With Bedford regatta set to enjoy balmy 20+ degrees and a full rota of racing on the iconic Great River Ouse, we should be in for a fantastic day of competition. With three full events for open junior 15 eights, and representation from a swathe of top rowing schools, this category promises both intrigue and spectacle.
Windsor Boys School
Windsor Boys School were second at Wallingford Regatta just a few days ago, finishing three seconds behind Hampton School, but crucially ahead of a host of entries here. Mark Wilkinson has cultivated a program that exists to win; their results, in both sculling and sweep, are always exemplary. It remains to be seen whether this boat will feature any of the athletes who have been performing so well in coxed quads but either way, this group are richly-talented and should have a real shout at taking the overall win here.
Radley College
With the top boat from Wallingford Regatta missing, Radley College will hope to step into the breach. In the past couple of years, this club have excelled in producing consistently excellent boats across the age groups, despite their relatively late entry to the sport (they often play rugby through the winter before switching to rowing in the spring). They were third at Wallingford Regatta, four seconds back on Windsor Boys, and will be desperate to close that gap on Saturday. As a boat club that generally get faster during the season, I would expect the National Schools’ Regatta to be a good indication of just how fast this group are.
St Paul’s School
Silver medalists in the open junior 14 octuple at the 2023 National Schools’ Regatta, this crew are returning to competition in 2024 with a relatively similar line-up. They won Quintin Head at open junior 15 level but were absent at Wallingford Regatta, leaving Hampton, Windsor Boys and Radley to take the top three spots. St Paul’s will be keen to re-assert themselves at Bedford and face Windsor Boys in round one, which should be a fantastic contest to watch.
Abingdon School
After so many years at the very top of schoolboy rowing, Abingdon have been out in the wilderness for nearly a decade now. This latest generation of athletes will be hoping that they can turn the tables on recent narrative and re-establish this once great force at the top of the rowing tree. They were fourth at Wallingford Regatta and three seconds off the pace of Radley College in front of them. They face home favourites from Bedford School first and will be keen to secure passage to the second round, where they would nominally face Radley.
Prediction
This contest is tantalisingly tight. With Hampton – winners at Wallingford and Hampton Head – absent, it leaves the door open to the likes of Radley, Windsor Boys and Abingdon plus an emerging St Paul’s unit. Whomever wins the race at the top of the draw between Windsor Boys and St Paul’s could then reasonably expect passage to the final, where I expect them to meet Radley. From there, it’s anyone’s game but I’m going to predict Windsor Boys to take the overall title.
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