At last, it is time for the most important head race of the season on the UK circuit. Certainly, there are a number of crews who will be keen to take home The Page Trophy – for clubs that row on the Thames or its tributaries above Teddington Lock – but only one will be fastest. With this also being one of the final big head races this year, results will start to give us good indications of which crews to watch for later on in the summer.
Molesey RC
There is no doubt that Molesey can put together a fast crew here. Hopefully fresh after just a short two week break from battling it out at the Heineken Roeivierkamp in the Netherlands, Molesey ‘A’ will have their eyes clearly set on winning the Page Trophy. Setting off as crew number 8, they should also benefit from not dealing with any of the messy traffic that crews further down the order will inevitably face. With four crews entered as well it is very exciting to see that Molesey clearly has a very healthy membership in its senior sweep squad.
Upper Thames RC
Upper Thames could mount a challenge to Molesey. Most recently at Henley Fours & Eights Head they came fourth in the eight showing very competitive speed which should put them in the running for a high placing overall.
Marlow RC
Marlow will be looking to make amends for Henley Fours & Eights where they were narrowly beaten by Henley RC. With three crews entered, Marlow could produce some promising results. A strong performance here would perfectly set them up for the summer racing season.
Henley RC
Henley RC will be wanting to continue where they left off at Henley Fours & Eights Head. Beating Marlow again will be a clearly be just part of their motivation as they look to place within the top 50 crews.
City of Oxford RC
City of Oxford is perhaps the club I could see most likely to put in a surprise result. While I doubt they will trouble the like of Molesey in the fight for the Page trophy a strong performance from their ‘A’ crew could certainly see them improve of their 70th position in 2019 and maybe edge them closer to that top 50. Setting off as crew 70 though will put them in the middle of all the traffic and so managing this will be vital if they are to put down their best time.
Prediction
I expect Molesey ‘A’ to be clear favourite for the Page Trophy with Upper Thames their closest challenger. Who knows though as we have seen repeatedly through this head season that umpires are not afraid to dish out the penalties to the top crews and so let’s hope this race wont see any controversies like we’ve already seen at both Quintin and Hammersmith Heads.
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