With colourful boat club jackets on display and Pimm’s flowing in the summer sunshine, Luke Reiser, King’s Head of Rowing, and Ben Loxton-Edwards (MR 1990-95), Chairman of the Canterbury Pilgrims Boat Club, once again brought together one of our strongest sporting communities for a memorable day of celebration at the Canterbury Pilgrims & King's School Canterbury Boat Club Henley Lunch 2026.

We were delighted to welcome our highest-ever attendance, with more than 60 parents, OKS and Pilgrims joining us to mark another successful year for rowing at King’s. Guests gathered for a summer lunch at the beautiful cricket ground, kindly supported by CMC Markets, before many headed to the Stewards’ Enclosure to enjoy an afternoon of racing on the Thames. 

Set against the backdrop of one of the sport’s most iconic events, the occasion provided an opportunity to celebrate the progress being made across the rowing programme and thank the wider community whose support continues to play such an important role. While King’s crews narrowly missed out on qualifying for this year’s Henley Royal Regatta, there was much to be proud of and even more to look forward to.

Addressing guests, Head Jude Lowson highlighted the strong trajectory of rowing at King’s.

“I am absolutely blown away by today. To see so much support for our Club and so many of you gathering is fantastic. We can see the progress in so many ways – in the erg data, in the boat speed, in the number of pupils rowing, and in the atmosphere around the Club. Luke, Harry and the coaching team are doing the most incredible job. Rowing is the ultimate team sport and events like this really matter. Thank you for joining us and for your support. I truly believe the trajectory we are on means we will be racing here next year.”

Head of Rowing Luke Reiser reflected on a season of significant progress:

“For the first time in a long time, we had three eights competing at qualifiers, which was fantastic to see. The girls’ crew took a minute and a half off their qualifying time from last year, which is a huge improvement, and having a boys’ second eight competing is another real sign of strength. Thank you to everyone, especially our parents, for their support.”

We are incredibly grateful to the Canterbury Pilgrims Boat Club and the King's community for supporting the continued growth of King's rowing. None of this progress would be possible without you. Thank you to all who joined us and we look forward to welcoming you back in 2027!

Keep connected with OKS rowing at King's via the Canterbury Pilgrims Boat Club. To find out more, read their Summer 2026 newsletter or get in touch with Ben Loxton-Edwards (MR 1990-95), loxtonedwards@hotmail.co.uk