Harvard's Porcellian Club provided the only bright spot for Crimson crew fans at the Henley Regatta finals Sunday, sweeping past England's Nottingham Rowing Club by a two-and-one-quarter-length margin to capture the Wyfold Cup for fours without cox. Porcellian's time was 7:27 for the 2000-meter course.

The other Harvard boat to make the finals, the Crimson varsity lightweight crew, went down to defeat by a narrow three-quarters length at the hands of a combined English-Belgian eight rowing out of the Antwerp Roeivereniging. Antwerp's time was 6:52.

First Time

The race marked the first time that Porcellian had ever entered a boat at Henley, and its triumph came as somewhat of a surprise to many observers. However, the crew was composed of four top-notch Harvard heavyweight and lightweight oarsmen. Bowman George Host was a member of this year's junior varsity lightweight crew and had rowed at seven for the varsity lights the two previous years; number two, sophomore Ollie Scholle, was on this year's undisputed collegiate national champion Harvard heavyweight crew; number three, sophomore Dave Porter, rowed seven for the Eastern Sprints champion junior varsity lightweight crew; and stroke Woody Canaday rowed for the Crimson heavies' crack third boat this past season.

With that kind of talent, the victory by Porcellian should have surprised no one.

For the previously undefeated Eastern Sprints Champion lightweight eight--bow John Kiger, two Jerry Boak, three Bob Leahey, four Peter Huntsman, five Mac Heller, six Leif Soderberg, seven Tom Hackert, stroke Ned Reynolds and cox Chris Ross--the loss in the Henley finale marked a frustrating conclusion to a long, successful season. The lights got to the finals with considerable ease in their first four races of the Regatta, but the Antwerp team proved too much for the Crimson to handle, winning by about two and one-half seconds