Second only to the Henley Royal Regatta, the National Schools’ Regatta marks a pivotal point in the regatta season, creating one of few spectacles where clubs are guaranteed to line up their top junior crews head to head for a battle down the course. With over six months of preparation behind them, the only way for a crew to get an edge now is through exceptional grit, determination and fortitude. And if there is one thing that can be assured in the championship open quadruple sculls, it will be an all-out onslaught for the podium.
Windsor Boys’ School Boat Club
With illness in the squad dropping them down to fourth at the Schools’ Head of the River, and two of their top rowers being commandeered by the GB team for Wallingford Regatta and Junior Sculling Regatta, astoundingly, Windsor are still yet to have revealed the potency of their top crew on UK waters. This, however, hasn’t stopped them from racing abroad. At the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, USA, they took the win in the JM4x+, and have since followed this with a second place in the junior quads at the Head of the Heineken in Amsterdam. Going into this regatta, a podium placement seems well within reach for this tenacious crew. With the might and the legacy of such a prestigious club behind them, anything is within the realm of possibility. Nevertheless, with so few races under their belt this year, whether or not they have enough racing experience together remains ambiguous.
Marlow Rowing Club
Marlow is clearly a crew eager for the top spot, with a second place at Schools’ Head of the River to finish off the head season, and a second at National Schools’ Regatta last year too. With an unfortunate habit of just missing out on titles, this club can smell victory, but never quite grab hold of it. Their performance at Schools’ Head was impressive, but they were still nine seconds off winners Tideway Scullers School, and coming down the course they were not the cleanest crew, suggesting they could gain speed simply with a little extra composure. However, with the same athletes from last year returning for redemption, they certainly have a solid foundation to build off, along with a plethora of experience their competitors may lack. With nothing being seen of them so far this regatta season, I am sure they will enter National Schools’ as an ominous shadow at the forefront of their competitor’s minds. Yet, it remains to be seen if they have closed the gap to Tideway, or if they can fend off Windsor.
Tideway Scullers School
Since their dominant performances during the head season earlier this year, Tideway have hidden their top crew from the spotlight. They were absent from Wallingford Regatta and fielded a significantly weaker crew at the Junior Sculling Regatta. This was mainly due to their top sculler, Thomas Patrick, being occupied in Munich for the International Junior Regatta, which saw him take fourth in his heat in the JM2x. So with little being seen of this crew in two months, will any clubs have managed to close the gap to them? Questions also need to be raised about whether they benefitted from a home water advantage at Schools’ Head, as the only top crew familiar with the troublesome Tideway waters. In any case, since then they have made a change to the lineup, with Kai Adeyemi replacing Ziggy Visgirda, an adjustment they certainly hope will provide an extra boost. The prowess of Tideway cannot be denied, particularly considering they took the win in the Fawley Challenge Cup at Henley only three years ago.
Hinksey Sculling School
Hinksey has been one of the most forthcoming clubs this regatta season, appearing at both Wallingford Regatta and the Junior Sculling Regatta, although not boating their top crew at either event. They finished second at Wallingford, missing out on the win to Leander by just 0.4 seconds, while also missing their top bow seat, Toby Harris. The next day they fielded their ‘B’ crew at JSR, which ultimately finished sixth. Since this hectic weekend, their two-seat Max Campbell Reide dropped his 2k ergo even lower, now below 6:10, meaning this crew also has a large engine to back their technique. Still, so far this regatta season, this crew has struggled to overcome opponents they should (at least on paper) be walking through, such as in their heat at Wallingford where they tussled with Reading RC to the line, only triumphing by 0.2 seconds. Still, despite some inconsistencies, this crew can be trusted to turn up the heat when pressured and provided they have made valuable technical changes recently, I expect them to be at the front of the pack.
Leander Club
Despite a slightly lacklustre performance during head season, capped off by a fifth-placed finish at the Schools’ Head of the River, Leander have arrived into regatta season on the front foot, taking the win at both Wallingford Regatta and the Junior Sculling Regatta. As the incumbent Fawley Challenge Cup holders, they have had a target on their back all season, but have not yet succumbed to the pressure. In fact, their first achievements this regatta season have been accomplished without their top sculler, Byron Richards. With a 2k ergo not far off sub-six minutes, getting him back in the boat will give Leander an invaluable elevation in power. If other crews aren’t careful, this could rocket them right to the top of the field once again. However, it was at National Schools’ only last year that they seemed to lose their composure, finishing third, their worst result of the entire season (albeit in challenging crosswind conditions). Entering the event this year, I’m certain they are looking to make amends and claim what they let slip through their fingers a year ago.
Great Marlow School
One of the most unexpected successes of the season, Great Marlow School have gone from getting knocked out in the first round of Henley last year, to taking victory at the Junior Sculling Head and fighting for the win at the Junior Sculling Regatta without top athlete Sal Dunn, who raced for GB in Munich. With the top crew back together, GMS could compete against the clubs right at the top. A medal is not out of reach. The remarkable transformation they have undergone feels like night and day compared to their past selves, and it is clear that the momentum this crew possesses is a concerning thought for the other medal contenders.
Notable Mentions
Maidenhead have had a steady, if unspectacular, season, with their latest foray into racing culminating in a fourth-placed finish at Wallingford Regatta. They were also sixth at the Schools’ Head of the River, three seconds back on Leander. Molesey responded well to a slightly underwhelming eight in March to win bronze at the Junior Sculling Regatta and continue to show marked signs of improvement under Helen Taylor. The aforementioned Reading Rowing Club pushed Hinksey hard at Wallingford Regatta in the heat so could be outside bets for speed. Lea Rowing Club are discounted at your peril, given their fierce racing reputation and the silver medal they collected at the Oarsport Junior Sculling Head. Henley Rowing Club are not the prodigious force they were in this event a few years ago but continue to quietly churn out quality, as evidenced by their fifth-placed finish at Wallingford Regatta.
Prediction
I almost don’t dare call it, with six crews all serious challengers for silverware. However, if I were to forecast how it will play out, I would suggest Marlow and Windsor will be fighting at the front for gold, with anything possible behind them. Hinksey will be slowest out of the blocks but should move through the pack later in the race, while Leander will be trying to fend them off furiously. Tideway will be right in the mix, but will have to be careful not to leave empty-handed in fourth place, and must be aggressive to make it to the podium. Sadly, I think GMS may have met their match, although I doubt they will be far behind at all, and may even be in the top half of the field in the first half of the race.
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