As the summer regatta season begins to get into full stride, the Metropolitan Regatta offers the first major opportunity for those looking deep into the summer. Students are done with exams so rowing shall take centre stage. In the double sculls, pairings of old comrades and new friends will be engaged, making it difficult to ascertain the ability of a crew as these pairings have not yet been established but after two distinct days of racing, we will be able to know the doubles to look out for as we head down the stretch.
Leander Club
The most historically successful club in any Olympic Sport, the Leander crews from the Pink Palace are never to be underestimated. They have entered two crews into Saturday’s racing in the doubles. The first is an entirely Leander duo, while the second is a composite of Stephen Hughes and an Edinburgh University Boat Club sculler. The only major results so far this regatta season for Leander was a second place in the double at Wallingford Head so how they will fare in this larger field will be important to see for the season going forward.
City of Oxford Rowing Club/Upper Thames Rowing Club
One double that we can be more confident about the composition of is this one. This crew will likely be the combination of Foster and Scott who placed ninth at Pairs Head. A decent result from this pairing over the long Championship Course back in October, but it will be interesting to see how they progress in their racing here on Saturday.
Reading University Boat Club
Entering four boats into the double sculls on Sunday, Reading University is made up of some very good scullers, picking up gold and bronze in the Championship Double at BUCS Regatta certainly demonstrates the club’s ability to produce great speed in this boat class. The crew in purple will definitely be wanting to dominate the A Final on Sunday, demonstrating both the depth of their squad as well as their top-end pace.
Bath University Boat Club
Another strong University sculling program establishing itself in recent years is the University of Bath. Entering two crews each day (though the crews appear to be distinct) is a sign of wanting to open up opportunities to strike from across their squad, a feat they managed at the BUCS Regatta, placing second in the Championship Double while also winning gold at the Intermediate level in the boat class. They will be hoping to replicate that sort of success this weekend on the Dorney Lake.
London Rowing Club
Traditionally known more for their big boats, London Rowing Club have had a great season in the sculling boats and the nominally ‘B’ crew from their entries on Sunday has been typical of it. The pairing of Curtis and Xu won the overall trophy at the pairs head with Xu managing to double up from his victory at Scullers’ Head. They definitely have significant speed over the longer distances on their home water and will be wanting to translate that over the shorter course nineteen miles to the west.
Prediction
With such a short form book it is difficult to have much certainty as to what will happen but I would expect the crews from Leander and London Rowing Club to be at the front of proceedings on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Filling up the rest of the podium spots and giving them the most trouble probably will be crews from Bath University and Reading University.
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