Western NSW athletes made up half of the Australian Men's Four which won The Steward's Challenge Cup at the prestigious Henley-On-Thames rowing regatta in England this week. 

Jack Hargreaves from Nyngan and Jack O'Brien from Walgett were joined by fellow Tokyo Olympians Alex Purnell and Spencer Turrin to narrowly claim the win over the British squad crew from Leander and Oxford Brookes on Sunday 3 July.  

The Australian Men's 4 with the Australian Men's Double Scull which also won at Henley. Jack O'Brien (front left) and Jack Hargreaves (back right)

The Australian crew came out to an early lead, however the home ground advantage of knowing the course seemed to play in the local’s favour, making a late surge and putting the Aussies under pressure in the closing stages. 

The umpires had to watch the video replay to determine the winner of the race; the Australian crew crossed the line inches ahead of the British crew to claim victory. 

Mr Hargreaves said that not racing before the final made it difficult for them. 

“I’d say we were probably a bit lost on the course, we haven’t raced here much so we were a bit, ‘where are we?’. But a win’s a win – we were happy to get across the line first. We had a good 2K, but the last 112m we had a bit of a wobble on. They were a good crew, they raced well, it was good to beat them.” 

Pete and Jenny Hargreaves from Nyngan and Jim and Jane O'Brien from Walgett travelled to England to watch the race and to experience the unique English regatta, renowned for its strict dress codes (men must wear jackets and women's skirts are to be below their knees) and long- standing traditions. 

The six-day Regatta attracts thousands of spectators with more than 300 races of an international standard, which can include Olympic rowers, as well as crews new to the event.

The rowers have now headed to Lucerne in Switzerland to compete in the World Championships.