In what is one of the traditional early season events on the Tideway the championship pair is the top ranked event for pairs. Given the finesse and delicate touch required to make a pair move well, often crew cohesion will get the better of raw strength. With nine boats racing, there ought to be some good early season racing.
London RC
With a third of the entries in this event coming from London, it shows that there could be some early season speed coming from this club. London are a club with something building, evidenced by their vast numbers of athletes racing at Henley in August, with their first eight, Wyfold four and Britannia four making a Friday with their coxed four reaching the semi final in the Brit. Two pairs are athletes drawn from their Thames eight from last year, with the third made up of athletes from the Wyfold and Brit crews. Given that London are a Tideway based club, their local knowledge of the championship course should stand them in good stead for what looks to be their first racing appearance of the season.
Kings College School Wimbledon BC
Another club well and truly on the way up, KCS had one of their fastest ever eights last year, a boat which took a remarkable silver in championship eights at the National Schools’ Regatta, going on to loose out to the eventual winners Eton at Henley. Given that the majority of this boat were J17s they certainly have a base to work from this year, and Lundie and Gugelmann will want to put down an early marker. What with trials on the horizon, this could also be an opportunity for them to get some racing experience prior to this.
University of Bristol BC
One of the well known names on the university rowing circuit Bristol will be hoping for more racing season having had their opportunity to race at BUCS cruelly taken away due to circumstances surrounding COVID cases within the club. However they put in a strong performance at Henley, with their Temple eight making the Thursday, and their top four losing out in a tight tussle with Newcastle on semi-finals day. Kitto-Lloyd and Leflaive-Manley both hail from the open section of the club and raced in the Britannia Challenge Cup at Henley last year under Nonesuch BC where they gave semi-finalists London a tight race losing out by 3/4 of a length. Clearly, another established crew who will want to put in a strong performance.
City of Bristol RC
Another club well known on the club scene within the UK, Bristol will be looking to build on what was a fine season for them last year culmination with three boats qualifying for the main Henley Royal Regatta draw. Given that the crew names are Smith and Clark, it is hazardous to give a clear idea as to exactly the pedigree of these athletes, but a crew racing a championship event will no doubt want to feature towards the top end of the event.
These are the names I would think will be up towards the top end of the event. Further entries come from East India, Team Keane and Wallingford, who may struggle to keep pace down the long Tideway course.
Predictions
In terms of a prediction, early season performance is very much dependent on fitness levels, and as alluded to previously, a handle on how to row a pair well, especially on the tricky Tideway course. If I had to call a winner, I’d imagine one of the pairs from London RC would win, which it would be is hard to say, with KCS following them home, both benefitting from racing on home water. In terms of the rest of the field, I would back the University of Bristol to beat the club crew from City of Bristol, with the other three crews following these boats home.
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