For most junior rowers, the National Schools’ Regatta is the race that all the training this season has led up to. An incredibly competitive and evidently increasingly popular event, this year’s draw has 16 entries, including crews from top rowing clubs such as Henley and Molesey. It will be very interesting to see how the competition plays out between these renowned clubs and some of the lesser known entries.
Lady Eleanor Holles
Lady Eleanor Holles School BC is known to be a producer of very strong rowers, and this year’s entry for National Schools Regatta doesn’t look as if it will disappoint. Having entered two crews which took both second and fourth place at last year’s National Schools’ Regatta, I’m sure that this year’s crew will be looking to at least replicate, if not better, that success. Three out of the four members of this crew took part in the 2016 annual international rowing match against France, with Emma Breeze and Katie Benson rowing in the women’s coxless four and Elizabeth Witt participating in the women’s eight; both crews won their respective races. At the 2017 British Junior Championships, Witt and fourth crew member Celia Matthews raced in the U19 women’s double, whilst Benson and Breeze competed in the women’s coxless four that raced, and all four members of the crew participated in the women’s eight. I expect a strong performance from this crew to match their evident potential.
Henley RC
Henley are, of course, another well-renowned club, and this four lives up to the hype. Last year, the Henley crew took first place at the National Schools’ Regatta, so I would expect this boat to be pitching for gold. At last year’s Henley Women’s Regatta, Daisy Butterworth’s coxed four took the win and set a new course record for the Women’s Junior 4+ category. Daisy Fletcher also took part in the regatta, though in the J16 coxed four which lost out on the top spot by a length. The four raced at the Fours Head of the River last November, and won the WJ18 coxed fours category, and each of the girls have performed very well over the past season, with wins in the four and eight at races such as Hampton Head and the British Junior Championships. With such strong performances across the season, this Henley crew looks as if it’s going to provide very tough competition indeed.
Glasgow Academy
Perhaps less well known than the other two aforementioned boats, the Glasgow Academy girls are still expected to produce a decent showing. With two of the crew members, Louise Miller and Jennifer Olney, qualifying for and winning their first heat at Henley Royal Regatta last year, it will be interesting to see how the crew does in a four. At the 2017 British Rowing Championships, Olney and Miller raced in the WJ18 quad which beat the Henley crew to take gold, and were also the crew selected to partake in the 2017 Home International Regatta. Olney, Lauren Amner and Anna Colley raced in the coxed quad which beat the Glasgow University women’s crew in both divisions. With such strong performances amongst the crew members in different arrangements, it will be really exciting to see how this particular arrangement of the four works out this weekend.
Headington School
At the 2017 Womens Eights Head of the River, Tilly Burn rowed in the junior eight which not only won but broke the record for the course previously set by their predecessors in 2013. Burn, Lizzie Stephens and Cordelia Mahoney, three of the four girls competing, also raced in the women’s junior eight which won at the 2017 Wallingford Head. With wins for the crew members across multiple boats at races including the 2017 Henley Women’s Regatta and 2018 Women’s Head of the River, it will be exciting to see how these girls do in the four. With the Headington crew that raced at last year’s National Schools’ Regatta having done less well than perhaps expected, it will be very interesting to see whether this crew can do better, especially when faced with such strong competition from the other crews.
Predictions
I’m sure that this race will be a very tight one, as all of the crews entered are very strong and capable. However, at races like National Schools Regatta, and as at almost every race, there are always many surprises!
1. Henley RC
2. Lady Eleanor Holles RC
3. Glasgow Academy
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