A very vast category with a competitive field of entrees which will make up to be a very exciting head to watch and analyse the times for! Junior Sculling Head consists of two 1.8km runs at eton dorney, a course usually quite exposed to winds and therefore quite tough conditions which can cause the results to flip completely. The predictions for this head could be completely different to the actual results due to recent races happening on the Tideway, a course requiring much steering, compared to the straight stretch of dorney where steering plays a minimal role in time gain. It will be interesting to see how a few of the crews transition from sweeping to sculling following on from SHORR and Hammersmith Head.
Surbiton BC has shown great strength in their J15 years with both their athletic abilities and their numbers. By entering 4 octuple sculling boats, more than any other school has entered, this highlights the BC’s enthusiasm towards rowing and with high successes in their sweep style boats, I believe that they will uphold their successes in their transition to sculling for this head.
Chasing Surbiton up will probably be Wimbledon High School BC. With a win in their bag from Hammersmith Head and high expectations for Schools Head, they are a crew with strong talent and will definitely be producing a strong time. Hot on their heels, presuming the same crews are used for Junior sculling head, Lady Eleanor Holles BC will also have their eyes set on top spot too. A 2nd place finish at Hammersmith Head in their 8+ has prepared them for this event and hopefully they can tune into their sculling skills to battle it out with Wimbledon and show improvement.
Nottingham and Union BC and Putney High BC will be ones to watch as well. Both of these clubs have consistent programs and have shown in the past that they are capable of placing within the top 10 crews. Given Putney’s recent success at Hammersmith as well, neither of these crews should be looked over upon and I predict a fierce race to be performed by both.
Making up the rest of the field we have Team Keane Sculling School, Yarm School BC, Kingston Grammar School BC, St Paul’s Girls School, Royal Shrewsbury School, Mossbourne Rowing Academy and many others, all of whom should be finishing within the top half of their categories.
It is yet to be seen how these results conclude as SHORR takes place a few days before and some crews entering will have only a 2 day rest margin, perhaps giving those who have not entered, a pair of fresh legs and an advantage. Improvements will be made from Hammersmith head as well as many other crews showing themselves for the first time. I think we will see some incredibly close time margins and maybe a few underdogs seeing as this is one of the few octuple head races this year so not much evidence can be found on the speeds of all these crews with their sculling skills. I predict Surbiton’s top crew to take the overall win, followed by LEH and Wimbledon.
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