“To make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from” – T.S Eliot, “Four Quartets”
Only a short week after the second of the British junior rowing “triple” (SHORR, NSR, HRR), comes yet another trip to Dorney Lake for 2024’s Metropolitan Regatta. I find that Met goes hand in hand nicely with Marlow Regatta, both of which are nightmarish to bookies or betters, given their constant overturning of the results established at the recently foregone National Schools’ Regatta (for example in 2022, when Radley beat Teddies to the A-final at Marlow, after losing to them by some seven seconds at the National Schools’ Regatta only a few weeks before). So, before checking the results on the evening of June 1st, and even before reading the rest of this preview, try your best to leave any predictions you might have behind, as they’ll do you no good when it comes to the Metropolitan Regatta.
Eton College Boat Club
I’ve made the decision to put these boys at the top of this preview, due to their A-final result at this year’s National Schools’ Regatta. After storming out of the blocks in a commanding first 500 metres, behind the would-be-winners by a mere 0.76 seconds at the split, the 2024 Eton outfit maintained serious connection with this year’s favourites, St. Pauls, for the vast majority of the race, even in spite of their perhaps unfavourable lane. Yet, alas, it seemed as though the composure they maintained down the course just seemed to slip, nudging them to the slowest final 500 out of all eight crews in the A-final, and subsequently half a second away from the podium. So, coming into this year’s Metropolitan Regatta, I have no doubt in my mind that Eton will return to their home water with a vengeance about them. They’ll take confidence from the experience within their crew, which includes the likes of Alex Perkins and Inigo Shorrock sat at either end of the boat, both of whom return from last season a GB cap richer. These boys have a point to prove, and I imagine they’ll want to do so for a favourable seed at the blue-riband summer regatta.
Westminster School Boat Club “A”
Another crew I look forward to watching at the Metropolitan Regatta this year are the men in pink, Westminster School. After a very credible performance at National Schools’ Regatta, improving their final position of last year by one place, I reckon they’ll be looking forward to Met, as an opportunity to get as much racing under their belt before Henley. A reason I’m particularly excited to see this Westminster crew, is because while they performed admirably at the National Schools’ Regatta, I think they have more to give. Even though they came seventh, they had an outrageous push in the dying embers of the race, completing the final 500 metres an entire second faster than the rest of the field. With that, I reckon with a slightly earlier call for that red-buoy mentality, Westminster could seriously upset the established finish positions.
Abingdon School Boat Club
Abingdon School Boat Club, in recent history, have churned out athletes of the very highest calibre (Digby, Ragoussis, Rossiter, to name a few), so there is no question that their set up / programme is one that is tried, tested, and trusted. However, a 13th-placed position in the National Schools’ Regatta time trial will render their work as very much ‘cut out for them’. I reckon Calum Forrest and his band of seven behind him will have to dig deep and really pull out all the stops if they want to take it to the likes of Eton College and Westminster School. However, that is in no way to say that they can’t. The common response to adversity today is to simply ‘lock in’, and should the group from Oxfordshire do so, I wouldn’t doubt an impressive run, and one they would be proud of when looking back on their race.
Other Crews
Other crews entered in the Open Junior Eights Category include Kew House School Boat Club ‘A’ and ‘B’, Hampton ‘B’ and ‘C’, Claires Court BC, and a second Westminster crew. Given the age of KHSBC, established only in 2018, I think there is lots to be commended, such as their quickly-growing boat club size. With other crews such as Hampton and Claires Court, they’ll be keen to see where they stand in comparison to one another, testing their speed once more before further summer regattas, such as Marlow and of course Henley Royal Regatta.
Prediction
As I said, predictions are tough with these pre-Henley races, as they so frequently overturn previous ideas of speed. With that said, I think it would be suitable to throw out what many would consider a risk. Could pink be the new light blue? We’ll see very soon.
- Westminster School Boat Club A
- Eton College Boat Club
- Abingdon School Boat Club
- Westminster School Boat Club B
- Hampton B
- Kew House School Boat Club A
- Claires Court
- Hampton C
- Kew House School Boat Club B
About The Author
