2024 Scottish Rowing Championships Preview

While much of the UK’s best racing is focused in the south-east, with the occasional trip as far as the midlands, it can be easy to forget the world-class venue that lies north of the border in Scotland. Strathclyde Park’s prestige event runs this weekend in the Scottish Rowing Championships. Recently opened up to all entrants, it still is dominated by those eligible to seek selection for the Scotland team at the Home International Regatta, with the singles and pairs acting as the selection trials.

Women’s Singles

In the women’s single the field is rather diverse. Edinburgh University’s Charley Faint and Hannah Supple highlight the domestically based field, both having earned invitations to the April trials in this boat class. University Rowing Aberdeen’s program is headlined by Maisie Aspinall who was fifth in the intermediate single at BUCS Regatta, a week after dominating the field on this course at the Scottish Rowing Spring Regatta.

Another group to look for in this one are the returning athletes who have spent the academic year in the United States. Racing in the colours of Strathclyde Park Rowing Club, the entry consists of former George Heriot’s School athletes Sarah Happs (now UMass), Isla Bathgate and Heather Taylor (both Northeastern) as well as Glasgow Academy and Duke University’s Morven Thomson. Having spent a year sweeping, how they readjust to sculling at such short notice will be the most important factor in how the shape up against the domestic scullers.

Competing within the open category are a number of other events, including a lightweight boat. While there are four entries from Scotland for this spot on the HIR team, the eyes are drawn to the two athletes based south of the border in this one. Hollingworth Lake Rowing Club’s Leanna Daniels is a veteran of the sport but will look to make her debut for Scotland this summer. Leonie Kennedy from the University of Surrey returned home from BUCS Regatta this year with four medals so has the pedigree to make some of the open weights sweat.

In the junior ranks, the absence of megastar Briony Wood is conspicuous, but this remains a competitive field. Sofia Neilson won the category at the Scottish Rowing Spring Regatta and made the A/B Semi Finals at the National Schools Regatta. She will be competing against a strong field including each of the Aberdeen Schools coxed four who won gold on Dorney Lake; look to Sophie Sinclair to lead the way from this group.

Open Singles

On the men’s side there is a standout favourite. Josh Matthews of Edinburgh University made it to the A-final at April Trials in Caversham and placed fourth in the championship single at BUCS Regatta. The expectation will be nothing but victory on his home water this weekend. 

Clubmate Freddy Foxwell also has a good record on this water and has risen in the ranks in his first year in baby blue. He won the Fawley at Leander last year after making it to the weekend the previous year with St Andrew BC and will be looking to be best of the rest in a competitive field.

Another pair of former clubmates are Gregor Hall and Robbie Waddell. Previously having rowed together at Stirling Rowing Club, the two are on different paths. Hall is now a standout Beach Sprint athlete who will be wanting to perform on flat water. Waddell now plies his trade with Glasgow University Boat Club and, after a number of strong results at Scottish regattas, will be wanting to earn his spot on the Scottish Team.

A threat for the open weight medals comes from the lightweight entries as Ben Parsonage of Clydesdale Amateur Rowing Club has been one of the fastest scullers north of the border for quite some time. In his first season since graduating from university, he finished second in the Wingfield Sculls and won the open sculls at the Scottish Rowing Spring Regatta. He will be hoping to defend his Scottish title this weekend.

From the junior ranks, there are a couple of standout athletes. Oliver Plank and Scott Desmeulles of Glasgow Academy and George Heriot’s School respectively exchanged blows in many of the races leading up to the eventually cancelled Early-IDs and should be expected to be battling at the front again. Add to the equation the traditionally sweep focused pairing of Callum Sherwood and Henrik Gundersen of Aberdeen Schools and there should be an exciting race in this event.

Women’s Pairs

The field for the women’s pair is deep with talent. Much of the University of Edinburgh’s first eight are racing, with the pairing of Clara O’Doherty and Catriona Taylor likely to be the fastest of their five offerings. From the University of Glasgow, Gemma Collins and Kirsty McRobb were impressive at the Scottish Rowing Spring Regatta but with five pairs of their own they will be an impressive group to behold.

From the clubs, there are two entries; one from Aberdeen Boat Club and one from St Andrew Boat Club, the latter an impressive combination of Anna Fisher and former GB U23 Maia Hely. Both were members of their pennant-winning crew at the Women’s Head of the River.

University Rowing Aberdeen have three pairs entered but their standout athlete Maisie Aspinall reunites with her pairs partner from her junior years, Zoe Beeson, who returns from Yale University.

Other combinations from Scotland’s strong stateside contingent include Heather Taylor and Isla Bathgate, both from the first Northeastern varsity boat. Amy Newton and Isla Wilding unite from the top Michigan and Brown crews respectively. Morven Thompson returns from Duke to race with the University of St Andrews’ Sophia Issberner who round out this section of the entry with high expectations.

From the junior ranks, Aberdeen Schools have entered two pairs who look mightily quick, and the Glasgow Academy entry has plenty of watts behind it. Edinburgh University have a pair from their third eight racing in the junior category which may act as an interesting measurement for many of the juniors racing. 

Open Pairs

On the men’s side the focus is more domestic. The standout pairing is undoubtably Murray Bone and Freddy Foxwell of Edinburgh University. The former was part of the gold-medal winning crew from BUCS Regatta and the latter also raced in the championship event but issues with steering limited them from the A-final. Behind them I would expect a close battle as racing between these duos at both BUCS Regatta and Scottish Rowing Spring Regatta was tight and it may simply be a tale of who is on a good day. The Glasgow University Boat Club pairing of Xander Beeson and Matthew Hughson have been reliable in the Scotland team since graduating from the junior ranks but with five more pairs from Edinburgh and four more from Glasgow, places in the grand final will be tight. Away from the country’s two largest programs, there is three St Andrew Boat Club pairs entered and two from Clydesdale with Andrew Mortimer and Jack Bagley looking the most promising from the club group. The senior entry is rounded out by a pair each from the Heriot Watt and Aberdeen university clubs.

From the juniors, look out for National Schools’ Regatta silver medalists Henrik Gundersen and Callum Sherwood of Aberdeen Schools Rowing Association to be challenging with the best of the adults. From the other Scottish programs, it will be interesting to see how those who traditionally scull fair in the hardest sweep boat to row.

Coming up from south of the border, there are two pairs that will be rather new to Strathclyde Park. King’s School Chester are bringing three athletes to this event with ambitions of racing in the blue of Scotland. The first pair is of Ben Whittlestone and Matthew Walker, both from the championship eight that placed 15th at the National Schools’ Regatta. The other athlete is Finlay Noble from their fifth-placed pair, who joins in a composite with Robbie Lapping, from Shrewsbury School’s J16 eight. The introduction of these foreign athletes will shake up the Scottish establishment and it will be interesting to see how they handle the unfamiliar and often challenging waters of Strathclyde Park.

Larger Boats

While they lack the concentration of talent in the smaller boats, there are a number of exciting matchups in the smaller boats as clubs compete for Scottish titles while also preparing their crews for racing later in the summer.

On Saturday, the blue riband event is the women’s eight. Entered into this event are two eights from the University of Edinburgh, who will both be eying up the Island Challenge Cup. They line up against the University of Glasgow who, while missing their standout athlete, will be wanting to make a challenge to their east coast rivals. The most interesting entry in this event is the composite. Representing a number of clubs but with the largest contingent having spent the season in the United States, this could be a preview of a rumoured ‘Team Scotland’ entry into the Remenham Challenge Cup.

A similar dynamic is at play in the women’s coxless four as a crew of four athletes who all competed at the 2022 junior world championships comes up against a top four from the University of Edinburgh. On the other side of the lake, Aberdeen Schools will be racing the rowers from their National Schools’ Regatta-winning coxed four, who will want to see how they shape up against some of the top senior athletes in the country.

On the men’s side the coxed fours will feature an Edinburgh crew comprised of their top four athletes, who are posturing for a run at the Prince Albert Challenge Cup, alongside University Rowing Aberdeen’s outfit, who will be aiming towards qualifying for the brutal event. Both these crews square off against two offerings from Glasgow and a second Edinburgh crew as they battle for silverware.

On the junior men’s side, the two most interesting events line up. In the quadruple sculls, George Watson’s College and George Heriot’s School present their likely Fawley Challenge Cup entries, against a crew from Stirling Rowing Club as well as an interesting looking composite from Glasgow Academy and Aberdeen Schools which has the talent to be in the conversation for the championship title.

In the junior coxed four, the historically-prioritised championship, Aberdeen Schools will enter as favourites as they have for most of the last decade, but they face a strong test from south of the border as the King’s School Chester has brought a crew. The battle will rage between north and south with the latter utilising some athletes from their first eight.

On Sunday the events are reversed and it’s the open eights taking centre stage. The University of Edinburgh have two offerings looking at the Temple Challenge Cup but as their four best athletes are targeting the coxed four, the fight for the Scottish championship opens up. Glasgow University Boat Club have a full-strength boat entered and will fancy their chances to pull off an upset, while University Rowing Aberdeen will be wanting to get their name into this fight too.

The coxless four has possibly the deepest talent pool of any of the men’s events at the championships, with the Edinburgh and Aberdeen Prince Albert fours racing without their coxswains alongside potential Visitors and Wyfold efforts from Glasgow University, St Andrew and Clydesdale.

The senior men’s sculling has been somewhat overlooked, with no entries into open quads, but the double is presenting an interesting battle. Cam Buchan and Gregor Hall will be racing in this event taking on a variety of challengers. The Parsonage brothers come from a legacy of strong rowers and an interesting challenge from St Andrews University in the form of Harris Bisset and Aiden Graham will be duking it out for the crown.

On the women’s side, the coxed four looks like an interesting race as top BUCS intermediate boats from the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh shape up against each other alongside the National Schools’ Regatta-winning combination from Aberdeen Schools. However, there is an expectation that they will all be blown out of the water by another crew of America-based athletes.

In the quad, the battle may be more interesting as the offering from Edinburgh University is the crew that placed fourth in the championship event at BUCS Regatta. Lining up against them are three athletes formerly of George Heriot’s alongside a Glasgow Academy graduate, who now ply their trade at Northeastern, UMass and Duke Universities in the United States. 

In the junior women’s quad, things will be exciting. Aberdeen Schools will be racing in a sculling boat against a George Heriot’s School crew that reached the A/B semi finals in this boat class at the National Schools’ Regatta. Add into the mix a Glasgow Academy crew which has Briony Wood’s only appearance on the provisional entry, a crew from George Watson’s College and an interesting composite from Clydesdale and St Andrew and this becomes a must-watch race on Sunday afternoon.

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