This weekend, twenty-one crews will take on the 3000m course from Sunbury Lock to Platt’s Eyot in an effort to restore credit to Hampton Small Boat’s Head after a troubled past. Recent storms aside, with the calibre of crews out to race on Saturday, we sincerely hope that this event goes ahead in spectacular fashion, with the Junior 17 category providing more competition for the ‘interim year’ of schoolboy sculling. While some crews are surrounded by compatriots in the race, others are heading for the quality over quantity attitude, so it will be interesting to see how their approaches fare. Here’s an idea of the headliners for this year’s event.
Emanuel School Boat Club
Fresh off Teddington Head, where they secured a gold medal in the racing category, Emanuel School Boat Club are looking formidable heading into the weekend. Having also sent 3 athletes off to Boston GB trials, the depth of the programme at the school is apparent. In addition, their athletes came second at Kingston Small Boats Head, as well as seventh and eighth in a competitive field for their Junior 18 double counterparts. Pairs Head was another prosperous time for the club too, as they placed fourth, fifth and ninth, a testament to their familiarity with the top end. It is more than likely that at least one of the two Emanuel boats are composed of J16s, and what a credit they would be with their results.
Tiffin School Boat Club
Used to podium positions, Tiffin School Boat Club came third at the National Schools’ Regatta in the Junior 16 quad, so it is perfectly sensible to presume that the best of these athletes might descend on the double in the absence of a quad. At the same event, they also secured a silver in the second quads event, broadcasting a ubiquity of talent among Tiffin tributes. Earlier in the season, this crew secured a well-deserved second place in the Junior 16 category for the double, another glowing example of their achievement last year, so it will now be a test of their consistency to see how Tiffin’s two crews test this weekend.
Lea Rowing Club
Another familiar face in junior rowing, Lea Rowing Club secured a decent bronze medal position in the B-final, which was perhaps overshadowed by their Junior 18 crew’s absolute victory in their own age. Nonetheless, more up-to-date stats paint Lea as a dominant contender, convincingly winning the doubles event in the category they would be at the age to race now. Moreover, their Junior 16 quad won here too, proving a consistency among Lea’s Junior 16 athletes. In addition to this, their knowledge of the course (and proven success in it) will be hugely beneficial to their performance on Saturday. To top this all off, a win at The Junior Sculling Head in the quad and a Junior Interregional Regatta bronze medal are further accolades acting as evidence for any Lea supporter out there. Their two entries this year are certainly going to put up a fight…
Other entries
Other contenders in the mix are Barn Elms Rowing Club, who attained a seventh-place finish at the recent Pair’s Head, and close followers Walton Rowing Club, who were just 2 places behind them. Both of these crews have lone entries; the beauty of which is that they have the potential to upset the divine rankings, and their unpredictability might be a cause for concern to their competitors.
Prediction
As far as any prediction goes, based off what we have available (relatively little so late into the Head Season given the abundance of cancellations we’ve been put through) I would argue that Lea’s holistic talent paints them as favourites, though they might be rivalled by the likes of Tiffin and Emmanuel School. We’ll just have to wait until Saturday to find out!
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