With a very strong line up, I’m sure that the J16 Girls eight category will provide some entertaining and impressive racing. This year’s entry will allow for the typical battling for the top spot between long-term rivals Headington and Lady Eleanor Holles School, whilst introducing some perhaps lesser known crews into the draw.
Lady Eleanor Holles School
Lady Eleanor Holles have been doing very well this season, with certain squad members making it onto the GB squad for this year’s Munich Regatta. The club has entered two crews for this race, so it will be interesting to see how they both do. Four of the crew members for the ‘A’ eight are entered – Helen O’Connor, Emma Kerr, Darcie Summers and Florence Snelling – raced and took 3rd place in J16 quads at this year’s Junior Inter-Regional Regatta. At the 2018 Schools’ Head of the River, the LEH J16 8+ received a bronze medal, and also took gold at Quintin. As an evidently strong crew, I should imagine this eight will be pushing for a podium finish.
Headington School
Another school with one of the best junior rowing squads in the country, Headington are sure to prove tough competition in this event. At the 2017 Peterborough Junior Championships, Trudie Marks took gold in the J14 1x, and then went on to take first place in the J14 2x along with Claudia Rossington. At the same event, the junior girls octuple won gold in their race. Zakira Klico raced in the J16 quad which made it to the quarter finals at last year’s Henley Women’s Regatta, and Anna Mattocks, Madeleine Chichester, Sabina Sulola and Claudia Rossington took second place in the J14 octuple at National Junior Sculling Head 2017, where Amarna Milne and Trudie Marks also raced in the J15 octuple, taking first place. Overall, this crew is a young outfit with less experience racing together as a formation than some of the other eights entered into this category. Youth can pay dividends though, and this will be a steep learning curve for all the athletes involved.
Henley
At the Schools’ Head of the River, the Henley J16 eight won their race and beat the record by 39 seconds. Four of the crew members – Amy Howard, Phoebe Snowden, Amber Weller and Georgia Brown – came together to row in a coxed quad at this year’s Hampton Head, gaining a very respectable second place, and the WJ16 eight also took second. This eight is certainly well versed in racing at the National Schools’ Regatta, with two crew-members from this eight – Phoebe Snowden and Amy Howard – having raced in the WJ16 eights category last year, claiming gold. In addition to this, Carla Russel, Amber Weller, Hannah Hills, Georgia Brown and cox Freya Reid took gold in the WJ15 coxed quad last year. It will certainly be exciting to see how the girls take this experience and put it to use in the eight this weekend – they’re natural born winners and I expect to see a medal hanging around their necks on Saturday evening.
Surbiton High School
With such a strong line up for this year’s event, it’s difficult to decide who will take the top spots. Surbiton High School have done really well in recent regattas, with the WJ16 eight racing very well and winning the Portcullis Cup at the 2018 Wallingford Regatta. In addition to this, certain crew members took the silver medal at this Junior Sculling Regatta, demonstrating a versatility. Two of the crew members – Charlotte Sanders and cox Lydia Moon-Griffiths – were awarded by their boat club for their improvements in the boat over the past season which demonstrates the crew’s dedication to their training. I look forward to seeing how they fare.
Predictions:
- Henley
- Lady Eleanor Holles School
- Headington School
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