Pairs Head of the River is back, following Scullers’ Head of the River as one of the first big Tideway head races for the 2023/2024 season. For many clubs, this is their first head race of the season, and so it should be an exciting opener to watch as the crews battle for podium finishes. With 13 entries in the WJ16 doubles category, this will be an interesting race to watch as the clubs begin to establish themselves for the upcoming season.
Barn Elms Rpwing Club
Barn Elms will be ones to watch on the weekend with them hoping to retain their title from their first place finish last year in this event. With Barn Elms being a Tideway club, they’ll be used to the challenges that come along with rowing on a tidal stretch and should be able to use this to their advantage on Sunday. At the Junior Sculling Head in the WJ15 coxed quad last year, Barn Elms placed 28th and then went on to place ninth in a WJ15 double at the Junior Sculling Regatta. With their steady improvement last year, they’ll be hoping to start the season on a high this Sunday.
Wimbledon High School Boat Club
These girls from Wimbledon High will be hoping to continue on from their stellar performance last year, with their WJ15 first eight winning at National School’s Regatta by 2.6 seconds over their other competitors. These girls were both in the winning eight and hold a bright future for the club. They will definitely be ones to watch on Sunday and it should be interesting to see how they compare with Barn Elms.
Windsor Girls’ School Boat Club
After placing fourth at National Schools’ Regatta last year in the WJ15 coxed quad, Windsor Girls will be coming back with a chip on their shoulder to continue building on their impressive performances from last year. With them not being tideway regulars, it’ll be interesting to see how the unique tidal conditions affect their performance on Sunday.
Other entries
Some other notable crews include Tideway Scullers School, who came third in this event last year. As well as City of Bristol and St Paul’s Girls’ School who will also be eager to put out a good performance at the start of the season.
Prediction
I’m predicting a tight race between Barn Elms and Wimbledon High for first and second place, but it’ll be interesting to see how the other clubs fare on the tidal river.
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