J16 4x
Henley and St Neots are most likely to end up on opposite sides of the draw as I expect they will most likely be the fastest two in the time trials. I should expect both of these crews to make the semi finals. 3rd, 4th and 5th in the trials are likely to be taken by York, Warrington and Headington. York and Warrington should definitely be up there but I also expect Headington to be on parr. While they haven’t raced the quad this season, they were the closest to Henley at NSR last year and while they might not be as fast as they were last year, they could still do damage.
I expect the final to be between Henley and St Neots. Henley have a faster start than St Neots and so St Neots don’t really have much hope of a mental or psychological advantage. Henley will probably then continue to push away as they normally do and I expect the margin will probably be around 3-4 lengths.
One thing I must mention is that we most definitely can’t discount any of the composites. I expect that the HLS/OUN/SNE/STO composite will be fast. If it does contain one of the girls from the St Neots A crew, we could potentially see others making the final, York City being the most likely candidate or the composite. However, Henley still remain strong favourites for the win.
J16 4+
With the absence of Queen Elizabeth High School and Glasgow Academy, the event has become rather hard to predict! The likelihood will be that LEH will come off fastest in the time trials. 3rd place at Nat Schools has given them the title favourites and I believe they should probably live up to it. They were also second fastest in the time trials at NSR. GMS are also likely to be fast and I expect them to come second in time trial, placing them on the opposite sides of the draw being only two seconds back on LEH at the NSR time trials. Haberdashers should also be on the pace.
I expect the final to be between LEH and GMS. The crews are both quite even on the start and so the middle tactics will be what matters. LEH have a monster 3rd 500m and this is obviously where they really push for it. A push like this will guarantee them the win as it sets them up nicely for their final sprint. Therefore I expect LEH to win the final by around 1 1/2 or 2 lengths.
Also, don’t discount the overseas crews.
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