Arguably my favourite event on the roster and a category where the standard seems to rise year on year. There is nothing quite like a quad scull in a pattern of unrelenting motion – eight blades in perfect synchronicity and symmetry, tracing soft lines on the water’s surface as they advance from finish to catch. You need only look at what the introduction of the Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta has done for junior women’s sculling in this country – the increase in quality has been exponential and the boy’s side is no exception.
From the outset, this seems like an easy one to call. The Windsor Boys School have swept all before them in their pursuit of domestic glory, winning the Schools’ Head of the River by over 20 seconds and – somewhat scarily – managing to secure four top-ten berths across their quartet of crews. However, if we delve a little deeper, all is not as it seems approaching the apex of the junior racing season…
The Windsor Boys School
Just because I said all wasn’t quite as expected, it doesn’t mean that I don’t still have The Windsor Boys (TWBS) as firm favourites for the Forest Cup. Mark Wilkinson’s squad have had a phenomenal season to date and so far as I can tell are unbeaten with regards to their top crew. Next weekend is an oddity though – their star athlete and recent gold medalist at the Munich International Regatta, Marcus Chute, is not slated to compete in the quad. Due to the new regulations around doubling up on Saturday and Sunday – it’s essentially prohibited – top athletes now have to choose between racing the eight or the four, the quad or the smaller boats. As it stands, Marcus has chosen to pursue the single which certainly weakens the crew. Do I think TWBS will have enough regardless? The short answer is yes – the margin of their dominance this season actually means they can probably afford to take quality athletes out of the quad and still arrive as top contenders. Doesn’t mean that the door isn’t now slightly ajar to their competitors though…
Leander Club
A silver medal in this event was followed up by a bronze last year, which means Leander will be desperate to secure the long-awaited gold. They’ve enjoyed more success in the Fawley Challenge Cup, winning the trophy outright in 2019 after an epic season-long tussle with neighbours Henley Rowing Club. If you’d asked me in March whether they stood any chance of beating TWBS, I’d have had a very short response. Winds are changing though – Leander wound up a couple of seconds behind TWBS at Wallingford Regatta a few weeks ago (TWBS did race in Elite Quads too, which may have meant their ‘junior’ crew was the second boat). With Marcus Chute theoretically stepping out of the boat, there is now the tiniest shred of light for Leander to try and exploit. A big time-trial result might set the cat amongst the proverbial pigeons and show that TWBS are beatable.
Claires Court
If you think about the best schoolboy sculling centres in the UK over the past decade, there are a few names that immediately come to mind. Sir William Borlase and their three wins in four years in the Fawley Challenge Cup from 2012 to 2015. The Windsor Boys School and their remarkable consistency at the summit of schoolboy sculling. And then, Claires Court School (CCBC). The club’s crowning glory came in 2016, when they not only won the Fawley Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta but also secured the historic ‘Triple Crown’ – winning the boys quad title at both the Schools’ Head of the River and National Schools’ Regatta alongside their Henley triumph. This year, under the leadership of new head coach Alex Richardson, their boys squad are looking strong. A sixth-placed finish at the Schools’ Head was followed up by third place at Wallingford Regatta in the junior quads category, seven seconds back on TWBS. Claires Court would absolutely love a medal next weekend and I see that as a realistic possibility.
Marlow Rowing Club
Notable in their absence from Wallingford Regatta a few weeks ago, Marlow were fifth and eighth at the Schools’ Head in March and matched that position at the Oarsport Junior Sculling Head a couple of days later. One of the great strengths for a club like Marlow is their extraordinary talent in both boys and girls sculling; such a deep, speed-rich squad creates opportunity for frequent marginal gain as both sides drive each other forward. Marlow have also been a key conveyor belt for junior sculling talent for several years now and have great coaching resource to call upon. In the battle for medals, I expect to see Marlow feature prominently. I’m not sure they’ve got the baseline speed to overturn TWBS or Leander but the contest between themselves, Claires Court, Henley and Kingston for that bronze medal should be very interesting to watch.
Kingston Rowing Club
Not always found at the sharp end of junior men’s sculling, it is refreshing to see yet another club take their seat at the top table. Kingston naturally have a great pedigree of producing fast junior crews but in recent memory have had a stronger female contingent. That may all be about to change; their men’s quad were bronze medal-winners at the Oarsport Junior Sculling Head, finishing behind two quads from TWBS. A fifth-placed finish at Wallingford, some 12 seconds off the pace set by the front-runners, will not have pleased them and I’m sure they’ll arrive at Dorney Lake with a point to prove next weekend.
Henley Rowing Club
Although they’re not quite the fearsome outfit who, alongside Leander, dominated junior sculling three years ago, Henley are still a force to be reckoned with. They were fourth at Wallingford after a hiatus from racing; their last competitive appearance at national level was the Fours Head in November, where they placed sixth. They appeared to scratch from both the Schools’ Head and Oarsport Junior Sculling Head (where their women’s squads cleaned house on most fronts) so one can only speculate that injury or illness played its part. They’re coming into the National Schools’ Regatta in good form and will certainly be aiming to improve on an agonising fourth-place last year.
Prediction
It’s pretty hard to look beyond TWBS, even with a nominally weaker crew on paper. The sheer strength in depth that they have means they can boat any four of 16+ athletes and still be competitive with the fastest crews in the country. Leander seem a safe bet for silver, provided there are no calamities. In my mind, the real race is on for bronze.
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