St Andrews Duo Make History with Henley Royal Regatta Final Appearance
University rowers become first St Andrews crew to reach a Henley Royal Regatta final in landmark achievement for the Boat Club
The University of St Andrews Boat Club has celebrated one of the greatest achievements in its history after Hansine Marshall and Natasha (Tash) Phillips became the first University of St Andrews crew ever to reach a Henley Royal Regatta final.
Competing in the Stonor Challenge Trophy, Henley Royal Regatta’s premier women’s double sculls event, Marshall and Phillips produced a remarkable performance throughout the week to secure their place in Sunday’s final against New Zealand’s Brooke Francis and Lucy Spoors, the reigning Olympic champions in the women’s double sculls following their gold medal success at Paris 2024.
Having progressed through the qualification process to earn their place in the draw, the St Andrews duo delivered a series of outstanding performances, which included victories over City of Oxford Rowing Club’s C.E. Armstrong and H.L. Wake in the quarter-finals and Upper Thames Rowing Club’s H.M. Lucani and F.C. Gammond in the semi-finals, earning a place in Sunday’s final.
The final presented the ultimate challenge. Francis and Spoors arrived at Henley as Olympic gold medallists and among the most accomplished crews in world rowing. Marshall and Phillips rose to the occasion, making an excellent start and briefly moving ahead in the early stages of the race before the experience and class of the New Zealand crew ultimately proved decisive.
Although the St Andrews pair were denied victory, their achievement ranks among the most significant performances by a Scottish university crew at Henley Royal Regatta and represents a major milestone in the continued growth of rowing at the University.
The result also highlights the progress being made under the leadership of Lewis McCue, Director of Rowing at the University of St Andrews, as the Boat Club continues to establish itself among the leading university rowing programmes in the United Kingdom.
For Marshall, the achievement was another chapter in a remarkable rise through the sport. Only in her second full season of rowing, she has already established herself as one of the country’s most exciting talents. Earlier this summer, she claimed the Women’s Open Single Sculls (W1x) title at the Scottish Rowing Championships and reached the final of the Championship Singles (George Innes Cup) at Henley Women’s Regatta, finishing runner-up after winning the Aspirational Singles title in 2025. Marshall has also enjoyed success on the international beach sprint rowing circuit, winning silver in the Women’s Single Sculls at the 2026 Filippi Trophy International Circuit event in Fano, Italy, as well as bronze in the Coastal Mixed Double Sculls (CMix2x) at the 2025 Commonwealth Rowing Association Beach Sprints Championships in Barbados alongside fellow University of St Andrews athlete Tom Mitchell.
Phillips arrived at Henley Royal Regatta following an equally impressive season. At the Scottish Rowing Championships, she won silver in the Women’s Double Sculls (W2x) alongside Natacha Searson before joining Searson, Marshall and Sophia Issberner to secure gold in the Women’s Open Quadruple Sculls (W4x). More recently, Phillips and Searson captured the Rosie Mayglothling Trophy for Aspirational Double Sculls at Henley Women’s Regatta. Beyond traditional rowing, Phillips has also represented Great Britain in Beach Sprints competition, forming part of the GB Coastal Mixed Coxed Quadruple Sculls (CMix4x+) crew that reached the quarter-finals of the 2025 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals. She also claimed gold representing Guernsey in the Under-21 Women’s Single Sculls at the 2025 Commonwealth Rowing Association Beach Sprints Championships in Barbados.
Together, Marshall and Phillips demonstrated their versatility, determination, and racing ability on one of the biggest stages in world rowing.
Reaching the final of the Stonor Challenge Trophy, an event introduced in 2017 for women double scullers of the highest international standard, places the St Andrews pair in distinguished company and establishes a new benchmark for the University’s rowing programme.
Lewis McCue, Director of Rowing at the University of St Andrews, said: “What Hansine and Tash have achieved this week is truly historic for St Andrews Rowing. To become the first crew from the University to reach a Henley Royal Regatta final is an extraordinary milestone and a reflection of the dedication, commitment and ambition they bring to their training every day. Competing against Olympic champions in the final of one of the Regatta’s premier events is a challenge few athletes will ever experience, and they embraced that opportunity with incredible confidence and composure. Their performances throughout the week have showcased the progress of our programme and demonstrated that St Andrews crews can compete on the biggest stages in the sport. Everyone connected with the club should be immensely proud of what they have accomplished.”
“This result is not just a milestone for Hansine and Tash, but for the entire University of St Andrews Boat Club,” McCue added. “We are building something very special, and I hope their success inspires the next generation of St Andrews rowers to believe that they can achieve at the very highest level.”