The Junior Sculling Head at Dorney marks the end of this somewhat unremarkable head-racing season in the junior sculling circuit, closely followed by The Head of the River Race the day after, which conclusively brings us to regatta season. Though Dorney Lake is notably famous for hosting the National Schools’ Regatta, the 2km, eight-lane venue turns itself into a 3.6km stretch (two 1.8km legs) for crews to race up and down.
Before we get to the predictions, it is worth noting that the Junior Sculling Head is unique in offering separate categories for J18s and J17s. This preview covers J18s, but it means that we may see major surprises, as competitors who would normally have to race as J18s now have the opportunity to race in the J17 category.
Leander Club
The club that everyone talks about; Leander are the reigning Henley champions in the Fawley Challenge Cup. They are also the winners of the 2023 Junior Sculling Head, beating Molesey by 15 seconds. With Bryon Richards returning to the boat, now as a J18, and certain promotions from last year’s ‘B’ boat, Leander evidently have a variety of cards to play. It is however difficult to judge their progress over this season, as they have not put out a quad in the races that have gone ahead, such as Wallingford, Hampton, or Hammersmith. Regardless, Leander are coming into this race as favourites, and for them, it might be less about winning, and rather about upping the standards set the year prior.
Windsor Boys’ School Boat Club
The Windsor Boys are also a force to be reckoned with, especially with their strength in depth. Looking at last season’s results here, their J17 crew (they did not enter a J18 crew) came fifth overall amongst the J18 crews. A sign therefore, that they still have all of this crew from last year available to race. A year’s worth of training surely puts this crew in a highly competitive position. It must be pointed out that Windsor have also entered a J17 crew. This means that they might not be entering a full-strength J18 crew, instead wishing to double up the medals and aim for victory in both categories. It will be interesting to see how Windsor fares.
Tideway Scullers School
Immediately Tideway Scullers have the edge over both Leander and Windsor. Like Windsor, last year’s crew was entirely comprised of J17s so they won’t be worried about having lost talent. On top of this Tideway even beat Windsor to 1st place in the J17 category last year, and would even have finished third overall, an impressive result for an all-J17 crew. They have also been training on Dorney waters this season, having had to leave the often-flooded Thames. Will this have given Tideway an unassailable advantage? When there was a race on the Tideway, Hammersmith Head, Tideway won it. This crew must not be underestimated, as they could offer up a surprise.
Sir William Borlase Grammar School
As referenced in our junior quads preview for the Schools’ Head of the River, Borlase come into 2024 with lots of opportunity to prove their back amongst the best. They had an excellent 2023, capped off by final appearances at a swathe of regattas. They were third in this event last year but I understand their crew has a good proportion of returners plus a really strong J16 contingent to integrate.
Claires Court School
Another regular on the junior sculling roster, it’s hard to ignore any entry from CCSBC. They were second at Hammersmith Head, six seconds behind Tideway Scullers, which represents a considerable step-on from their Hampton Head showing, where they wound up fifth but behind Maidenhead, Molesey, Lea and Walton. Claires Court know what it takes to win at the highest level and if they have a good number of returners from the boat that finished sixth at the National Schools’ Regatta in 2023, they’ll be fast.
Molesey Boat Club
Enigmatic in black, you never really know what you’re going to get from this boat club. Storied in UK rowing, they’ve produced some of the nation’s finest oarsmen and women over the past 20 years but it’s been a little leaner for Molesey over the past few years as Leander and Brookes have consumed the space at the top of the tree. With the return of Helen Taylor, we can be confident that this boat will be quick – her first year back in charge yielded two golds at the National Schools’ Regatta. A Molesey crew finished second at Hampton Head in early February, but ahead of a number of their prospective competitors on Friday. They’re also slated to race at the Schools’ Head two days before, so it will be interesting to see how they trend at both events.
Lea Rowing Club
Another club who seem to out-perform expectation every season, Lea have a strong junior contingent on the rise. They had two B-finalist finishers at the National Schools’ Regatta in May in the shape of a junior 16 and junior 18 quad and if they’ve got a good returning crowd, chances are they’ll be fast. They were third at Hampton Head, behind Maidenhead and Molesey, so their main focus will be on overturning that deficit. Starting second will certainly help.
Notable Mentions
With so little racing to base predictions off, it means there are a whole bulk of crews who could be moving very quickly without us knowing. Names that catch our eyes include Henley, Walton, Maidenhead, Shiplake, Hartpury and Great Marlow School. Any one of these could emerge from the woodwork as serious contenders.
Predictions:
The top 3 crews will be Leander, Windsor Boys’ School, and Tideway Scullers, but not necessarily in that order. As mentioned, Leander have not competed as a quad, and Windsor Boys’ School might not be full-strength. This means that the likely victors will be Tideway Scullers, with Leander in second, and Windsor Boys’ School in third.
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