This year with the exclusion of ‘doubling up’ it means that the entrant sheet for the Championship pairs category is rather slim, with only 7 crews entering the event. Despite that lack of spectators this year meaning that the environment will be more lacklustre than the last 2019 regatta, I am sure that all of the crews will be eager to attack the course after months of being deprived of racing. This marks the start of a summer chock full of regattas.
Radnor House School Rowing Club
The stroke of the Radnor House pair, Archie Adams, raced as the stroke of the J16 4+ back in 2019 which took third place in the A final. The bowman Alexander Skaane raced as the three seats of the J14 4x+ in 2019 which finished fourth overall. Success then will depend if Skaane can convert his sculling expertise into sweeping and steering, and whether the pair can match their ability together.
Leeds Rowing Club
Stroked by Joe Bramham Butts, the Leeds pair has experience but not one that involves finals or indeed semi-finals for that matter, and Bell was in the same boat quite literally. Both raced in the same combination as a J16 double, so for them to succeed they need to be able to move their pair better than they moved their double.
Norwich School Boat Club
Stroke man Matthew Doyland raced in the Norwich J15 8+ which took the crowning place on the podium, beating out both KCS and Radley to take the gold. Clearly then we can see that they have some experience on the podium. Bowman Sonny Cooper was also a member of the J15 8+ that took the category by storm breaking the record for that category. However, Cooper has switched sides since then so their success in this event will rely on how well he will have retained their speed and how fast they can move their boat.
Latymer Upper School Boat Club
Stroked by Orlando Morley the Latymer pair looks like a solid midfield team, with some contention. Racing in the J16 4+ as the two-man the boat finished 6th in the A final showing some solid performance but being bested by Twickenham Rowing Club, the stroke man of which (Archie Adams) is also racing in the Champ pairs category. Old nemesis then will be battling it out on the course then this weekend. The bowman Vlademer Proudnikov also raced in the J16 4+ so it will be interesting to see if they have managed to extract some more speed over the years to boost their performance from midfield to podium positions
Monmouth School Rowing Club
Stroke by Alfie Wynter this pair is a potential wild card. Wynter raced the J15 4+ in 2019 with Hereford rowing club, who gained some silverware in that event, placing second in the A final. The bowman of this boat is Angus Whitehead rowed at the 5 seat of the Monmouth J16 8+ who did not make it past the time trial stages of the 2019 regatta. Success for them will depend on whether Wynter will be able to pass on his expertise to Angus.
Kings School Canterbury
Stroke by James Crawley this pair has not had too much success in the past. Crawley is an example of one of the athletes who doubled up in the 2019 regatta. He raced in the pair in 2019 in the same combination that he is racing in 2021 with but unfortunately it did not make it past the time trial. For them to turn out at good result then they need to have extracted some more speed from their combination since 2019.
Radley College Boat Club
Radley have always put strong performances on the water and off the water, so high standards are waiting for this pair. Stroked by Richard Locke who raced the Ch1x in 2019 and did not make it past the time trial, this boat promises to be a strong midfield contender with the bowman Bert Dreyer having doubled up in 2019, racing the J16 8+ and the J16 4-. It will be interesting to see if they have found some extra speed over lockdown.
Prediction
Norwich boat club to take the gold, with Radnor house hot on their heels and Latymer battling it out with Radley to third.
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