As the days become shorter and training sessions grow longer and harder I think it’s safe to say we are now well and truly into the depth of this year’s head season. This weekend is one of the busiest we’ve had so far with Head races taking place all over the country. Coaches and junior rowers are anxiously preparing for bigger races on the tideway later on this season so Kingston Small Boats head will be the perfect opportunity for coaches to test crew combinations, prepare athletes for the upcoming Gb trials and to begin their own trialing processes. The race is 5200m downstream from Hampton Court to Stevens Ait and will challenge the athlete’s ability to competitively race over a long distance course as well as give those taking part in GB early ID’s a good chance to practice racing 5k the week before trials begin. With only three entries this year in the Women’s J18 coxed four it will be interesting to watch the crews battle for the top spot as all three crews have considerable experience racing in fours.
Surbiton High School
Last year Surbiton finished sixth in the A final of National schools regatta in the School Girls coxed fours category. Four of Surbiton’s J16 girls competed at the GB vs France match in the women’s 8+ and won gold. Surbiton clearly have a lot of experience in sweep boats so it will be interesting to see if they can match their main opposition from Kingston RC.
Kingston RC
Kingston dominated J16 fours last year, sending their top four athletes to the Gb vs France match to race in the four following their phenomenal win at National Schools Regatta. They seem to have, once again, come out in full force this season with a very convincing win in the Junior Women’s championship fours category at Fours head of the river earlier this month.
St Pauls Girls School
St Pauls girls have had a successful kick off to the season, achieving third place in the junior women’s challenge fours last week at Fours Head, only 0.4 seconds behind second place. Their B crew came tenth in the same category. Other than those results we don’t know too much about the crew entered so it will definitely be interesting to see if they will be able to come out on top against such tough competition.
With only three crews entered its difficult to say who is most likely to finish at the top and claim the gold medal victory, but based on previous results and experience in sweep boats, my predictions are:
- Kingston RC
- Surbiton High School
- St Pauls Girls School
About The Author
