Of all the male youth events, this is the most popular by British standards with entries from four different schools. The Charles river is notoriously difficult to steer, including a near-ninety degree bend towards the end of the course where the crews will be most fatigued. This is too big an opportunity and experience for the crews to miss.
Radley College BC
Radley have chosen to enter two crews in this category as well as an eight racing later on during Sunday’s categories. These crews finished first and second in Int4+ at Reading Small Boats Head. With regard to the boat that leads the category off the start, I believe this is Radley’s top entry over their eight seeing as all members were part of the crew that made the Henley Royal Regatta final last year and three of them return from last year’s event where they won. Also at Reading SBH, a pair of these athletes finished 4th in J182-. This can only mean the other four is their third boat.
St Paul’s School BC
The stern pair and cox of this boat know how to win in a coxed four, with GB France medals to prove it. The crew finished 5th and 6th at Pairs Head on Saturday in J182-Champ, losing out only to the four Paul’s pairs which makes up their eight, also racing in Boston. At Wallingford LDS, Doyle finished third, with Gillard and Eaton 10th and 14th respectively in J17.1x. Mattmoe finished 22nd in J18.1x at the same event.
KCS Wimbledon
This is half of the crew that finished 4th in J161stVIII at NSR at will be hoping for better luck this season. The outside pairing of Will Tyrrell and Matt Cabot have had a good start to their season, with a 4th place finish in J18.2x at Wallingford LDS, and 5th in J18.2x at Pairs Head despite them being J17s. This crew finished 11th out of 13 in the 18.4x at Wallingford also. Only securing an entry out of the random draw as last year’s crew failed to finish in the top half, these athletes have to do better than that for this trip to be a success for them.
George Watson’s College BC
There are no recent results from this crew available to gauge their speed. I do not expect them to feature in the top half on Sunday.
Prediction
Radley will take the win and make it two years in a row in my opinion, with the Paul’s four hot on their heels in the top ten. The other Radley crew will have a solid finish in the top half, with KCS just making the top half qualification cutoff.
OarsomeBows
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