Penn Crew Gains Final at Henley

The University of Pennsylvania gained the final of the Henley Royal Regatta’s premier event, the Grand Challenge Cup, Saturday, beating the Societe Nautique d’Enghien. Penn will meet the British national eight, Nautilus, in today’s final.

Penn won Saturday by almost five lengths over a crew that had been billed as the French national squad. The French crew was a mixture of those who had missed the squad, and club oarsmen.

Penn, which won in its last appearance in the final (1955), will face a British team that won the U.S. Eastern sprint earlier in the season.

Nautilus defeated the University of Wisconsin, winner of the Cincinnati race recently, by more than two lengths.

One of the members of Penn’s 1955 winning crew, Harry Parker, was coaching the Harvard University A crew, the junior varsity team, Saturday in the semifinals of the Ladies’ Challenge Plate. The Harvard JV rowers met the Harvard B freshmen crew, and for the second time in three weeks, the frosh won by a narrow margin.

The Harvard freshmen, who finished three-quarters of a length ahead, will meet the Neptune Rowing Club in today’s final. The Neptune Rowing Club defeated its compatriots from the Irish Republic’s police force, the Garda Siochana, by a half-length in a re-row after the police had broken a rudder going over a buoy.

Earlier, the Ridley College Boat Club, from Ontario, Canada, reached the final of the Steward’s Challenge Cup for fours by upsetting the West Germans of Dortmund and Witten.

The West Germans were without stroke Guido Grabow, who was ill, and his presence was missed. The Canadians took advantage to win by 4 lengths.

The United States later made certain of places in five finals. Two of the U.S. lightweight squad, Dan Cerhnoff and Jeff Parks, took the Charles River Rowing Assn. into the final of the Double Sculls Challenge Cup, winning by 2 lengths over Salah Hassan and Julian Scrivener of the English club, Lea.

The lightweight internationals from the Charles River Club reached the final of the Wyfold Challenge Cup, the lesser of the two competitions for fours. It defeated the local club, Leander, by two lengths.

Belmont Hills School of Massachusetts reached the final of the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup. The Americans beat the local Shiplake College by one length. Belmont Hills will meet the defending champion Hampton School of England, which beat the South Kent School of Connecticut.