This year’s Championship Double Sculls is a stacked event. Spectators will have the honour of seeing the country’s top athletes taking hits out of each other all the way down the course. The top four crews at February’s Great Britain Assessment are all racing this weekend, consequently, we’re in for an awesome finale to this event. 47 crews will race the Time Trial and contest the Fox Tankard.
The Windsor Boy’s School ‘A’
Both Tom Smith and Bryn Ellery already have International experience under their belts this season. The two of them were selected in the Munich squad and Smith was racing at the European Championships just last weekend. Winners in Boston back in February highlights how well this two row together and they will have undoubtedly improved since then. Make no mistake this double is seriously quick and expect to see them at the top of the podium.
Maidenhead RC ‘A’
If anyone can topple the boys from Windsor, it is this double. Victor Kleshnev and Harrison Rowe need no introduction. Maidenhead settled for second behind Windsor back in Boston, albeit in a different combination. That being said Kleshnev and Rowe placed 2nd and 4th respectively in at the April Selection Regatta emphasising they are the quickest athletes in their dominant club. Maidenhead certainly have the speed to win, thus making this race exceptionally hard to call.
The Windsor Boy’s School ‘B’
Despite being a ‘B’ crew, the system in place at Windsor has created a powerful second boat that is almost as quick as their ‘A’ boat. It is highly likely that both Windsor boats will feature in the ‘A’ final and it is definitely not out of the question that there will be two Windsor crews on the podium. This ‘B’ boat also contains trialists, Isaac Workman and Tom Shewell. As a result, any crew who doubts this boat simply because they are the second boat need to wake up as this boat will be pushing for a medal.
Marlow RC
The season got off to a promising start for Marlow, dominating youth quads at The Head of the Charles. Since then, their quad has not quite had the speed to beat the top crews. Despite this, their top two scullers, Ben Simon and Joe Wolfin placed fourth in this boat in Boston as well as 3rd and 6th respectively in the ‘B’ final at the Selection Regatta. This highlights speed in small boats they have not quite managed to achieve in the quad this season. Consequently, a lot is riding on this boat to perform and these two should feel confident of placing well in the ‘A’ final.
Tideway Scullers School
Both Marcus Jonas and Laurence Joss have had their share of success this season. Joss raced in Munich and returned home with some silverware while Jonas has been involved in the Lightweight U23 trials, following success at the Coupe last year. Given the caliber of these athletes, a medal is certainly not out of the question and these two are more than capable of achieving this goal.
Westminster School
Dubin and Allen placed 6th and 7th respectively over the Scullers Head course. This, combined with positive results their quad has been churning out all year suggests this double has a great deal of potential. Allen will hope to draw upon his Coupe experience in order to create as much speed as possible. While it is unlikely this crew will feature in the medals, a spot in the ‘A’ final is an achievable aim.
Maidenhead RC ‘B’
Eduardo Marshall and Elliott Kemp make up Maidenhead’s second boat. Similarly to Windsor’s second boat, this crew is not to be underestimated given the depth of experience. This is the second of five entries from Westminster and both these scullers have been a part of the trialing system throughout the season taking the top two spots in the ‘B’ final in April. As a result, it is highly likely that this boat could feature on the podium, further demonstrating the strength of the club.
Amercian School in London
Tyler Skowe, one of the most promising athletes in the country, teams up with Josey Troyer in a strong combination. While we have not seen a great deal from this combination throughout the season, they did win Elite Doubles at Wallingford Long Distance, showing early season speed. No doubt they will have improved their overall boat speed and should be a crew to watch out for going into this weekend.
Leander ‘A’ & ‘B’
Leander has split their top quad into two doubles and it will be interesting to see how they fair against the established top brass. Leander has predominantly raced in the bigger boat during the year and so it is hard to tell how fast these boats can go. Nevertheless, given the pedigree of this club, at least one of these crews will be pushing for an ‘A’ final.
Both The King’s School, Worcester and Glasgow Academy must get notable mentions. As part of a strong King’s Quad, James Beattie and Rufus Tilt will look to turn quad speed into double speed and make an impact against the top crews. As for the Scots, they placed 8th back in February so it will be interesting to see how they have progressed since then.
My prediction…Either Windsor or Maidenhead to win
6 man
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