The blue riband event for scullers and, for many, the most aesthetic of boat classes. A top quality quad is like little else on the circuit – the precision, finesse and symmetry required to lever this class of boat from point A to point B is unmatched anywhere else in rowing. After Maidenhead’s quest for the Triple was cruelly shattered by a resurgent Windsor Boys on the waters of Henley, 2019 offers new crews the chance to inscribe their names in the record books.
Leander
Finally, the Pink Palace have produced a junior crew capable of packing a knock-out punch. That’s not a derogatory statement towards quads of old, who have always been amongst the pack in the home straight, but this outfit look the real deal. They won the National Sculling Head by 22 seconds, producing the fastest time of the day, and also recorded a 1-2 at the Fours Head, finishing some 30 seconds ahead of third place. More recently, they won both Challenge and Junior Quads at Wallingford Regatta and look set to take the Forest Cup next weekend. Can anyone stop them? Recent history would suggest not – rarely has a crew entered an event looking as imperious as Leander look right now and not come away with the relevant silverware. That said, stranger things have happened – Maidenhead look almost guaranteed a Henley red box before slipping to defeat against The Windsor Boys School. Leander will be wary of similar disasters approaching next weekend.
Henley Rowing Club
The Henley boys squad has flown under the radar relative to the success of their female cohort over the past few years, but appear to finally be attaining results worthy of coverage parity. They’ve tracked Leander’s shadow closely this year, unable to overturn their local rivals but never too far behind. They were second at the Junior Sculling Head and finished second in Challenge Quads at Wallingford Regatta in the morning. That afternoon however, they were beaten into third in Junior Quads by Claires Court School which leaves much to be decided at Dorney.
Claires Court School
Relatively speaking, these boys are new entrants to the junior quads scene. They first boated a competitive quad back in 2013, when their J16 boys finished in the A-final at the National Schools’ Regatta and qualified for Henley Royal in the Fawley Challenge Cup. Since then, it’s been a meteoric rise from Tom Jost’s boys – they won the Triple in 2016 and surprised everyone in making the final at Henley again in 2017. They boated a J16 crew last year, who got through a round, but they’re back to impose themselves on the sculling scene in 2019. It’ll be interesting to see how far these boys can go – they’ve not really got anywhere near Leander all year but will only get faster as the year goes on.
Lea Rowing Club
It’s always a real pleasure to see this club punching above their weight in the junior rowing world. They’ve blown hot and cold in this event over the past few years, rarely making too much of a dent on proceedings but 2019 looks like it could see return on their investment in the form of silverware. They won bronze at the Scullery, behind Leander and Henley, and finished fourth in Junior Quads at Wallingford Regatta. The week before, they won the quads event at the Junior Sculling Regatta so they’ve managed a lot of racing on the straights of Dorney. A podium finish at the National Schools’ Regatta would be an outstanding result.
Walton Rowing Club
We haven’t seen a top-end quad from Walton since the days of Ollie Knight. That crew made the final of the Fawley Challenge Cup with Ollie in the stroke seat – aged 15 – and this boat will be looking to replicate the famous feats of yesteryear. Another crew who have consistently featured towards the front of the pack this year, they finished second behind Lea at the Junior Sculling Regatta and were fourth and second respectively in J18 and J17 quads at the Scullery back in March. Having lost out to Lea two weeks ago, they’ll be eyeing vengeance next Saturday.
Bedford School
I’d be remiss not to mention this crew. Bedford appear to have stacked their quad this year as opposed to the eight, racking up a number of notable results through the year. They won Junior Challenge Quads back in November at the Fours Head before finishing fifth at the Scullery in Junior 18 quads. An intensive Easter break followed, and their first appearance this summer came on home water at Bedford Regatta. They matched up against a much fancied Star Club quad, beating them in the final of Junior Quads by a length. Star Club finished fourth at the Junior Sculling Regatta, so we can only assume that Bedford would have placed higher up the rankings hence their inclusion here. After a stunning 2018, which involved victory in First Eights at the National Schools’ Regatta, it will be interesting to see what they can achieve with two blades.
Prediction
There are a few other crews who I haven’t gone into too much detail on; Stat Club, who have looked strong this regatta season, Sir William Borlase, who finished third at the Junior Sculling Regatta, Warrington Rowing Club, who have always traditionally produced strong junior quads, The Windsor Boys School, who we’d be foolish to write off having seen none of their quality all year and Tideway Scullers School, who preformed well at Wallingford Regatta two weeks ago.
Overall though, it’s hard to look beyond the sheer brilliance of Leander. They’ve beaten everybody in their path this season, and by convincing margins, and I believe a gold medal awaits next weekend. Henley, Claires Court and Lea look a cut above the rest in terms of the chasing pack and will likely fight it out for podium places.
About The Author
