And so it begins….
Welcome to a new season in the Junior Rowing world! Hopefully, it’ll be a cracker like last season, with twists and turns, favourites and underdogs, fascinating match-ups and down to the wire racing! With some of the most notable junior scullers moving onto pastures new, it opens the door for the guys who flew below the radar last year, crews that grew in the shadow of the top clubs.
The first major event of the season happened yesterday, the Wallingford Long Distance Sculls. The field wasn’t particularly exceptional although St Pauls retained the J184x prize, with an 18 second victory over RGS High Wycombe. Toby Rudkin opened his account for the year by winning J182x by just over 2 seconds and placing third in J181x in a huge field, won by a sculler from Gloucester Hartpury. No real surprises yesterday and no real indication of what is to come. St Neots Small Boats Head is next weekend and Pairs Head is the week after and both will receive previews. The draw for St Neots is due out tonight and so the preview will come within the next 24 hours.
So, good luck to everyone competing this season. The ergo clock may seem to be standing still, the leg press may seem to be getting heavier, the river may seem to be getting longer but, as winter draws in, think of the time made up in those summer regatta’s. Whatever your aim this year, be it an NSR title or a local win at your home regatta, work hard, train to your potential and you will achieve it.
My [very] early season tips go to Sir William Borlase in J184x. 3 of their Fawley finalist quad returns this year along with the remnants of that exceptional J164x. Keep an eye on these guys.
Junior Eights is a hard one as a lot of the top guys have moved on. However, I anticipate St Pauls to be strong along with Eton, under the second term guardianship of Alex Henshilwood, the professor of Constantine Louloudis’s success. Should be a cracking season!
This photo was taken from http://www.hrr.co.uk/results/photos/2013/prizegiving/
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