Just seven scullers are entered into the Women’s Junior Singles event, making it one of the smallest boat classes in the whole regatta. The GB U19 squad’s trip to Munich this week will have disrupted some tried-and-tested crew boats from large clubs, encouraging those who aren’t competing abroad into a category normally populated by smaller clubs who invest a lot in talented single scullers. There are some big names entered in this event up against other, far smaller clubs; I’ll be interested to see how these athletes will measure up to each other, in a boat class where truly nothing is guaranteed until the first sculler crosses the finish line.
Tideway Scullers School
The top seed in this event, Georgia Allen is typically a member of Tideway Scullers’ top women’s quad that placed third at Schools’ Head back in March and second at the Head of the Charles Regatta in late 2023. Last season, she gained international colours representing England in the coxless four and eight at Home International Regatta and showed her strength in small boats with a sixth-place finish at the National Schools’ Regatta in championship doubles. It would be impossible to mention Tideway Scullers without also mentioning their powerhouse of a program, headed up by GB’s Rhona MacCallum and (unsurprisingly) based on the Tideway – Allen will have benefitted heavily not only from some of Britain’s finest coaching but also a winter season less interrupted by the flooding and fast rivers that most of the other clubs entered into this category faced.
Molesey Boat Club
Another international athlete in this event, Maia Bentley was selected for the women’s eight and coxed four at Coupe de la Jeunesse last season, and medalled in both. Like Tideway’s Allen, this season she’s been back to sculling, stepping up into Molesey’s quad and posting a fourth-place finish at Schools’ Head in championship quads (just behind Tideway Scullers). Looking back to the Junior Sculling Regatta two years ago, Bentley took a fourth-place finish in WJ16 singles, demonstrating some obvious speed in the smaller boats that wouldn’t be so obvious from her international pursuits in larger sweep boats. Although she seems to match Georgia Allen for speed and pedigree heading into this race, she’s setting off in the middle of the pack for the time trial – I’m sure we’ll see serious speed from Bentley as she charges for a good lane in the final.
Nottinghamshire County Rowing Association
Seeded second, Emily Besley has gained a wealth of small boat experience over the years. As a J15, she was third at this regatta in the WJ15 singles event, and last year posted an 11th place finish in championship doubles at the National Schools’ Regatta. Most recently, she was victorious in the WJ18 2x and W1x at Lincoln Head and notably came seventh at Scullers’ Head, losing only to the machines of Wycliffe who have opted out of this event. Notts County is a smaller club compared to the likes of Molesey and Tideway, but this has afforded Besley endless experience in pairs, doubles, and singles from the club that produced noted lightweight single sculler Olivia Bates, now a mainstay on the international stage. Where we’ve seen many move out of sweep boats or quads to make a splash in this event, Besley comes into this race as an experienced single sculler, and ought to be excited to take on, or take down, some large names in junior rowing.
Predictions
Also entered in this event we see Rebekah Major having swapped from Bedford Star to Bedford Rowing Club this season, and Elizabeth Smart of Trafford Rowing Club, who reached the E final of WJ18 singles at the British Junior Rowing Championships last year and will surely be back for more this year. Kings School Ely and Star Club also make appearances as Mollie Chamberlain and Isabel Robinson respectively. We’ll see them all on the start line of the final, and in a race that changes so quickly it’s difficult to predict how one race may go. Above all, I’m interested to see how Tideway’s Allen and Molesey’s Bentley match up against each other – on paper, they appear pretty much matched, and Monday’s racing will be an excellent chance for them to assert their clear talent. Of course, the category is not all about these larger boat clubs, and experience in this boat cannot be overlooked: my attention’s on Emily Besley of Notts County RA to take on this race and potentially cause an upset.
About The Author
