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On Sunday the 21st, some of the top crews in the country will be at the National Water Center in Nottingham to compete in the 2024 junior and senior club championships. After weeks of wet and windy weather, accompanied by a course that is known for its ability to succumb to the elements, it is certainly going to be an exciting day for crews facing the water as well as each other. Competitors will race in an initial 900m time trial, followed by semi-finals and then finals. With the first-place title for the Open J15 4x+ seemingly still up for grabs, Sunday will undoubtedly host top-class racing.
Windsor Boys Scool Boat Club
Windsor Boys School will be sending three crews to Nottingham for the J15 4x+. We know this crew can race well in time trials, as they came first in their interregional time trial. After consistently coming second to Wallbrook this season, the Windsor Boys’ crew finally got their moment when they beat their long-time rivals at National Schools’, bringing home the gold. It seems Windsor have the most recent advantage; however, Alex Calver will be replaced by C. Chute in their crew for this weekend, leaving them with either the advantage of surprise or the disadvantage of lack of experience. Regardless, Windsor have proven this season that they are a crew to watch, and it is up to them to see if they can defend their title of national champions into the summer.
Walbrook Rowing Club
Walbrook Rowing Club dominated the larger portion of this generation of boys’ rowing careers, consistently winning during J14 and J15 alike. That being said, their success story was disrupted by Windsor Boys, who beat them by 0.88 seconds at the National Schools’ Regatta. With such a small gap, it seems inevitable that this crew will arrive on Sunday with an intent to win, motivated by memories of their performance at Dorney.
Wallingford Rowing Club
Wallingford Rowing Club have placed well all season. With a sixth place result at the Oarsport Sculling Head and third place at the Junior Sculling Regatta, it seems that Wallingford are better at side-by-side race formats than those done in time-trial conditions. With this crew having been the same since the National Schools’ Regatta, if Wallingford can get into the A final, it seems likely that they will be returning home with silverware.
Marlow Rowing Club
Marlow Rowing Club have developed a reputation over time for having top-class quads, making it inevitable that this crew will already have large shoes to fill. After coming eighth at the Junior Sculling Head and fourth at the National Schools’ Regatta, it seems clear that Marlow has a crew with great prospects. In addition, it is not uncommon for crews who have come fourth in prior events to show up with extra ferocity, due to being so close to the podium. Let’s see what this crew has to offer.
Claires Court School Boat Club
Claires Court, like many of its competitors, have also changed their crew since the National Schools’ Regatta, with S. Stalham’s seat now being held by Theo Shoukry. Claires Court came 14th at the Junior Sculling Regatta earlier this season. Shortly after, however, this crew came fifth at the National Schools’ Regatta, showing this crew has massive potential for progress. That being said, their fifth place finish was 20 seconds slower than the crew that came first, making it unlikely that this crew would reach the podium. Nevertheless, it’s clear that Claires Court can work hard to see massive improvements in a short time, leaving the question; will we be seeing one of the most impressive progressions of the season, with a crew coming from the C final to the top three in a matter of months?
Prediction
There’s enough evidence to suggest that the contenders for the top two spots will be Windsor Boys and Wallbrook. Which one of these will be coming away with gold is left until the weekend to decide. Windsor Boys have shown that they are just that little bit faster more recently, but does this leave Wallbrook with more motivation to reclaim their top spot? The battle between Claires Court and Marlow will be another one to watch, two well-acquainted rivals back at it again after National Schools’.
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