So here it is. At the beginning of the season the National Schools’ Regatta is an aim for many and is certainly one of the most competitive events of the junior calendar. First raced in 1947, the regatta now contests 50 different events and the Championship Girls Quads has become one of the headline races. Over the past few years, the Sheriff Cup has been awarded to Henley Rowing Club, Shiplake College Boat Club and Marlow Rowing Club – but who will it be this year?
Wycliffe Junior Rowing Club
The girls at Wycliffe have blown open the duopoly enjoyed for so long by Headington and Henley, with wins in the quadruple sculls at the Junior Sculling Head and the Junior Sculling Regatta alongside a stunning victory on the Thames in the Junior Girl’s Eight at the Schools’ Head of the River. They even set the new course record at the Junior Sculling Regatta and have had international representation from three scullers at the Munich International Regatta. Debate raged – which boat would they prioritise? Greg Flower has chosen the quad with only one aim in mind – gold.
Henley Rowing Club
A staple of the junior rowing circuit, HRC are another club who have maintained success in both the eight and quad. They took victory in the quad at Fours Head and Wallingford Head before Christmas and were less than five seconds behind Wycliffe at the Junior Sculling Regatta. Could this be a difference that can be made up ahead of next weekend?
Marlow Rowing Club
Back in the hope of retaining their title, Marlow are another crew whose presence in the ‘A’ final should be something of a certainty. Beyond that, it is truly anybody’s guess. They placed first at the Schools’ Head of the River and recently came fourth at the Junior Sculling Regatta. Can they ascend to a podium position or does their strength lie in the longer courses of the head season? We’ll have to wait and see…
Tideway Scullers School
The Tideway Scullers displayed strong performances throughout the head season, claiming third at the Fours Head and Schools’ Head of the River. More recently, they won at Wallingford Regatta and traveled to Ghent International Spring Regatta, taking home silver in the WU194x.
Shiplake College Boat Club
Adding to the competitive nature of this category are the girls from Shiplake. At the recent Munich International Regatta, Shiplake’s Jessica Weir won three events, twice in the quad and once in the double. Therefore, with some of the strongest scullers in the country, the college is likely to mirror this success at the upcoming National Schools’ Regatta. Their junior girls quad won silver at the Schools’ Head of the River and have enjoyed historic success at events such as National Schools’ Regatta and Henley Royal Regatta. They will surely be another crew to make the ‘A’ final of the Sheriff Cup.
Kingston Grammar School Boat Club
The final entry predicted to make the top six is Kingston Grammar School, who have maintained strong performances throughout the entire season. Their results include a fourth-placed finish at the Schools’ Head of the River, second at Hampton Small Boats Head and sixth at the Junior Sculling Regatta and they will therefore be going into the National Schools’ Regatta expecting another strong showing.
Predictions
To conclude, it seems clear that Wycliffe are heading for gold followed by Henley and a battle between Marlow, Tideway and Shiplake for the bronze medal. As ever, the Sheriff Cup is going to be a highly contested event with possible course records broken. Good luck to all racing; we can’t wait to see the results.
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