It’s time once again for the Diamond Jubilee hype to begin in earnest; in just under 30 days, the first junior women’s quads will line up in the shadow of Temple Island.
As we write our previews, the commentators conduct their research, and pundits place their bets, and there’s only one gospel to which we’ll all turn: the NSR results page. A good result will help you avoid the perils of qualifiers and seed you directly into the draw, whilst a poor showing at Dorney could spell an early end to your dreams of Henley glory.
With 26 crews entered into the Sherrif’s, there’s no shortage of competition, though a few names do stand out amongst the rest…
Shiplake College Boat Club
The (new) Old Guard
This time last year, Shiplake were beginning their unrelenting march through the summer racing calendar, clocking up wins at NSR, HWR, Brit Champs and, of course, Henley Royal. With six of the eight girls from the two quads of last season returning to Dan Safdari’s programme this year, many expected another dominant performance, but whilst the bees are buzzing around the top of the rankings, they’re no longer red-hot favourites.
In March, Shiplake recovered from a slightly shakey third-place finish at Fours Head with a win at Schools’ Head, with their closest competition – Marlow – finishing almost 10 seconds behind. Since regatta season kicked off, they’ve secured silver and The Scullery, finishing just over a second behind Marlow.
Thus, a mixed bag of results for Shiplake – they have the ability to take gold this weekend, but it won’t be the walk in the park they enjoyed last year.
Marlow Rowing Club
A Score to Settle
Making the final of Henley Royal Regatta is a special feeling, matched only by the equally special, yet more malevolent, sensation of crossing the finish line second in said final. This is the sour taste left in Marlow’s mouth at the end of last year – perhaps somewhat reminiscent of the 2018 PE final, in which an outstanding schoolboy crew that in any other year would have won easily was outdone by a crew operating at a different level entirely.
If Marlow does, as I suspect, have a score to settle, they’ve kicked their season off right: Second place at SHORR and HOR4s, followed by a win at the Scullery, puts them in the running for a win at National Schools’. A club that often has a tendency to perform better over 2K than a winding head course has yet again produced a crew capable of outstanding results. Marlow will be in the leading pack some next Saturday, giving their all to right the wrongs of last season.
Headington School Oxford Boat Club:
The Silent Killers?
It’s rare for Headington to boat a crew that doesn’t have at least the potential to medal, but this somewhat unexpected entry puts four of Headington’s top athletes in the quad whilst the eight has been scratched.
As a result, we have little data to reliably compare the horses to their competition. A second-place finish at Schools’ Head places them firmly in the running for a medal, but nothing can be guaranteed.
Wycliffe College Boat Club
The Steady Wildcards
Another of last year’s top performers, Wycliffe, returns to NSR with a point to prove: they too can play in the big leagues.
Choosing not to enter the traditionally significant winter heads, Wycliffe kicked off the year by cleaning up at Scullers’ Head before letting the rest of the country fight for scraps at Schools’ Head and Fours Head. A strong third-place at The Scullery Regatta (and a win at The Junior Sculling Head), however, gives them firm ground atop which they can flex their muscle.
We don’t always see Wycliffe on the circuit, but when they appear, they don’t pull any punches, so expect a ferocious show at NSR.
Molesey Boat Club
New Blood
Quick on the Tideway, Molesey has already cleaned up at Schools’ Head and Fours Head, with 3rd and 5th place finishes, respectively. Their performance on the lakes is less certain, but the delta between the two sets of rankings is usually minimal. As such, I’d expect to see a Molesey crew line up for the A-Final, though I can’t see them overturning some of the crews listed above when it comes to the fight for medals.
The Lea Rowing Club
Will they, won’t they?
Rocketing themselves into the peripheries of commentators after an impressive 4th-place finish at Schools’ Head, Lea had a flying start to the year. At the Junior Sculling Regatta, however, they dropped to the bottom of the A-final, making their potential this weekend a little murkier than some of the other candidates here. Lea has the potential to throw some of the heavyweight schools around, but whether it comes off on the day is yet to be seen…
Predictions:
Gold – Shiplake
Silver – Marlow
Bronze – Headington
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