This Marlow pair contains what looks to be the clubs’ 5th and 6th ranked athletes from their 8, and having taken the win at Wallingford, should be aiming for a good medal on Sunday. They will be fatigued from Saturday’s tough racing as some of the other crews will not be, however they seem to have shown decent speed so far this season and this still leaves them aiming for the top spot in the A final.
This Lea pair have put in a solid performance so far this season, with both Downley and Donald attending February trials, having come a respectable 7th in this pair. They should realistically have the horsepower to be in with a shot at the medals, especially with their experience racing this boat in a high class field like GB trials, and it will be exciting to see what they can do on race day.
I’m not sure of the exact nature of the St Paul’s Girls’ pair as Thomson has picked up some decent results previously in the season such as a 5th place in Pairs Head just 4 seconds behind Lea with Valt, whereas Lewis failed to qualify for the J16G2- last year with another member of their club. I know Thomson and Valt have proved themselves as a strong combination so far, and if an equally successful partnership has been formed here with Lewis, I can see this pair as being in contention for a top medal.
Headington A/B/C – Headington have entered three pairs in this event, however as they have chosen to do a top double and a second quad, the athletes making up these pairs will be weaker, although due to the strength of Headington’s programme, they cannot be underestimated. I believe the B pair is the bottom end of CHG8+, which unless barring a major catastrophe, will be looking to secure an 8th consecutive win in this event. The other two Headington pairs have not made the schools top 8 and therefore I cannot see them making it into the medals, although the A final is likely.
Surbiton – This crew looks to contain two out of the Surbiton boat who placed 3rd last year in the coxed fours category, and therefore should be looking to make the A final and put in a solid performance as they have shown they are relatively proficient sweepers.
LEH – Hughes and Bajwa do not seem to be in LEH’s top or second 8+ and have therefore done less racing this year than some of their peers. I think they will struggle to final, but may end up with a good performance in the B final.
Borlase I believe to have entered a top four on Sunday and as they have fielded an eight weaker than last year but still showing some decent performances this year, this pair will still be aiming for a solid finish in the A final.
Lea, Marlow and St Paul’s Girls’ will all be battling it out in the championship girls eights the previous day, but in a slightly weaker field without the presence of Glasgow Academy, I believe it could be these three crews that end up with a medal
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