Several more events across fell to the weather’s interminable siege on UK rowing this weekend.
Hampton Small Boats Head – a stalwart of the pre-Christmas calendar – was one of many to take the hit. Here, we look at who the top performers would have been across what promised to be an excellent weekend of racing.
Open Junior 18 Quads
“I think any crew in the draw has a reasonable chance of winning on Saturday; however, I expect one of Molesey’s entries to top the charts contested by Lea and Reading. Don’t write off home favourites from Hampton School either, who will be desperate to impress on home water.”
JRN prediction:
- Molesey Boat Club
- Lea Rowing Club
- Reading Rowing Club
Read Ollie’s full preview here.
Women’s Junior 18 Quads
“As stated earlier, I cannot picture anyone coming close to Sir William Perkins’ top quad, making them favourites this weekend. I believe silver will be a toss-up between Molesey and Walton with the latter just taking it on their home stretch and Pangbourne rounding out the top four.“
JRN prediction:
- Sir William Perkin’s School Rowing Club
- Walton Rowing Club
- Molesey Boat Club
Read Scull and Cross Bones’ full preview here.
Open Junior 18 Pairs
“Despite strong competition from other squads, it’s difficult to imagine a scenario in which Hampton School Boat Club don’t take the win, given strong performances against some of the top names in rowing last year, as well as a good amount of international experience present in the squad. However, I think we can also expect strong performances from several other crews, notably Norwich School Boat Club, given last year’s record-breaking run, and Kingston Grammar School Boat Club, whose key experience in smaller boats throughout the year could very well give them a slight advantage.”
JRN prediction:
- Hampton School Boat Club
- Norwich School Boat Club
- Kingston Grammar School Boat Club
Read Vanguard’s full preview here.
Women’s Junior 18 Pairs
“With the vast talent attending the race this year, it will be hard to pinpoint where the results may lie. With a vast set of crews in this category, I wouldn’t be surprised if Lady Eleanor Holles School Boat Club makes its mark amongst the fastest crews along with possibly St George’s College Boat Club. However, it’s hard to ignore Walton Rowing Club’s immense talent in the pair, so I would place my bets on this crew coming out on top at the end of the day. But surprises aren’t unheard of, so anything could happen!“
JRN prediction:
- Walton Rowing Club
- Lady Eleanor Holles School Boat Club
- St George’s College Boat Club
Read Blade Runner’s full preview here.
Open Junior 18 Doubles
“As stated earlier, I believe it will be a battle between Lea and Peterborough for the win. They are the crews with the most experience and will surely use that to their advantage. That said, it would be difficult for me to count out Molesey from contention, though, from the look of it, they may ultimately trail slightly behind the aforementioned crews.”
JRN prediction:
- Lea Rowing Club
- Peterborough City Rowing Club
- Molesey Boat Club
Read Lawrence’s full preview here.
Women’s Junior 18 Doubles
“Sir William Perkins have proven as of late that they are a club to beat – I’d expect Nicholas and Thornton to make the top three, if not winning first and second between them. Rob Roy could be in a strong position to complete the podium, but will be pushed hard by the local Molesey Boat Club, who may well beat them to third place. Kew House and Leahave both made exciting steps on and cannot be discounted in what will likely be a close race for many crews.“
JRN prediction:
- Sir William Perkin’s School Rowing Club (Nicholas)
- Sir William Perkin’s School Rowing Club (Thornton)
- Rob Roy Boat Club
Read Bladey Whilstedown’s full preview here.
Open Junior 18 Singles
“I believe that Raph Hardwick-Skottowe is the clear pick of the bunch for this and should be relatively unphased by the prospect of victory on Saturday, having already proven himself across many different regattas. Moving on to the best of the rest, I think the pack will be incredibly tight, but will feature Joe Brittain coming in second with Jerome Sharpe, Arthur Llewelyn and Teddy Sinclair battling it out for the third, fourth and fifth.“
JRN prediction:
- Molesey Boat Club (Hardwick-Skottowe)
- Claires Court School Boat Club (Brittain)
- Hampton School Boat Club (Sharpe)
Read Oak’s full preview here
Women’s Junior 18 Singles
“Overall I predict Donn from Claires Court School Boat Club will take the win due to her sculling experience and recent promising race results. Hemming from Molesey Boat Club to come second and Thurnham from Kew House School Boat Club to come third. With many members in this field having represented GB at high-level international competitions, we will surely be treated to some tight racing.”
JRN prediction:
- Claires Court School Boat Club (Donn)
- Molesey Boat Club (Hemming)
- Kew House School Boat Club (Thurnham)
Read The Rowing Stones’ full preview here.
Open Junior 17 Doubles
“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!“
JRN prediction:
- Lea Rowing Club
- Tiffin School Boat Club
- Emmanuel School Boat Club
Read Seas the Day’s full preview here.
Women’s Junior 17 Doubles
“With such a competitive field, it’s difficult to call, but Sir William Perkinss School Boat Club looks poised for victory, leveraging its proven results and consistent performances. Kingston Rowing Club’s strong entries could secure a second-place finish, while Norwich School Boat Club’s recent form positions them well to round out the podium.”
JRN prediction:
- Sir William Perkins’ School Boat Club
- Kingston Rowing Club
- Norwich School Boat Club
Read Calliope’s full preview here.
Open Junior 17 Singles
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.“
JRN prediction:
- Molesey Boat Club
- Claires Court School Boat Club
- Kingston Rowing Club
Read JRN07’s full preview here
Women’s Junior 17 Singles
“For me, the clear winner is Ella McDougall from Barn Elms Rowing Club, because of her wealth of single sculling experience and expertise. I think she will then be followed by fellow teammate Sloane Rimmer. However, with a lack of results, due to race cancellations, it is difficult to predict who will take the next couple spots and it could be anyone’s race to win.”
JRN prediction:
- Barn Elms Rowing Club (McDougall)
- Barn Elms Rowing Club (Rimer)
- Claires Court School Boat Club (Gater)
Read Tara’s full preview here
Open Junior 16 Quads
“I predict that Wallingford Rowing Club will come out on top, closely followed by Henley Rowing Club. Despite Hampton School Boat Club’s unmatched results last season, their success in this race will be highly dependent on their ability to seamlessly transition from sweeping to sculling, and for that reason, I predict they will finish narrowly behind Wallingford. Whilst I doubt that Claires Court School Boat Club will have the speed to be fighting for first place quite yet, they are certainly not to be underestimated.“
JRN prediction:
- Wallingford Rowing Club
- Henley Rowing Club
- Hampton School Boat Club
Read The Oaracle’s full preview here
Women’s Junior 16 Quads
“After reviewing this list of crews, it looks like the Thames should be set alight on Saturday as several impressive rowers and clubs make up the starting order. I predict that Sir William Perkin’s School Rowing Club will take the top step of the podium, narrowly followed by Surbiton High School, Walton Rowing Club and King’s Ely Boat Club.”
JRN prediction:
- Sir William Perkin’s School Rowing Club
- Henley Rowing Club
- Hampton School Boat Club
Read Overreach for the Stars’ full preview here
Open Junior 16 Doubles
“An even field full of unknowns, this race is anyone’s game. However, it seems likely that Wallingford-Strange or experienced Lea-Guetin will be going home heroes. Don’t count out anyone in such a tightly-packed field, though – this is truly anyone’s game.“
JRN prediction:
- Wallingford Rowing Club
- Lea Rowing Club
- Molesey Boat Club
Read Ry-Row’s full preview here
Women’s Junior 16 Doubles
“Sir William Perkins are certainly a club to beat at the moment across all age groups, but I believe that Surbiton and Wimbledon will be the crews tussling for the gold medal. With Sir William Perkins potentially not even reaching third place – given the vast amount of Surbiton crews entered – I’m expecting they will follow up in the remainder of the top five positions.“
JRN prediction:
- Surbiton High School Boat Club
- Wimbledon High School Boat Club
- Surbiton High School Boat Club
Read Sweeping-the-Floor’s full preview here
Women’s Junior 16 Singles
“I predict that the racing will be close due to the outstanding calibre of athletes racing. I believe that Barn Elms’ Weiler will take the victory, due to her recent performances, over Pangbourne College (Robb) and Peterborough City who will place second and third respectively.“
JRN prediction:
- Barn Elms Rowing Club (Weiler)
- Pangbourne College Boat Club (Robb)
- Peterborough City Rowing Club
Read Totally Oarsome’s full preview here
Open Junior 15 Quads
“The usual inconsistency of junior 15 rowing that makes it so exciting makes it equally hard to predict. Upsets are familiar, and surprising winners are just as frequent; this race could go to any entries. It would be impossible to ignore Hampton School Boat Club’s cohort of crews, but Wallingford Rowing Club never fails to put out a competitive junior crew. Brentford Boat Club and King’s School Ely Boat Club will both be hungry to make a statement. Hampton is the favourite, but there’s no reason any other crew can’t overturn that.“
JRN prediction:
- Hampton School Boat Club
- Wallingford Rowing Club
- Brentford Boat Club
Read Alex’s full preview here
Women’s Junior 15 Quads
“The battle for first place is likely to come down to Wallingford Rowing Club and Putney High School Boat Club, with Wallingford’s faster times over longer courses giving them a slight edge. Putney’s depth and proven ability to perform across formats make them strong contenders for silver.
The race for the final podium spot I think will be a close contest between Sir William Perkins’s, Surbiton High School, and Lady Eleanor Holles. While Sir William Perkins’s consistent performances and Surbiton’s sprinting prowess make them the favourites, Lady Eleanor Holles’ strong squad depth and regatta experience cannot be overlooked.“
JRN prediction:
- Wallingford Rowing Club
- Putney High School Boat Club
- Lady Eleanor Holles School Boat Club
Read Calliope’s full preview here
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