Sculling, when done properly, cohesively, efficiently, is an art form. A quad at full throttle, eight blades entering and exiting the water in unison, powered by the grunt, thrust and sinew of four hyper-conditioned athletes, is a sight to behold. If you want proof, check out the Dutch Men’s Quad at the 2019 World Rowing Championships – a true example of on-water perfection. Monday will see the finest schoolboy quads in the UK take to the Championship course in pursuit of Schools’ Head glory and the first step on the road to bigger prizes in the summer months.
Windsor Boys School “A”
Windsor need little to no introduction – a heavyweight player on the junior sculling scene in every sense of the word and 2022 may just be their most complete squad in recent memory. They collected their usual span of silverware through the 2021 regatta season, including a silver at the National Schools’ Regatta, a gold at the British Junior Championships and a Sunday berth in the Fawley Challenge Cup. It would take a brave man to bet agsinst Mark Wilkinson’s program, even at a time in the season where WBSBC aren’t traditionally as strong. With Max Bird and Dylan James switching in and out the A and B crews recently, it will be interesting to see which combination Windsor will opt for. Interestingly, they have 4 crews entered into this category – three of whom showcase the depth of the J18 ranks alongside a ‘D’ crew made up of plucky J16 athletes making the step up. With the way that program are churning out talent, it would barely figure as a surprise if the boys in green and gold qualify all four of these boats in the Fawley later this year. As for Monday – these boys recorded their first ever win in the quad category at the Fours Head in November (by some 20 seconds) and recorded a one-two at Hampton Head in February (perhaps an eight beckons). Anything less than a gold would be classed as a disappointment for a crew as outstanding as these boys.
Henley Rowing Club
Henley have built an impressive repertoire of competitive crews on both the men’s and women’s side over the past decade. On the men’s side, they were in a back and forth with Leander through the 2019 season but lost out to the pink palace in the final pf the Fawley Challenge Cup. 2021, by the incredibly high standards they’ve set for themselves, might have been a slight disappointment, after they finished outside the medals at the National Schools’ Regatta and only managed a Friday placing at the Henley Royal Regatta. Having lost George Lauchlan to UL, they have drafted Dan Landau from Leander to fill the gap, adding considerable power to an already quick crew which finished third at Hampton Head and sixth at the Fours Head a few months earlier. Could 2022 be their year?
Leander Club
Yet another talented unit rolls off the Leander conveyor belt. Although the club from Henley have incredible resources to call upon, they live up to their billing season after season. 2019 saw them finally win the Fawley Challenge Cup in their own right, a project they had been building for a decade. 2021, after a year disrupted heavily by COVID-19, was underwhelming with a bronze medal at the National Schools’ Regatta and a semi-final finish at Henley Royal Regatta to show for their efforts. Segej Vujosevic is the only athlete remaining from their quad last season so the crew will be reliant on his experience. Nat Gauden, who won the J16 1x at the British Junior Championships last season, is a feature in the new-look entity and they’ve had a good start to the season – they were second at the Fours Head. I’m not sure they’ll have enough to overturn a dominant Windsor Boys but silver is very much in their grasp.
Claires Court School
One of the regular attendees at the annual summit of top-class schoolboy quads – their zenith came in 2016 when they won the coveted Triple Crown. 2017 saw another final placing in the Fawley Challenge Cup before they underwent a re-building process during 2018 and 2019. Their momentum was somewhat scuppered by the pandemic and 2021 probably didn’t reflect the very best these boys have to offer. 2022 saw them get off to a blistering start with a win at the Hammersmith Head and a fourth-placed finish at Hampton Head. The top three is hard to break into and will require an exceptional row, which is not beyond these boys. Let’s see how they fare.
Westminster School
A second behind Claires Court at Hammersmith Head, Westminster look to be prioritising the quad in 2022 (a move they’ve pulled before). They’ve certainly one of the more versatile clubs in junior rowing, often switching up their focus depending on the depth and preference of the athletes they have at any one time. The switch mentality seems to have done them no harm – wherever they feature, they perform well. A top-five finish is surely the aim on Monday and, on home water, that seems eminently possible.
Prediction
With the Junior Sculling Head happening two days after this event, the results on the Tideway will give crews a clear indication as to where people stand in the lead up to that event.
1st – Windsor Boys School “A”
2nd – Henley Rowing Club
3rd – Leander Club
4th – Windsor Boys School “B”
5th – Claires Court School
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