All imagery credit to AllMarkOne
As the season draws to a close, farewells are said to senior rowers ageing out of the junior circuit. But wait! Lest we forget BJRC, almost everyone’s last regatta for this round, to bid the big boats goodbye in due style, before we look to a summer of rest and recovery and an inevitable small boat season come September.
With only five crews entered, the WJ18 8+ looks seemingly small but such is the nature of BRJC, it is often seen as a friendly competition. There is nothing friendly about ASRA’s track record though, being the only crew to make the A final at the National Schools’ Regatta, and make it through one round of racing at HRR and HWR. They are almost overqualified for Brit Champs.
Almost certainly they’ll take the win and will likely be followed SWPS. Even though SPWS were close to ASRA at Henley Women’s Qualifiers, it seems ASRA put in the shift in the month leading up to HRR which has given them the advantage.
Kingston Grammar School are an interesting one. They too competed in a day’s racing at HRR, albeit in the Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup (JW4x), with Matilda Drewett in the boat who raced at Munich in both the double and quad. She won’t be at BRJC, presumably too busy with crew formation for subsequent international regattas (Junior Worlds?), and it remains to be seen how KGS’s sculling technique transfers to their sweep-oar rowing.
Predictions
ASRA for the win seems all but guaranteed, but with wind from all directions prevalent up North, there’s potential for an upset, most likely to be from SWPS if at all.
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