29 open championship quads will take to the unpredictable and daunting Tideway waters next Wednesday, but only one can return home with a gleaming gold which marks them out as the scullers to beat going into regatta season. So, which crew will step up to claim the title? With opportunities to expose the pecking order few and far between so far this season, next Wednesday will be the broadest indicator we have so far.
Leander Club
As last year’s champions, Leander moves into 2024 as the crew with the most prominent targets on their backs. They took the Schools’ Head title last year by a remarkable 24 seconds over Marlow Rowing Club, along with the Fawley Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta. Still, it is anyone’s guess if they can repeat either of these feats. Although they retain Byron Richards, who raced at the 2023 U19 World Championships in the single, finishing sixth in the B final, Leander are a club who have suffered a significant talent bleed between seasons, losing multiple members of their junior quad. This includes Nathaniel Gauden, who despite getting a silver medal in the men’s quad at the U19 world championships is no longer a junior athlete. However, Leander has kept their cards close to their chests this season, perhaps suggesting that they are hiding their strength…or their weakness.
Marlow Rowing Club
Marlow are another crew to have been performing at a high-level last season. They finished second at the Schools’ Head of the River and second at National Schools’ Regatta. Even though they were knocked out of the heats at Henley, it was not their best showing, with their loss to Los Gatos Rowing Club, USA being plagued with crabs and poor steering. This means that this year they will certainly be looking for redemption and, with most of their crew still junior athletes, it looks possible. Unfortunately, this year’s lineup has yet to appear at any notable events, so their position in the pecking order is up for speculation.
Windsor Boys’ School Boat Club
It wouldn’t be a junior quad preview without mentioning Windsor, one of the powerhouses of the sculling scene, renowned for producing some of the highest quality rowing around. After strong performances last season, with a win at the National Schools’ Regatta in both championship and J16 quads plus a semi-final finish at Henley Royal Regatta in the Fawley Challenge Cup, it could be an even more impressive year for them, with many of their athletes staying at the club. This includes James Harlow, who recently completed an incredibly impressive 30@r20 split of 1:46.5 as a lightweight rower. Additionally, they have already won at the Head of the Charles Regatta this season in the Junior Coxed Quad. Windsor may be entering this event feeling vulnerable though, with rumours that one of their top athletes, Atticus Chute, is unwell and with the whole crew racing in Amsterdam at the Heineken Roeivierkamp Regatta only three days earlier. If anyone knows how to turn it on in the big moments though, it’s Mark Wilkinson and his charges.
Hinksey Sculling School
After making the final of the Fawley Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta last year, Hinksey Sculling School are also undoubtedly a crew to watch out for. Having retained a number of last season’s top rowers, and under the stewardship of former NZ international James Mcanallen, they are sure to be up near the top. If their performance at Hammersmith Head is anything to go off – third place in junior eights behind KCS and Hampton – they’ll be in strong form.
Tideway Scullers School
A hotbed of junior talent – with two junior quad wins at Henley Royal Regatta in the past three years – Tideway Scullers School are noteworthy, as they are one of the only crews on this list to reveal their vitality this season, and it has been mainly positive. They took the win at Hammersmith Head by five seconds, albeit against minimal memorable competition, so it will be interesting to see how they’re trending approaching the apex of the winter season.
Claires Court School
A stalwart of this category, Claires Court have continued to grow in stature since Alex Richardson took the reigns of the program from Tom Jost. A broadly surprising win in the Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup in 2022 was the crowning glory of a program that prioritises the quad scull. With so little racing to measure in 2024, it’s hard to say how fast this crew are going; they were second at Hammersmith Head, five or so seconds behind Tideway Scullers School, so they’ll be looking to close that gap next Wednesday.
Maidenhead Rowing Club
Winners at Hampton Head in early February, Maidenhead are a crew whose development will be interesting to watch. They then placed third at Hammersmith Head, a result which may have taken the wind out of their sails a little, and they start a long way down the pack so will need to navigate a bustling field if they want to find the extra speed to catapult them into the top five.
Sir William Borlase
Are Borlase back? Under former UL head honcho Phil Gray, the Marlow-based boat club seem to be climbing the ranks once again. 2023 was a strong year for this group – they were fourth in championship quads at the National Schools’ Regatta whilst their J16 group were third, whilst they also are the current holders of the bronze medal in this category. They had scullers at the most recent U19 GB trials and if they have retained the base of their talent pool from last season, they’ll be in strong form this year.
Predictions
Ordinarily, I would find it difficult to overlook the predictable pace of Windsor, however with them likely entering race weekend in a weakened state, and with Leander in all likelihood being debilitated compared to last season, I predict Marlow to marginally take the win. Watch out for Borlase and Hinksey as dark horses.
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