Against all the odds, National Schools’ Regatta is back, and it’s back with a vengeance! For many of these juniors it is the first chance to race for a long time and it’s even more of a motive to leave it all out on the water. It’s very encouraging to see, and perhaps is a testament to both the strength of girls sculling in the UK and the continued growing importance of the quad category, so many boats in this coxless quad second crew event. With many of them having counterparts in the championship category, it will be fascinating to see who comes out on top in both.
Headington:
A quad category is not complete without these bastions of girls junior rowing. Headington continues to dominate the field and be a marker for other clubs, however it will be interesting to see if their second crew can be as successful as their first. If so, it will only solidify the place Headington has on the girls sculling scene. Both Jones and Horan have seen their fair share of racing at National Schools’, with both of them having competed in 2019. Horan was also part of the J16 coxed four that got into the semi-finals at Henley Women’s in the same year, true to form, this is a crew to watch.
Wallingford:
A club used to rowing on their leafy portion of the Thames, Wallingford has grown into a force to be reckoned with and this crew is no exception. With their J16 coxless quad, that included stroke Freya Sharp, coming second in the time trials at Henley Women’s and then getting knocked out in the first round by the only crew that beat them, they will be hoping to go one better this season. That same season in 2019, the J16 4x- came third at the National Schools’ regatta. This is a crew that has an excellent pedigree and there is no reason why they shouldn’t perform well this coming weekend.
Nottingham and Union:
This is a club that is no stranger to winning at National Schools’. Two of the girls in this crew raced in the winning J15 eight in 2019, with Kirkham also racing in the coxed J15 quad that same weekend and coming 5th. They may be J17, but this is a potentially very fast crew. Nottingham and Union row on the River Trent and are a dominant club in the region, this has also translated to very good performances in these national competitions and their strength may have only increased.
Surbiton:
Another crew that is made up of girls who performed well in the J15 eights category at NSR in 2019, with Richardson, McKillop and Haynes coming 5th overall. Surbiton have a relatively good track record at these events, with crews qualifying for Henley Women’s in the J18 quads and just missing the mark in the J16 coxed fours. If they have continued to improve from this 2019 result then this could be a crew to watch.
Predictions:
As to be expected, predicting the outcome of these races is particularly difficult considering the last year of no competitions, but with that being said the calibre and reputation of Headington make them the ones to watch going into this. However, the crew from Wallingford have the potential to do very well, perhaps even snatch the win. The crew from Nottingham and Union also look strong. Out of the other crews not mentioned here, the Bedford Modern boat could potentially cause some upset and it’s always a mistake to rule out any crew from Putney High School. All in all, it will be a great category to watch!
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