It’s that time of year again. The National Schools’ Regatta returns to Dorney Lake for the 2023 edition. With 18 entries, the Boys J16 Quads looks to be as exciting as ever as each of these crews will fight through the time trial and eventually into the finals as to hopefully give themselves the best chance of walking away from this weekend with a coveted NSR medal draped round their neck.
Windsor Boys School
I don’t think you could find one 2023 men’s sculling JRN preview (albeit as long as they are entered) where Windsor Boys School are not only mentioned but predicted to do well. Within the Junior 16 Quad lineup, these boys look poised to mimic the success of their predecessors and fulfill this reputation. They dominated the Junior Sculling Head in March but slipped up a little to only place fifth at the Junior Sculling Regatta (they caught a boat-stopping crab in the third 500m). Their split times show that they were four seconds clear at the 1000m mark so were in a position of dominance and would have been expecting to win had it not been for that mishap. These boys will be looking to bounce back and lift the Kingston Cup this weekend.
Molesey Boat Club
The only crew I can realistically see challenging the likes of Windsor Boys is that of a perfectly prepped and primed Molesey quad. They won the Junior Sculling Regatta, ten seconds ahead of the aforementioned WBS, which shows they clearly have some speed in the bank and are entirely capable of attaining a medal this weekend. Furthermore, after taking the win at Poplar Regatta, this will hopefully have given these boys the confidence to imbue a winner’s mentality and not settle for second-best.
Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School BC
Another boat in the hunt for silverware will be Sir William Borlase. A clash between Windsor and Borlase throws you back to yesteryear, where the two were regularly competing at the summit of junior rowing. This crew look to have had multiple strong performances this season, ranking in the top five at the Junior Sculling Head before placing fifth at the Junior Sculling Regatta, a matter of inches behind Kingston Grammar School. This is sure to have these boys fired up and chasing a spot on the podium come this weekend.
Kingston Grammar School BC
I also think Kingston Grammar will be in the frame for a podium placement this weekend. They were third at the Junior Sculling Regatta a few weeks ago and as the silver medalists (Great Marlow School) are not racing, they now possess a clear line of sight on gold.
Lea Rowing Club
At the recent Junior Sculling Regatta, there was less than five seconds between third, fourth, fifth and sixth places in the Junior 16 quads. With all of these crews competing again this weekend, the race for bronze is arguably the most compelling component on display. Lea were sixth and will be looking to overhaul the likes of Borlase and Kingston Grammar.
Predictions
If I was to be crudely realistic, the top of this podium looks to be very much firmly set to have Windsor Boys School standing at the top of it. The Junior Sculling Regatta final threw up a bit of a surprise, which allowed Molesey to step into the breach, but I expect Windsor to bounce back and claim the gold. The true excitement of this event will come in the contest for the remaining two medal positions with Molesey, Lea, Sir William Borlase, and Kingston Grammar all arguably too close currently to accurately predict as to where they will all place. This definitely looks to be one to watch unfold come race day.
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