Transitioning back into head season, Chester Long Distance Sculls provides a 5km course from Eccleston Ferry to Chester Groves. Acquiring around 300 entries over 2 divisions, the race allows crews to establish a strong baseline to build on throughout the season. A competitive category competing on the day is the WJ18 4x-, with seven entries fighting it out to become victorious from a range of clubs/schools. With the head taking place on September 25th, it will be interesting to see who is able to stay consistently powerful, manage the rudder effectively and ultimately, come out on top.
Trentham RC
Trentham RC is a club that truly needs no introduction. Winning the event last year, the junior girls’ squad has gone from strength to strength, even reaching the quarter-finals at Henley Royal Regatta earlier this year. A big name from the club is Megan Knight, who recently won a bronze medal at the U19 World Championships in the JW4x- in Varese. The Trentham girls also placed 3rd in the B-final at the 2022 National Schools’ Regatta in the Girls Championship Quad, once again displaying their ability to compete at a high level. With a secure history of success, it can be predicted that Trentham will likely hold onto this legacy and be a crew to watch out for at the upcoming head.
St Edward’s School
At last year’s Chester Long Distance Sculls, St Edward’s entered two WJ18 coxless quads which placed second and third behind the previously mentioned Trentham crew. Last season, the St Edward’s girls exhibited their abilities through one blade, rather than two, narrowly missing out on a medal at the National Schools’ Regatta achieving a 4th place finish. Adding to this triumph, was Roxy Welford; she took home 5th in the JW4- at the Coupe de la Jeunesse in August 2022. Clearly, the Teddies girls are a strong bunch of athletes and a group that will produce an impressive performance at the upcoming head.
York City RC
Adding a little intensity to the event is York City RC. At the recent National Schools’ Regatta they placed just below Trentham RC (4th in the B-final) and so they will be racing for redemption as the 2022/23 season commences. In 2021, York’s junior women also competed in the Diamond Jubilee Challenge cup at Henley Royal Regatta after pre-qualifying hence showing the club certainly has a strong background within the boat class. Another competitor they will be out to catch is the crew from St Edward’s School who took a win against them in the first round of HRR in 2021. It will certainly be intriguing to see if they are able to move their way past these clubs this season.
Northwich RC
The crews at Chester LDS will certainly recognise each other when sat rearing and ready to go on the start. Northwich RC was another of the clubs to compete in the Championship Quad at the National Schools’ Regatta where they placed 8th in the B-final. At the 2022 Schools Head of the River Race, Northwich entered 4 quads, supplying a wealth of head race experience to their female squad. They will be keen to get their four strongest girls out on the Dee to see what they can bring.
The Kings School, Chester
Taking up almost 50% of the categories entries with 3 boats from The Kings School Chester, they will be giving their all along the course. In the 2022 regatta season, KSRC also competed in the Championship Quad at the National Schools’ Regatta, making it to the C-final and hence they will also be in the hopes of making a strong start to the season.
Predictions
The likely result seems to be that Trentham RC will once more take home the win. However, with the start of the new season introducing new faces and changes to crew formation really anything could happen. Stepping on the heels of Trentham is likely to be St Edward’s School and York City RC, both displaying their skill on a national level last year. Chester Long Distance Sculls is sure to be a revealing and competitive race and we wish all crews the best of luck!
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