Heavy rain, gusting winds and even a postponement for lightning could not dampen the party mood on the banks of the Thames, where Henley Royal Regatta concluded yesterday. Members of Leander were tickled pinker than their flamboyant cerise socks after the local club won the Thames Challenge Cup by a canvas, the day’s most slender winning margin, and the Ladies’ Challenge Plate by two thirds of a length in a testing headwind.

Leander had hoped to be contesting a third final for the men’s eights yesterday after entering the Grand Challenge Cup in their own right for the first time in 55 years, but despite the presence in their boat of Toby Garbett, twice a world champion, they lost their semi-final to the Canada Under-23 crew in a sprint finish. Canada came from behind at Fawley yesterday to beat the University of Southern California.

The Stewards’ Challenge Cup was won by a young four from Cambridge University who represented Great Britain last month in the Poznan World Cup. Peter Marsland and Tom Ransley are 23, Henry Pelly, the new Cambridge president, is 24 and Tobias Garnett is an undergraduate; the four, who beat a Greek composite crew comfortably yesterday, will hope to be in the mix for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Henley was the venue for the rowing at the 1908 and 1948 Games and the Olympic spirit was alive and splashing yesterday. Kieran West, a gold medal-winner at the 2000 Games, powered Imperial College and Kingston to victory in a postponed Visitors’ Challenge Cup; Wesley Piermarini and Elliot Hovey, who will represent the United States in Beijing next month, won the Double Sculls Challenge Cup; and Ramon di Clementé and Shaun Keeling, the South Africa Olympic pair, won the Silver Goblets.

Ian Lawson, of Britain, beat Sean Jacob in the Diamond Sculls, preventing Ireland from winning both solo events after Caroline Ryan beat Mathilde Pauls, of Britain, by 3½lengths in the Princess Royal Challenge Cup.

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