The first of the Tideway Heads after a long break from racing will run slightly differently this year. Due to the closure of Hammersmith Bridge, the 4.5km course will be from the University of London Boatclub to London Corinthians Racebox. Furthermore, only clubs based upstream of the Bridge will be eligible to enter, meaning other Tideway schools like KCS and Westminster are unable to compete.
There’s only one entry into the Junior Men’s pairs being Rizk and Ackrim of St Paul’s School BC. This seems like a potential trialing pair further along in the season and will most likely be using this race for experience as well as a way to gauge how they rank amongst some more established senior men’s pairs. Ackrim represented GB at the GB vs France match in 2019 by racing in the men’s 8+ and winning a gold medal. At the Head of the Charles 2019, Ackrim placed 2nd in Men’s Youth eight’s, whilst Rizk placed 32nd in Men’s Youth four’s. Ackrim also raced in the St Paul’s 1V at Quintin Head earlier this year. They both attended EID GB trials last year however didn’t manage to achieve notably strong results. They will both be eager to make a big mark at the start of this season with a strong result in their first race.
Calvin Tarczy and Douwe de Graaf will be racing in championship pairs, both two-time junior worlds gold medallists as well as competing for Harvard 1V prior to the pandemic. They are now racing under Tideway Scullers along with Calum Betteley and Dom Valt who both represented GB at Coupe de la Jeunesse in 2019 and recently finished school. Ackrim and Rizk will be looking to see how they compare alongside these much more experienced rowers.
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