“AN UNFORTUNATE end to what could have been a great race,” read the race report on the final of the Stewards’ Challenge Cup coxless fours at Henley Royal Regatta yesterday after the Canadian four crashed soon after halfway when they were being led by a length by the unbeaten Great Britain flagship crew.

Both had suffered steering warnings but the British looked good to this point and Jürgen Grobler, the coach, said: “I didn’t expect to be up as far and as quickly, but it was a shame it ended like that.” It will add to the atmosphere in the Lucerne World Cup next week.

Foreign crews won ten of the 19 events and, of the four other Great Britain squad crews, only Mark Hunter and James Lyndsay-Fynn were winners, in the Double Sculls Challenge Cup. The eight and quad scull lost their finals to Germany and Poland crews, albeit by less than a length. The coxless pair of Josh and Kieran West fell to the South Africa Olympic bronze medal-winners, Ramon Di Clement é and Donvan Cech, in the semi-final.

Thames reached four finals — their biggest tally since 1928 — but only one crew, their women’s eight, took medals. Their Wyfold Challenge Cup four led until halfway but were overhauled by the Army crew.

One of the day’s biggest cheers came in the Thames Challenge Cup eights final, when the Henley boat beat Lady Elizabeth, Ireland. It was the first Henley club win since the inaugural regatta in 1839.

Both the men’s and women’s single sculling titles went abroad, Wyatt Allen, the United States Olympian, and Rumyana Neykova, the Bulgaria Olympic bronze medal-winner being victorious.