac Boat Club, USA 6:50 2+1/3l Lady Margaret BC, Cm 1976 Univ of British Columbia, CAN 7:10s l Thames Tradesmen's RC 1977 London Rowing Club 7:24 n/arow over 1978 Trakia Club, Bulgaria n/a ro London Rowing Club withdrew 1979 London Rowing Club 7:19 E Oxford Univ BC 1980 Charles River RA Dartmouth College, USA 7:04 2l Avon Rowing Club Petone Rowing Club, NZL 1981 London Rowing Club Thames Tradesmen's Rowing Club 7:48 E Vesper Boat Club, USA 1982 RC Schaffhausen RC Thalwill, Switzerland 7:10 l Tyrian Boat Club 1983 RC Schaffhauser RC Thalwil, Switzerland 7:02 E Cambridge University 1984 NCRA Tyne 6:57 cv University of London Tyrian Boat Club 1985 Tyrian Boat Club 7:08 3l Bagsvaerd Roklub, Denmark 1986 Ridley Boat Club, Canada 6:41 l Tyrian Boat Club 1987 Dinamo Moscow, USSR 6:40 1l Tyrian Boat Club 1988 Leander Club 6:44 E Pennsylvania AC, USA 1989 University of London Oxford University 6:28 l Nautilus Rowing Club 1990 Star Club Leander Club 'A' 7:16 l Star Club Leander Club 'B' 1991 Leander Club Molesey Boat Club 6:55 2l Leander Club 1992 NCRA 6:36 1l Malmo Ruddklubb Brudpiga Ruddklubb, Sweden 1993 Leander Club University of London 6:44 l RC Hansa Dortmund, Germany 1994 EN Boulogne AUN Lyon, France 6:44 l London Rowing Club 1995 Cambridge University CARC "Mladost" 6:31 l College Boat Club, Philadelphia, USA 1996 NCRA London Rowing Club 6:44 4l Goldie Boat Club 1997 Leander Club Oxford University 6:47 l NCRA 1998 Leander Club 6:41 l Danmarks Rocenter, Denmark 1999 Leander Club Queen's Tower 6:51 1l Danmarks Rocenter, Denmark
2000 onwards