With the blue and white striped tents are put away for another year, the last big calendar event of the season is now upon us. The first combined Junior & Senior British Championships run by British Rowing will see hundreds of rowers take to the water at Holme Pierrepont this weekend, including 35 scullers who will battle it out for the title of open club singles champion. Unlike The Metropolitan and Marlow Regattas, there are a lot of big names missing from the lineup so the field is wide open for some healthy competition.
James Cox – Agecroft Rowing Club
Another successful output from the Performance Development Academies (formerly GB Start), James Cox already has an international silver medal under his belt from the World Beach Sprints in 2022. Cox was in the three-seat of the Agecroft quad that successfully qualified for the Prince of Wales Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta, and took a strong fourth-placed finish at Marlow – once again evidencing the quality of sculling emerging from this Northern powerhouse.
Jack Ribbens – Bewl Bridge Rowing Club
Despite being just 17 years old, I certainly wouldn’t be overlooking this sculler from Bewl Bridge RC. Jack Ribbens already has a list of successes to his name, including having won his age group at the Junior Sculling Regatta two years in a row, setting a new course record, and a 46th-placed finish at Scullers Head. If you’ve spent any time on the rowing side of TikTok, you’ve probably also seen him sculling across a glassy-looking Bewl Water, flexing a 2k in the 6:30s, or picking up National Schools’ Regatta medals – naturally, I’m excited to see how he performs in this more mature field.
Sam Clifford – City of Oxford Rowing Club
Turning his attention to two blades rather than one post-Henley, Sam Clifford appears to be making a return to sculling following a successful sweep season. He produced a 31st-placed finish at Scullers Head early in the season and has since had a string of successes in sweep events, including making the B-final of the coxed fours at Marlow Regatta. Clifford will have stepped on significantly since his Tideway sculling appearance, and I’m excited to see how the fruits of his hard graft on his home stretch of the Thames pay off.
Ollie Owen – Leeds University Boat Club
Currently the poster-boy for Leeds University rowing, Ollie Owen will be looking to utilise his racing experience from this season to make a mark on the British Championships. Following a fourth-placed finish in the B-final at Marlow and a run down the track at Henley Qualifiers, I hope to see Owen grab the bull by the horns and give everything to this final multi-lane race of the season, as the A-final could be within his grasp.
Max Raymond-Barker – Lea Rowing Club
This Lea sculler proved himself as one of the biggest underdogs of the season when he finished in second place in championship singles at Marlow Regatta, despite not having been on the radar of previewers and punters alike. Although he took the win in the club single with a 59th-placed finish at the Scullers Head back in September, Raymond-Barker has continued on this upwards trajectory throughout the season, and I’d love to see him push for the same kind of results here at the British Championships.
Arun Jackson – London Rowing Club
Similar to Clifford, Arun Jackson makes his return to sculling following a successful sweep season, including most recently qualifying the London RC ‘B’ crew for the Wyfold Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta in his first season with the club. A 27th-placed finish at Scullers Head back in September stands Jackson in good stead to take on the 2k course, and with plenty of experience racing the single during his previous seasons at the University of Bristol and Thames RC, I’m excited to see how he’s stepped on during his first year at London and hope to see an A-final finish from him.
Ash Cowley – Newark Rowing Club
Currently the Head Coach at Newark RC, Cowley is himself experienced on both the domestic and international rowing stages. Another sculler who has dabbled in beach sprints, Cowley raced for England at the Home International Beach Sprints in 2023, and most recently picked up a win in the men’s doubles at Ghent Regatta with David McNeill of York City RC. With a range of successes to his name, I’m excited to see how Ash Cowley can perform this weekend in this well-stacked field.
Alex Knighton – Nottinghamshire County Rowing Association
Yet another entry to boast an impressive Scullers Head result, Knighton finished as the fifth-fastest U23 sculler and has stepped on further to the heights of Henley Royal Regatta and BUCS Regatta. After narrowly missing out on a medal at BUCS with a fourth-placed finish in the intermediate singles, and featuring in the fastest non-qualifying boat for the Prince of Wales at Henley Royal Regatta, you can guarantee that Knighton is hungry to put his name out there in this last chance saloon, and I really hope that this can be his opportunity to make the medals.
Predictions
I’m finding it hard to look past the recent success of Max Raymond-Barker, who should claim the top spot this weekend. I do think he could face significant challenges in the form of both Alex Knighton and James Cox. I expect Ribbens, Clifford, and Jackson to comfortably make the A-final too, but this lineup could make for some thrilling racing in Nottingham this weekend.
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