Somehow, we’ve arrived at the National Schools’ Regatta where we will see the best crews from all over the country racing against each other in one of the biggest weekends of the year for many athletes. The Championship Girls Doubles have had a year of fairly uncontested races, with very few national races testing them and pushing them to split the winners from the crowd. Many judgements on the results of the race on Saturday have to be made through results in quads or in their doubles at the recent Junior Sculling or Wallingford regattas.
In this category, we have 37 boats entered which will provide a lot of competition but I believe will really separate the best from the rest.
Henley– (bow-Phyllis Barter, stroke- Grace Johnson)
This crew placed 2nd at Wallingford regatta which gives us a strong indication that they stand a very high chance of placing in the top 6. Beyond that, their incredible strength in depth across the entirety of their squad means they consistently produce superb crews.
Marlow– (bow-Emma Louise Stilwell, stroke-Flora Robertson)
These girls won at Wallingford which proves their strength as a crew. To back up this recent victory, they have been achieving great results as a quad throughout the year, placing 3rd at SHORR and then 5th at Scullery the next day.
Tideway– (bow- India Lawrence, stroke- Jessie Goodall)
This crew placed 2nd at the Junior Sculling Regatta earlier this month but due to the lack of entry from Sir William Perkins, are the highest placed boat from that event which holds a lot of promise for what they will be capable of this weekend. They have also achieved good results this season with a 5th place at SHORR, but I imagine they will feel like they have a lot to prove due to how close they were to the Marlow quad. These crews (Tideway and Marlow) were very similar in timings at their respective races earlier this month so I imagine they will be very close and we could see a very exciting race between these two boats.
City of Oxford– (bow- Rebecca Coleman, stroke- Georgina Cherry)
This crew placed 3rd at Junior Sculling Regatta which puts them in a good place to try and claim the top few places. We haven’t seen much from this club in the past couple of seasons, particularly on the junior circuit. It’d be good to see them make an impression at the sharp end of junior rowing, and this crew stand a good chance
Isle of Ely– (bow- Molly Johnson, stroke-Phoebe Hayden)
Another boat with a third place to their name this season, albeit this time at Wallingford Regatta, Isle of Ely are a good shout to make it into the top 6. Molly Johnson won a silver medal at the Junior Sculling Regatta in the single, and was also in the crew who finished as beaten finalists in the Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup last season.
Overall, I am expecting the top 3 places to be taken by Tideway, Marlow and Henley although it will be a very close competition without a doubt.
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