We are truly into the thick of head racing season now, and one of the most eagerly anticipated is rapidly approaching – Hampton Small Boats Head. With almost 700 entries set to hammer down the 3000m course, laid out just upriver of the picturesque Hampton Court Palace, there are hundreds of raring oarsmen and women, coaches and spectators waiting on tenterhooks to witness some truly spectacular rowing this weekend. Unless, of course, Hampton Head, like so many of the other recent races, falls victim to 2024’s tumultuous weather.
Following in the wake of last weekend’s GB U19 trials, I’m sure there will be a veritable cohort of rowers in this category looking to consolidate success at the trials, or to prove themselves after a less favourable result. This crucial timing will make for some very close racing, and I think will push many young athletes to competitive racing, as is so often the case around key events in the rowing calendar like the trials.
Claires Court School Boat Club
It’s difficult to discuss the J17 Open 1x without mentioning the frequent name of Claires Court School Boat Club – making up just under half of the entries in this category, with 9 of the 19 entries harking from the Claires Court stable. Eight of their entries competed at the elite Henley Sculls earlier in November, on a similar length course, setting them up with a good feel for the course distance and effort required to achieve the best possible result. They also have a what is effectively a home advantage, given that they train just upriver from the Hampton course, so they should know the Thames and just how tricky it can be. Keeping all that in mind, I think that the serious contenders to watch for from Claires Court will be Beever, who placed seventh at the Henley Sculls, trailing the leader by just over nine seconds, and Howlett-Bolton, who placed ninth at the same event, following on only a further seven seconds after Beever.
Molesey Boat Club
Another key contender seeking to give the entrants from Claires Court a run for their money is Molesey Boat Club – another club with a key home advantage, training on almost the same stretch of water as the course is held over. Given Molesey’s position as a GBRT High Performance Centre, we can expect that the two scullers that are entered from Molesey will put on a great display of technique and power, and test their competition to the limit, although I’d say that they won’t be able to take a victory easily, with the competition they’ll be up against.
Kingston Rowing Club
If we’re talking about clubs with the best chance of walking away and leaving the competition with a bloody nose, then it would be remiss to leave out the neighbouring oarsmen and women from Kingston Rowing Club. One of the oldest clubs in the world, they train on an adjacent stretch of the Thames to Molesey and the Hampton Course. Kingston’s reputation for quality rowing and great results will, I believe, drive on their two entries, Taylor and Alexander, to push on against their teammates and rivals in an attempt to solidify the club’s dominance.
Predictions
Overall, whilst there are a selection of other entries that may push through to claim the victory, such as either sculler from Norwich School Boat Club, I believe that this is going to be a highly contested victory, and will not be let go easily. With three highly successful, neighbouring clubs with fierce pride and reputation to uphold, along with the premier rowing that we have come to expect of them, I suspect that the inherent rivalry resulting from their proximity will drive them on to push themselves and each other to the limit. There is a potential for there to be a Claires Court School Boat Club landslide victory, given their large pool of entrants and with previous success backing up many of them, but I would still keep a keen eye out, especially on the two Molesey scullers. I think they have a potential to sweep the field, fuelled by a desire for victory instilled by the club’s repeated success, similar to the Kingston Rowing Club Scullers.
1st – Molesey Boat Club
2nd – Claires Court School Boat Club (Beever)
3rd – Kingston Rowing Club
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