For many, there is something uniquely British about the Coxless fours, with the British Internationals having dominated in this boat class from the days of Redgrave to the more recent victories of Sibihi and Nash. Indeed, the trend towards favouring this category is reflected at National Schools’ Regatta where it is the most popular sweep boat for the J16s.
Many of the crews racing here will be formed from the Championship Eights that will have raced the day prior, and for a select few, they will enter this race with a medal around their necks; but this fact will not detract from the task in hand. These young oarsmen will start under the same shadow that the winning four at the London Olympics did; and the racing promises to be as intense as it was on Super Saturday, back in 2012.
Eton College:
On home waters, Eton will be out to impress, as they did during the first half of the year. At Schools’ Head, the eight that forms the A and B crews in this event came out of the shadows to cast a distinctly Eton Blue silhouette over the rest of their cohort when they stormed down the Championship course to claim the pennant. This built on the strong foundations they set in place at Hammersmith Head where they narrowly missed out on the win after being uprooted and sent to second place by Westminster, who arguably had greater Tideway experience at that point in the Season. In typical Eton style, this crew – like many others – made little appearance at other Heads, possibly leaving their true pedigree under wraps, at least until now…
At Wallingford, these boys dispelled any questioning clouds that hung over their skill as oarsmen when they, once again, launched a successful attack on their opposition that led them to bring home the gold. Eton have surpassed expectations by crafting a winning formula that has allowed them to create what is arguably the most successful junior 16 eight of the season, but on Sunday this will not be what is tested. Rather, this well-bonded crew will be prised apart and instead find themselves in a smaller, lighter boat that requires a technical prowess that they have yet to demonstrate this year. We would be foolish to underestimate what these boys are capable of in such a configuration, but the fact they have less experience in the four than some of their equally reputable opposition is not to be taken lightly.
Westminster:
Seemingly the only crew able to topple Eton during the Head races, Westminster are an equally well-equipped crew, perhaps with a slight advantage over their rivals. Westminster appears to have upped their eights game this year, with a crew that early in the year etched their name into the minds of their opposition when they took the pennant at both Hammersmith and Quintin Head. After this the immense strength of Westminster did not degrade, rather that of their competition increased, resulting in blue toppling pink, and Westminster having to settle for second at SHORR.
But what about this supposed ‘advantage’ this crew have over Eton? Their win in the fours at Wallingford Regatta a matter of days ago seems to fulfil such a statement. On the same course that they will race on later this week, Westminster demonstrated their talent in the four when they beat a number of big names at Wallingford, including Reading Blue Coat School who had dominated the fours throughout the winter. It is this difference that will separate these crews come race day when ergo scores and horsepower will only carry them so far, before self-discipline and technical expertise will take over.
Shiplake:
As with the clubs above, Shiplake will form their four from the eight racing on Saturday, a crew who have so far upheld the Club’s reputation of producing athletes that are not only powerful and technically competent; but also kind and considerate sportsmen. Shiplake are arguably more accustomed to regatta rowing, but they are by no means slow when it comes to racing the clock. At Schools’ Head, they placed fourth in a strong field, although notably slower than their Scottish usurpers, Aberdeen Schools Rowing Association, and almost 20 seconds behind Eton. Much like the boys in blue, however, they did not race at Quintin, instead demonstrated a similar standing at Hammersmith where they placed third in an equally competitive class.
Shiplake have since climbed the ladder to claim a silver medal at Wallingford Regatta, again in the fours, meaning we are again faced with a crew that clearly aims to medal not only in the eights but also here in the fours. Shiplake are one of the few crews who have experienced this season in the fours, but whether this will be enough to subdue the raw horsepower that will be sitting in the boats of their opposition is not a question of physics or biology, but rather one of psychology that will only be answered on the day.
St. Pauls:
Where to begin? The first eight of St. Pauls under Thatcher beat their own Fawley record and then obliterated the course record by 11 seconds at Henley Royal Regatta in 2018 before many of that same crew went on to become world Champions at the Junior World Championships in Racice a matter of weeks later. For the J16s “The best Schoolboy crew. Ever” has been the motivational fuel in their engine, but this seems to have only carried them so far. A mediocre Head Season for a crew with this much potential saw the Eight finish in 5th position at Schools’ Head, a race that saw them only beat their closest rivals, St. Edward’s by a fine margin of 3-tenths of a second. This was their worst performance at any of the major Heads in comparison to their third place at Quintin Head and fourth place at Hammersmith.
In contrast to some of their competitors, St. Pauls turned down the opportunity to race at the first of the ‘big three’ at Wallingford, meaning we are still in the dark about this crews capability in the four in side-by-side racing. St. Pauls have managed to culture some fantastic fours in recent history; both at J16 and Championship level and coach and crew alike will hope to add this combination to that list.
St. Edward’s School:
Perhaps the surprise crew of 2019, St. Edward’s have raised eyebrows with the sudden success of their J16 eight over the duration of the Head Season marked notably by a fifth-place finish at Quintin Head, and crowed by an impressive 6th place on the National Stage at Schools’ Head.
This crew also have a far better regatta record than some of their opposition, albeit in the larger, power focussed eight where they played well to take home the gold at Nottingham City Regatta, and a bronze at the ever-dramatic Wallingford. This then is a crew who whilst may not be bargaining for gold, may well find themselves in a position to finish on the podium, but with only training hours in the four, it will come down to a test of nerve and mental strength in a far quieter boat.
Crews to watch:
Above is only a sneak peek down the 23-crew long list that details the names of nearly 100 oarsmen that will take to the water on Sunday, either fresh into the four, or coming in from the eight of their respective clubs the day before.
Aberdeen Schools’ Rowing Association have dominated the junior circuit in Scotland for a number of years now, and their trip south for schools head solidified such a reputation on a semi-international stage.
It seems that this season has not been the feather in Hampton School’s cap, rather a disappointing Head Season saw them tumble down the rankings to place 10th at Schools’ Head in what some would describe as the nail in the coffin after a quiet season in which bad weather forced the cancellation of their own Head. However, we still have reason to believe this particular cohort will be no small force this weekend. Last year, Hampton’s J15s took home a silver medal in the eights at Marlow, and a bronze in the second eights at NSR: the conclusion? Hampton never have, and never will be a small force to contend with, and this year’s J16s may simply be slow to show the goods, but it would be unwise for any crew to underestimate a club with such a strong track record.
In conclusion:
There is a reason that the fours at National Schools’ are not pushed aside by the big names in junior rowing; because they represent a historic prestige that cannot be replicated by the albeit exciting racing in the eights. The fours demand the perfect balance of power and technique, strategy and psychology in a way that no other boat can, and as the coaches of these schools and clubs begin to imagine the next record-setting boat of next season, those who walk away on Sunday with a medal around their necks will almost certainly be at the top of the list.
Good Luck!
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