Mercantile Launches European Campaign with Strong Performances at Holland Beker
The first regatta of Mercantile's 2026 European Tour is complete, and after four days in Amsterdam, the squad can look back on a highly successful opening campaign at the prestigious Holland Beker Regatta.
Competing against national representative crews, international development squads, leading European university programs and some of the strongest clubs in the world, Mercantile athletes proudly carried the red, white and blue onto the Bosbaan course and produced a series of outstanding performances that have laid an excellent foundation for the remainder of the tour.
Most importantly, the regatta delivered exactly what it was intended to deliver — valuable international racing experience, confidence, speed benchmarks and momentum heading towards Henley Royal Regatta.
Mercantile Dominates the Mixed Eights
The highlight of the weekend was undoubtedly the Mixed Eight event, where Mercantile delivered a remarkable one-two finish.
Mercantile Rowing Club 2, stroked by Fletcher Douglas, led from the opening strokes and never looked threatened, taking victory in 6:29.17.
Not far behind was Mercantile Rowing Club 1, stroked by Laura Chancellor, who secured second place in 6:32.52 to complete a memorable Mercantile quinella.
The result was a powerful demonstration of the depth of the travelling squad, with both crews finishing ahead of their Dutch opposition.
Mixed Eight Results
🥇 Mercantile RC 2
🥈 Mercantile RC 1
🥉 Laga/Thêta/Maas/Hoop/Proteus-Eretes
For a club travelling halfway around the world, there could hardly have been a better statement to open the European campaign.
Men's Eight Claims International Silver
Mercantile's Men's Eight produced one of the club's strongest international results in recent years, securing a silver medal against a quality European field.
The crew raced superbly throughout the final, sitting second at every checkpoint before crossing the line in 5:46.40.
Only a Dutch representative crew finished ahead of them.
Behind Mercantile were crews from France and several of the Netherlands' most respected rowing clubs.
Men's Eight Results
🥇 Netherlands
🥈 Mercantile RC
🥉 INSA Lyon
Crew:
Mattise Kerr, Charlie Mackintosh, Joe Lee-Conway, Myles Laburn, James Simpson, Jake Polkinghorne, Sam Chin and Harry Pollock, Cox: Sara Chapman
The result confirms the crew's competitiveness on the international stage and provides enormous confidence heading towards Henley.
Women's U23 Four Earns Bronze Medal
Mercantile's Women's U23 Four added another podium finish to the club's tally with a strong bronze medal performance.
Competing against two Danish representative crews, the crew of Gabi Price, Georgia Campbell, Lucy Gillon and Ruby Ivers raced courageously to secure third place.
The result rewarded months of hard work and provided valuable international experience for a crew with a bright future.
Women's U23 Four Results
🥇 Denmark 3
🥈 Denmark 2
🥉 Mercantile RC
Women's Eight Gains Valuable International Experience
Results alone never tell the full story.
The Women's Eight faced one of the toughest assignments of the entire regatta.
Drawn against Dutch powerhouse Aegir, a Netherlands representative crew and fellow Australian club Melbourne University Boat Club, the Mercantile crew raced against opposition that would ultimately prove to be among the strongest women's crews at the regatta.
For many members of the crew this was their first experience racing internationally at this level.
The race provided an invaluable benchmark and highlighted the standard required to compete with Europe's leading clubs and representative programs.
Crew:
Laura Chancellor, Georgia Campbell, Gabi Price, Anna Morrison, Yvette Sadler, Ruby Ivers, Lucy Gillon and Mackenzie Pugh, Cox: Rachel Carton
The experience gained on the Bosbaan will undoubtedly prove valuable in the years ahead and was precisely the type of opportunity the tour was designed to provide.
Open Fours Take On National Programs
Mercantile's Open Men's Four and Open Women's Four were both challenged by exceptionally strong fields featuring national representative crews and high-performance development programs.
The Men's Four of Fletcher Douglas, Oscar Tyrell, Jordan Roberts and Alex Tomanovits progressed to the A Final and finished fifth against crews representing Australia, Uruguay, Mexico and leading European composite programs.
Image from Annabelle Eaton
The Women's Four of Laura Chancellor, Anna Morrison, Yvette Sadler and Mackenzie Pugh also reached the A Final and finished fifth against opposition from Germany, Mexico, Hong Kong China and India.
While neither crew reached the podium, both gained valuable international racing experience and acquitted themselves well against crews that included current national squad athletes.
Australian Success Provides Context
The quality of competition at Holland Beker was highlighted by the performances of Australia's official representative crews.
The Australia A Women's Eight claimed gold, defeating the Netherlands and Aegir crews that Mercantile's Women's Eight had raced earlier in the regatta.
Australia's Men's Four also won gold, while Australian crews collected additional podium finishes across the weekend.
These results underline the quality of the opposition faced by the Mercantile squad and reinforce the value of the racing experience gained in Amsterdam.
A Team Effort
This campaign would not have been possible without the generous support of the Mercantile Foundation and the Colgan Foundation.
Both organisations continue to play a critical role in helping young Mercantile athletes access international racing opportunities and develop their rowing careers.
The athletes themselves also deserve enormous credit for the significant fundraising efforts undertaken over many months to make the tour a reality.
Special thanks must also go to coaches Annabelle Eaton and Scotty Cockle, who guided the squad throughout the Amsterdam leg of the tour.
Scott Rowe will join the group as the campaign continues towards Henley.
Onward to Henley
The Bosbaan has provided the perfect launching pad for the next phase of the European campaign.
The squad leaves Amsterdam with:
- Two gold medals
- Two silver medals
- One bronze medal
- Multiple A Final appearances
- Valuable international racing experience
- Growing confidence and momentum
Most importantly, the athletes leave with a better understanding of where they sit relative to some of the world's best club and development crews.
The lessons learned, friendships forged and experiences gained at Holland Beker will remain with these athletes long after the medals have been packed away.
The next stop is Henley.
Mercantile wishes all athletes, coaches and support staff the very best as the tour continues.
Go Mercs. | 
