With 2,400 people from 166 clubs competing in 540 crews, the 53rd Fuller's Head of the River Fours is one of the largest one day rowing races in the world.

This year, it takes place on Saturday, November 3, from 10.30 over the famous 4-mile championship course on the River Thames, from Chiswick Bridge to Putney Bridge.

It is one of the few events where GB international rowers can compete for their home clubs - most of the 2007 GB senior, U23 and junior international squads will be taking part.

It is also the first chance to see the Cambridge and Oxford 2008 Boat Race squads flex their muscles against each other in public.

Twenty events race on the day range from women's junior quadruple sculls to men's elite coxless fours.

The race also caters for hundreds of school, university and club level rowers from across the UK and Europe, with competitors travelling from as far as New Zealand and Sweden to take part.

Spectating along the whole course is free and there are plenty of good vantage points.

The current course record holders are back to defend their 2006 win in men's Elite quadruple sculls.

The crew from Tideway Scullers contains New Zealand World Champion, Mahé Drysdale, GB sculler Alan Campbell and Slovenian International Iztok Cop.

Competing against them will be James Lindsay-Fynn, Paul Mattick and James Clarke, three of the current World Champions in lightweight fours. Lindsay-Fynn and Clarke race for London RC while Mattick races in a Wallingford crew.

The GB women's quad who won gold at the World championships will also be battling against each other for the chance to win women's elite quads: Annie Vernon and Kath Grainger race in a Marlow/Thames composite, while Debbie Flood competes for Leander and Frances Houghton for the University of London.

Finally, all four oarsmen from the GB coxless four can also be seen racing on Saturday.

Pete Reed, Steve Williams and Alex Partridge race together as Leander in Elite Coxed Fours while Andy Triggs-Hodge strokes a Molesey crew in the same event.

List of entrants, number of crewsLADY ELENOR HOLLES SCHOOL Hampton 3MOLESEY BOAT CLUB Molesey 14KINGSTON GRAMMAR SCHOOL Kingston 1KINGSTON ROWING CLUB Kingston 13TIFFIN SCHOOL Kingston 2WALBROOK Teddington 2TWICKENHAM ROWING CLUB Twickenham 6PUTNEY TOWN Kew 8BARNES BRIDGE LADIES Chiswick 3CYGNET ROWING CLUB Chiswick 4IMPERIAL COLLEGE MEDIC BOAT CLUB Chiswick 1MORTLAKE ANGLIAN & ALPHA BOAT CLUB Chiswick 8QUINTIN BOAT CLUB Chiswick 2THAMES TRADESMEN ROWING CLUB Chiswick 4TIDEWAY SCULLERS SCHOOL Chiswick 11UNIV OF LONDON BOAT CLUB Chiswick 5UNIV OF LONDON WOMEN'S BOAT CLUB Chiswick 4ST PAULS SCHOOL BOAT CLUB Barnes 4AURIOL KENSINGTON ROWING CLUB Hammersmith 5FURNIVALL SCULLING CLUB Hammersmith 5LATYMER UPPER Hammersmith 5SONS OF THAMES Hammersmith 4CRABTREE Putney 1ELIZABETHAN BC Putney 1HSBC RC Putney 1IMPERIAL COLL BC Putney 9KINGS COLL LONDON BC Putney 1KINGS COLL SCH Putney 2LONDON RC Putney 15PARR S PRIORY RC Putney 3THAMES RC Putney 20VESTA Putney 8WESTMINSTER SCH Putney 4