An exciting field of 19 competitors is soon to take to the famous 4.5 km stretch along the Thames from Chiswick Bridge to Harrods wall for the annual Pairs Head Of The River. Setting off first, Maidenhead RC will be looking to keep a distance between them and Lea RC, who are chasing them down. This year’s race has 3 A finalists from the most recent British Rowing Junior Championships, which is sure to bring with it a high, already proven, quality of racing, but this shouldn’t discount other crews from a medal position. For instance, Wycliffe Junior Rowing Club has had recent success in the singles rendition of this race, winning the J16 men’s singles.
Lea RC
With a storming result in the doubles at the British Rowing Junior Championships, Lea RC looks to be in a good place for this weekend’s race. As a club, they row on the river Lea, a tributary to the Thames, which provides a more comfortable training experience, but could ultimately disadvantage them if the conditions on the day aren’t optimal. Even so, the same crew is racing this weekend, with their coach hoping that the Lea boys will be able to repeat their success over a longer distance.
Maidenhead RC
Third place at the British Rowing Junior Championships, Maidenhead are a club local to the capital. They have a strong junior squad, evident by their close A final with Tideway Scullers, missing out on silver by 0.07 seconds. It is also worth noting Maidenhead keeps the same crew (a proven formula) from the British Championships, compared to opposition Tideway who have split their silver medallists into two boats. This could play out to get them an even better result than before or could hinder the crew’s progress during the race if quantity over quality of crews has been chosen.
Tideway Scullers School
Achieving a very commendable second place at the British Rowing Junior Championships, missing out on gold by less than a second, Tideway Scullers School are regulars when it comes to junior categories of the big races, often coming home from these with great success. Moreover, Tideway are the only A finalists who regularly row on the Thames, giving an expectation that they will be unfazed by conditions, however good or bad.
Predictions
As we are only just starting Head season, there is little evidence available for putting clubs in a particular position, except off placings from regatta season and estimates from previous years’ racing. With most clubs not having raced a head race for at least a year, it is sure to be a surprise to the rowers racing to see how they adapt to the longer races, now at least twice as long as the standard regatta. With Lea RC, Tideway SS and Maidenhead the key contenders for the win, I would predict a win for Tideway because of their reputation as a force to be reckoned with on the Thames. Even so, if their division of the medallist athletes causes problems, the win could slide to Lea or Maidenhead.
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