Crews will once again return to the Chiswick-Hammersmith section of the Championship course on Saturday, and with this month’s record-breaking weather set to continue into the weekend, the race should be a stark contrast to the Head that was cancelled last year owing to poor conditions.
The 2¾ mile race covers some of the trickiest water in the country, and race upon race pushes rowers and coxes alike to breaking point – and at times beyond. The School Quads, however, should be packed with talent ready to battle it out on the Tideway in the coming days…
Westminster School Boat Club:
Two years ago the boat from Westminster left Hammersmith as the top crew in the category, and since then the test of time has failed to erode the talent that Westminster cultures. At Henley Royal last year racing well on Friday, only to be knocked out by the ever-dominant Windsor boys’ (who interestingly, are not racing this weekend). Last season at the regatta circuit Westminster took lakes up and down the country by storm, notably here a bronze in the Championship Quads, and with their J16 four racing and winning at the GBvsFrance match in Paris at the tail-end of the season, the pressure was always going to be high coming into this season.
However, despite the recent historic pedigree from the London based boat club their attendance – especially in the quads – has been somewhat undermining this year, however, we are aware of the strength that Westminster have in their crews, and under the guidance of the Henley winning coach Josh Butler, the quad should be looking to maintain a presence at the top end of this category, and hopefully retain the pennant.
Tideway Scullers School:
Tideway has become a name synonymous with top-level performances in junior rowing, and nowhere is this more evident that HRR last year, where they managed to qualify no less than three quads for the Fawley Challenge Cup, with their top crew pre-qualifying. This crew made it to the quarterfinals, but were pushed out by stronger crews and so failed to progress further. Unfortunately, here is another club that seems to be fielding their quad crews later in the season, and after a somewhat disappointing show of crews so far this year, we are left wondering: is this their miracle moment?
Whether or not the Tideway crew can turn water into gold this weekend is yet to be seen, however, whatever their result the crew will be keen to utilise the event as a competitive test of ability as we edge ever closer to Regatta Season.
Lea Rowing Club:
Perhaps the classic underdog in the rowing world, Lea seem to be a club that are keen to train to shave precious seconds off times this year after a slightly underwhelming season last year that saw them being unable to earn a place in the ‘A’ finals at NSR. It seems that they are keen to utilise these moments of anguish from last season to motivate and propel them to glory this year; as shown by their impressive performances recently; especially in smaller sculling boats.
Will this newfound speed translate into a wave conquering quad? Only the tideway will tell, but whatever happens, this is an exciting moment for Lea, as the perfect chance for them to shed their underdog status may only be a few races away…
Norwich School Boat Club:
Another crew that doesn’t quite make the top draw in the current junior climate, but who have made significant strides in a number of areas in recent seasons to promote their cause. In the Eight, Norwich managed to secure a fourth place at Quintin head, so it will be interesting to see how the power harnessed in the larger sweep boats can trickle down into the smaller, nimbler sculling boats.
Predictions:
13 boats paired with 104 blades will carry the 52 rowers in this category down the Tideway this weekend, and all will be fighting to get as close to the pennant as possible, and currently, there are a couple of crews that look to be in close contention to take home the win.
Tideway Scullers School are a strong force in junior rowing and are not to be taken lightly by Westminster – their biggest rivals. Both of these boats hold strength and power, and as with many head races, it is likely the psychological advantage that one crew may have on the day that will reveal Hammersmith’s Creme-de-la-creme in 2019.
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