The Oarsport Scullery Head is always a great race because not only do the crews get to row on the 2012 Olympic stretch, but there is the added challenge of having to spin around during the race. Having it scheduled so close to Schools Head means some of these crews will have come up against each other only days before and will therefore be coming into this race with ideas of who they want to beat. Some clubs chose to sit out of Schools Head in order to focus of the Scullery, so it will be interesting to see if any of these crews can shake up the competition.
Henley
There are two crews entered into this category from Henley, and neither of them were at Schools Head. Henley has an excellent reputation and this season the girls have not disappointed. With a win under their belts in this category at Fours Head and at their own Sculling Head in November, I’m sure these crews will be ones to watch out for.
Headington
Headington also has an excellent reputation and have been beaten by Henley crews a few times in the past. Last season they were knocked out by them in the semi-finals of the Quads at Henley Women’s and more recently at Wallingford Long Distance Sculls in the same category where they came second. Headington have an excellent opportunity to use this to their advantage and snatch the win.
Latymer Upper School
Another strong contender here is Latymer, again their quad last year had a good season, with a final at Henley Women’s. This year their quads have also performed well, with a 3rd and a 7th at fours head, I’m sure both the crews will put down very strong times in this race.
Marlow
Although this is potentially a different crew from the one racing at Schools Head, the strong results from the club as a whole this season means they should be competitive. A Marlow 8 won the WJ18 category at Quintin head and came 3rd in the women’s junior Championship fours at Fours Head. Again, this shows the talent in this girls’ squad and this Marlow crew will be no exception.
Putney High School
Zedda-James and her crew had an impressive performance at Fours Head, coming second in the W4+ Junior Championship and this represents the growing strength of the Putney crews. They’ve had success this season in the smaller boats most notably a first and second in the WJ8 Pairs and the doubles at Pairs Head respectively and hopefully both their crews can translate this into another good race here.
Emanuel High School
Emmanuel have also had a good season so far however most of this has come from their smaller boats, most significantly their doubles. With a first and second place at Wallingford LDS and an 1st in the WJ18 Club doubles at Pairs Head, I hope they will be able to use this obvious sculling talent to compete well in a quad.
There are a lot of crews entered into this category and out of the rest of the field there are a few others I think are ones to watch, based off good results in this season so far. Crews from Evesham, St Pauls Girls School, Queen Anne’s, Walton, Lea and Sir William Perkins’s should all be looking at putting down some strong times.
Predictions
Looking at this field, there are some excellent crews here and this should lead to some tight racing. However, I think the win will go to Henley, with Headington or Latymer close behind.
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