In the first round at Henley he was against Tom Brocklebank, who had served as stroke of Cambridge University Boat Club in the Boat Race. Pearce had a weight advantage of three and a half stone (22 kg) over Brocklebank and was a clear favourite. Having taken an early lead Pearce was content to scull a couple of lengths in front until halfway along the enclosures (in the last 500m of the course) where Brocklebank pushed hard and came back level. Pearce countered, but only just in time. C. T. Steward commented in the Henley Records that 'Pearce won comfortably by half a length'. However, Dickie Burnell, who watched the race as a schoolboy from the Stewards' box on the finish line, wrote that Pearce looked anything but comfortable in the last few strokes. Pearce had no such trouble in later rounds and won the final against F. Bradley of Pembroke College, Cambridge, by six lengths.