DEAL Rowing Club have entered this year’s Henley Royal Regatta in a bid to qualify for the Men’s Club Eights event, the Thames Challenge Cup.

Deal have never entered the Men’s Club Eights at Henley but they did reach the first round of the Britannia Cup for coxed fours in 1994.

The Eights crew is made up of the Junior Four and Senior Four and consists of Jason Morgan, James Hockless, James Morton, Kirk Bell, Ben Smissen, James Morgan, Luke Armstrong and Matt Emmerson. They have been training hard on the Tideway with Thames Tradesmen RC.

Adele Taylor is coxing and is the only member of the crew with Henley experience, as she also coxed the fours in 1994.

Qualifying for the Men’s Club Eights takes place this Friday evening (June 26, with 10 crews battling for 29 qualifying places.

If Deal are successful they will compete in the first knockout round of the Eights on the opening day of Henley on Wednesday.

“It would be a huge achievement for us to qualify,” said Deal captain James Morgan. “It is the most famous regatta in the country, with all of the top internationals competing. Fortunately, I don’t think we will have to face them!”