The Oarsport Junior Sculling Head (OJSH) is the twin to the Junior Sculling Regatta which consistently attracts high-level crews, who use the event as a proving ground as they head towards Henley Royal and other such events. The Head itself is one of the most unusual, being held at Eton Dorney, making it one of the very few heads held on a regatta course.
Even more unusual than the location itself, however, is the inclusion of a J17 category – one which is usually reserved for small boats at the start of the head season. This can bring the age gap of crews tumbling down, making for nothing but tense and exciting racing.
Claires Court School Boat Club:
Back in 2013, the Quad from CCSBC made history, making it to the semi-finals at Henley Royal Regatta, where they “set off at an incredible pace – to the surprise of the event commentators” only being beaten by Marlow, who went on to win the event. This is all well and good, but what has the Buckinghamshire school achieved since stripping Henley commentators of their tongue?
Well, it seems that the above success has begun a heritage in the Claires quads; the J16 cohort last season achieving both a gold and a bronze at the Junior Championships, their ‘A’ crew beating the renowned Tideway quad, who back in 2013, set the record in this event. This triumph only built upon the already strong silver they had claimed at Marlow, where they once again beat tideway and had the gold stolen from them by Henley. This is clearly a school who have honed their skills at regattas over the years, so a head on a straight lane course should play to their strengths, and we should expect them to be one of the boats fighting it out for a first-place finish.
Henley Rowing Club:
A club a famous for their strong sculling squad, making their intent for this season clear on home water at HRR making it to Thursday, success which capped off an already successful season in the J16 quad: notably taking the podium with a gold at NSR, after a slightly disappointing place at JSR, placing 11 seconds behind Walton.
This season Henley have found it hard – much like a lot of other clubs – to establish a presence in the quads, amongst a myriad of cancellations, substitutions and alterations in the racing programme. however, Henley is a club with a strong history of success, and as such will remain a contender at Dorney.
The Windsor Boys’ School:
Windsor is a name that has made waves around the country in recent years, especially in relation to their sculling squad, who have now twice in a row taken home the Fawley Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta, proving themselves at one of the most challenging, and internationally renowned regattas. But what effect has this fame had as it trickled down the ranks?
This question is a hard one to answer, especially with the cancellation of events such as Hampton Eights and Fours making it hard to judge the lay of the land in the quads so far this season. Last summer their J16 quad was somewhat elusive, popping up here-and-there to claim smaller medals at various events, whilst the eight took the glory at events where the scullers were not in attendance; such as NSR where the J16 eight placed respectably in a tough A final. Monday will be a key day for the boys at Windsor, as should they fail to make their mark – especially as they will not be racing at SHORR – they may be dwarfed by bigger J16 names as we head into regatta season.
Tideway Scullers School:
“Tideway” has continued to pop up throughout this article so far, and with good reason. As the name would perhaps imply, as a club, they have a strong and wide-ranging history in sculling boats, and as their twitter banner will proudly proclaim, members of this Chiswick based club have been in the British Squad every year since 1984.
This national reputation seems to have permeated the juniors at the club, as last year they impressivly acheived a second place at British Championships, and a bitter-sweet bronze at National Schools’. This season, the juniors’ most impressive feat so far had been a third and fourth place at Hammersmith Head, and with a high potential for members of these crews to be in the J17 quad at OJSH, we can expect great things from them.
Conclusion:
The Sculling Head is an ideal transition into Regatta season, and will favour those crews, who themselves favour straight lane racing. As Storm Gareth continues to throw the safety of races into question, the calmer waters of the Olympic course should be a safe harbour for those who both wish to solidify performances at Schools’ Head, and those who are keen to stamp their mark after omitting such races.
Good Luck All!
OneScull
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