With just over a month left before Henley qualifiers, National Schools’ Regatta marks an important point in the season as one of the last checkpoints of boat speed before crews are finalised for the big one. With the championship double category hosting 28 entries it is sure to be a fierce contest for whoever is to be crowned national champion in 2023.
Windsor Boys School
When talking about expertise and class in junior boys sculling then look no further than the WBSBC machine that Mark Wilkinson has developed. With their double coming second in the time trial at the Junior Sculling Regatta before going on to finish joint first in the final just a few weeks ago they will be looking to go one step further this time and secure the win as they look to repeat their complete domination from last year’s event. Jakub Truter raced for Great Britain at the GB France Match last year and is a seasoned competitor.
Exeter
One of the smaller clubs on the scene, Exeter Rowing Club have produced some very quick crews in the past and this one looks to be no exception. With a fourth-place at the Junior Sculling Regatta, behind Windsor and the not-entered Marlow, they should be feeling confident to close up the margin from a few weeks ago and spoil the Windsor party.
Peterborough City Rowing Club
After finishing third at the Junior Sculling Regatta, this crew should be in a great position to make the podium. Peterborough often produce competitive smaller boats and this double is no different – Bert Papworth was a gold medalist at the British Junior Championships as a J14 and narrowly missed out on a bronze at the 2021 edition in the Junior 16 Quad category.
St Andrew Boat Club
The surprise package at last year’s Henley Royal Regatta, the Patton brothers are back in action after making the semi-final of the Fawley Challenge Cup in 2022. Alex Patton raced at the Munich International Regatta a few weeks ago, finishing eighth overall in the Men’s Double. I think this crew have a really good shot at taking the win – they’re both seasoned athletes with great racing pedigree. Plus, siblings always tend to fare well in small boats together…
Hereford Cathedral School
One of the fastest-rising boat clubs in the country, Herford burst onto the scene a couple of years ago with a ferociously fast Junior 16 quad that swept all before them at this event. Although this crew does not feature any of those four athletes, a Hereford double won the junior category at Wallingford Regatta a few weeks back.
Trentham
My outside shout for this years event is Trentham. This is because they have been doing tidy business in the sculling scene this year. After finishing second in the ‘B’ final a few weeks ago, they should be feeling confident to push on and bridge the gap into the A Final. From what I can tell it’s quite a young combination but they are still definitely one to look out for.
Prediction
I think this is going to be a great tussle between Windsor, St Andrew Boat Club and Peterborough for gold. Minor medal competition should come from Exeter, Trentham, Hereford, St Peter’s School and Hinksey.
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