The 50th anniversary of the Pairs Head of the River Race will see roughly 350 crews take to the tideway for the 4.5km course from Chiswick Bridge to Harrods Wall. Within this milestone event, 20 Women’s Junior 18 Doubles will compete for the chance to come out on top and there is certainly some tough competition out to do so. Accomplishing a successful race plan in such head races incorporates much more than the standard regatta, with steering and ability over a longer course adding to the requirements of a powerful rhythm and synchronicity from stern to bow.
Wycliffe Junior Rowing Club/ Wycliffe College Boat Club
With successful appearances at both the National Schools Regatta and Henley Royal Regatta, as well as einternational events such as the Coupe de la Jeunesse and Munich International Regatta, it is obvious that Wycliffe had a fantastic season from 2021-2022. The Wycliffe squad have also set their intention to continue this success with Ella Fullman, Kathryn Burton and Yasmin Howe placing 1st, 2nd and 3rd at the Vesta Scullers Head in mid-September. Promising crews will also be competing in the Pairs Head Junior Doubles with the combination of Burton and Fullman looking like a tough duo to beat. Mentions also go out to Howe and Sekinger as well as the 4 other Wycliffe entries who will all be hoping to put out a great performance.
Tideway Scullers School
With only one entry into the WJ18 2x, Tideway Scullers are sure to put out their strongest 2 girls to battle it out on the famous course. At the most recent National Schools’ Regatta, TSS took gold in the Championship Girls Double Sculls and so has exceptional experience in the boat class. The club has also shown strength in its junior women’s squad with representation by Annalisa Janns Lafond and Alice McCarthy at the U19 World Rowing Championships in Varese this summer. Another benefit of TSS is its training on the tideway which will definitely provide them with the experience needed to manage the course. All in all, Harvey and Metcalf are another double to keep an eye out for.
Kingston Grammar School Boat Club
Kingston Grammar School has a solid history of success at National Events, emphasised by their appearance at Henley Royal Regatta in the Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup. Kingston is also another club to enter only one double and so it can be assumed that they are out to put on a big performance. The quad raced fantastically at the National Schools’ Regatta 2022, finishing 7th in the A final and therefore it will be interesting to see if they can replicate this success in a smaller boat class and over a longer course.
Others
Other notable mentions go to Maidenhead Rowing Club and Norwich School Boat Club who both showed strong results in the Championship Girls Double Sculls at NSR, placing 6th and 10th. They will both be looking to replicate success within the head season.
Predictions
Sunday 2nd October will be a day jam-packed with impressive racing and the Women’s Junior 18 Doubles are sure to be a competitive and high-performing category. It can be predicted that with their international experience, Wycliffe’s Burton and Fullman will take 1st, followed by a contest between Howe and Sekinger (Wycliffe) and Harvey and Metcalf (Tideway Scullers School). We look forward to the 50thanniversary of Pairs Head and seeing what these crews can bring to the course.
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