59 scullers will line up to contest Championship singles this year. Amongst them is a host of trialists, emphasising the depth and strength of this field. The crowds will be looking forward to some close racing to determine the winner of this year’s Championship Singles.
Tideway Scullers School ‘A’
Laurence Joss can be considered the favourite going into this event. He placed 6th at the most recent GB trial and this earned him a subsequent seat in the Munich squad. Joss has been a consistently high performer all year and as a result, there is no reason why he cannot take the win this weekend. What is interesting is that he and his club mate, Marcus Jonas have opted for the single scull rather than compete in the bigger boat. it is likely that this call will pay off well for both athletes in question
Tideway Scullers School ‘B’
Marcus Jonas is another quick sculler to come out of the TSS boathouse. Last year he was selected as part of the Coupe 4- and won gold both days. This season has seen him take second place in the Scullers Head as well as place 13th in the first U23 Lightweight trial. The experience of racing U23 athletes will give Jonas a good taste of what is required to really cut it against the best in the country, not just J18s. Expect to see Jonas fighting for a medal come Saturday.
Minerva Bath RC
Following on from being selected as the GB/France sculler in 2016, Jens Hullah has made a big impact on the junior circuit, not least with his ergo scores and he’s only a J17. He has been part of the junior trialing system and his most recent result was third in the ‘D’ final at the Selection Regatta. Hullah is well placed to deliver a strong result at Dorney this weekend and he may even walk away with a medal.
American School in London
Winner of the J16 1x, Tyler Skow will no doubt hope to carry off the Championship title two years down the line. Skow has been one of the forefront scullers throughout the year. 3rd at the Scullers Head combined with his GB trials results, puts Skow in a very good position coming into this weekend. The ASL sculler will undoubtedly be challenging for the top spot and would be disappointed not to come away with a medal.
Maidenhead RC
Sean O’Mahony has had an under par season so far in the single. he won the ‘E’ final at the most recent GB trial but this is not where many would have thought he should have placed. O’Mahony should use this event as redemption and prove he is more than capable of cutting it with the top scullers.
Broxbourne RC
Matt Day will be hoping to build on his season last year, culminating in a win for England in the JM4x at the Home International Regatta in Cardiff Bay. Day will have been disappointed with his Scullers Head result and will hope his winter’s training has been enough to turn this around. Day recent raced IM1 doubles at Nottingham mCity, coming away with the win suggesting he could be a strong contender on Saturday.
Newcastle University
It is always interesting to see how university students fair against the top club and school athletes. Dan Graham will be hoping that the notoriously tough Blue Star programme has landed him in a good position going into this weekend. Graham has been trialing as a junior this year but with one oar rather than two. He won the ‘E’ final in the pair dropping down the rankings from February. That being said, he raced well in the single back at EIDs so it will be intriguing to see how his single scull speed has developed since then
Itchen Imperial RC
Charlie Newbold partnered NUBC’s Dan Graham for the last two trials. Similarly to his former crewmate, it will be interesting to see how he manages the switch back to sculling in a tough field. Despite this, it is likely Newbold will produce a relatively strong result this weekend. A place in the ‘A’ final is a real possibility.
Watch out also for Long from Marlow. The club has opted not to race their quad so it is essential for them that they can produce quick results in smaller boats.
My prediction…Laurence Joss to take the win, followed by Marcus Jonas and Tyler Skow
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