After a tumultuous sparring match at Quintin, the number of junior heavyweight showdowns has slowed, those remaining primarily driven by Shiplake’s troupe of troubadours travelling the country and cleaning up smaller races. After narrowly defeating St Edwards at Wycliffe last weekend, this week’s battleground is a 3k row down the famed Henley stretch, before the eights get put aside for GB trials’ interlude.
Shiplake
Although technically in the open category, Shiplake-Byca seems to be the Shiplake first eight, with the stern pair of last year’s second eight (Byca and Floyd) transposed into the top boat. Shiplake are positioning themselves as the one to beat this head season, their matched eights barely slower than the top first eights at Quintin and the top two national team pairs having Shiplake representation. Personally, I don’t see this category being close, the more interesting question being whether this crew can challenge any of the top couple Brookes boats. Even the other boat, stroked by Houghton, will be a well-oiled machine, tapping it along while staring intently at their screens.
Reading Blue Coat School
It’s a real testament to the solidity of RBC’s program that they’ve entered three eights into this event. The question is whether they can evolve from a solid but unspectacular Child Beale school into a real contender, and after being off the pace at Quintin and Wallingford, this Saturday could mark the beginning of a real crack into the top tier of Junior Rowing. My guess is they won’t quite make it this time, their physically huge crew more suited to 2k season, and they’ll be around the speed of the Shiplake Second Eight.
Llandaff
Until last weekend, I’d completely written off Llandaff and was ready to write off Henley as a two horse race. However, after Schlottmann and James’s pair beat the entirety of Radley, Latymer, and St Edwards, there’s clearly something cooking in South Wales and I’m not talking about Shrewsbury. I’m not sure if the rest of the eight is up to scratch, but if your stern pair has that much class, little else matters.
Predictions
1st Shiplake – Byca
2nd Llandaff
3rd Reading Blue Coat
4th Shiplake – Houghton
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