Tees Regatta – the second fixture in the Northern Rowing summer racing calendar and its first multi-lane event, promises a strong mix of clubs, university crews, colleges, and schools this Saturday with north of 150 events across four divisions.
Coming off the back of events like Junior Inter Regional Regatta (JIRR) and Durham City Regatta, clubs will look to put out strong performances and build momentum as we move ever-closer to season-defining contests: National Schools’ Regatta, Durham Regatta, British Junior and Senior Championships, and the Henley Women’s, Royal, and Masters Regattas, to name a few.
Below, I will only offer predictions for the events where I think we’ll see some standout athletes and performances. With such a vast draw, Tees is set to be a fantastic experience for all concerned.
Junior Events
The majority of entries across the day can be found in the junior contingent. The Northern JIRR outfit put on a strong showing this year, coming away with a sixth place finish in the Overall Victor Ludorum, while their Yorkshire counterparts – some of whom will be in attendance this weekend – finished ninth. That’s not to say Yorkshire is short on junior talent, though, and crews from both regions will be hungry to assert dominance.
Before I roll through events, a special shout out goes to to Infinity Boat Club, a junior-focused club bringing all the joys and benefits of the sport of rowing to school children from the Teesside area who would not normally have access to it because of financial or social circumstances. It is great to see such a program expanding and establishing itself as a racing regular.
Open J16 1x (Band 1)
Mosley of Durham ARC picked up a silver medal in J15 1x (Band 1) at JIRR and will be racing up in the J16 1x this weekend for an extra challenge. He will be joined by Thompson of Hexham RC – gold medallist in the J15 1x (Band 2). No doubt they will be looking to test themselves against older opposition and get some more competitive racing under their belts, and are both definitely scullers to keep an eye on in the future as they move through the junior programme. While only eight seconds separated them in Nottingham, of the two, Mosley will likely have retained his fitness to get the edge on Saturday.
Open J14 2x (Band 1)
JIRR bronze medalists Hughes and Shaw of Cambois RC are back in action this weekend, and look well-placed to bring home another piece of metal. They’re up against home-dwellers Tees RC, as well as Infinity BC and Durham School BC in a straight final.
Women’s J15 1x (Band 1)
In the absence of JIRR gold medalist Stoker from City of Sunderland RC, the contest is wide open, as two scullers from Lambton RC take on Jones of Durham ARC. It was Wesencraft-Colledge of Lambton RC who took home the win here at Durham City Regatta last weekend, so I imagine the same story will play out.
Women’s J16 4x-
It’s the girls from Durham ARC who look to have claimed the top spot in this event so far this season, not least with an emphatic four-length win over Tees RC at Durham City Regatta, so I’m hard-pressed to predict an alternative result for them this weekend. That said, Tees – now with the home advantage – will be keen to avenge their loss, so it may be a spicier race to the line than some expect.
Open J18 4x-
The home crew from Tees RC, who will undoubtedly still be revelling in their win in this same category at Durham City Regatta last weekend, look to be poised for glory once again. While some may say that performing on home waters can bring an added sense of pressure, I don’t see the Tees boys being phased by this, and they’ll cross the line ahead of crews from City of Sunderland and Yarm School.
Senior Events
Despite only a small number of senior events compared to those in the junior bracket, entries come from a huge range of clubs. We will get to see club seniors lining up against university students and even junior crews who fancy a crack at a senior title, which should make for some interesting and competitive racing.
The junior crews undoubtedly will be looking to gain exposure to more competitive racing and maybe even take some senior scalps, while university and college crews will be looking to test themselves against other senior opposition and enjoy the multi-lane setting as they look to the remainder of the summer racing season.
The motives of senior club racers could be anything from pure enjoyment to Henley qualification and, with clubs such as Tyne, colleges from Durham University, and Leeds University BC bringing their best, it’s set to be competitive across the board. Rather than dive into every single event here, I will provide a special spotlight on the Men’s and Women’s Coxed Fours and Eights.
Open 4+ (Band 1)
Coming off the back of last weekend’s BUCS Regatta, Leeds University BC look like the crew to beat, but I am sure Collingwood College will be up for the challenge; everyone likes an underdog and I would like to see Collingwood come away with the win here.
Women’s 4+ (Band 1)
This event comprises two Durham University colleges and a junior crew from Tyne ARC under the name of Seymour and I have to say it is the Tyne crew that I back for the win in this event. Tyne participated in this year’s Under 19 GB Trials and, if the same girls are in this 4+, I would wager they will come out on top here, most likely with their season peaking with a performance at the upcoming National Schools Regatta. The junior section of Tyne has been going from strength to strength in recent seasons, and I think these girls might just be too quick for the Durham colleges to handle.
Open 8+
We find City of Sunderland RC and St John’s College (Durham University) betwixt two crews from the University of Leeds BC in what should be – on paper at least – the fastest boat class of the day. This one’s tough to call, but with squad depth enough to field two eights, the University of Leeds first boat might just clinch it.
Women’s 8+
Perhaps the crew hailing from the furthest afield on the draw is the ladies eight from Ancholme RC, Lincolnshire. Let’s hope their trip doesn’t end up to be in vain, but I have a feeling the battle for first place will be hard-fought for them against Leeds University BC and Butler College (Durham University) BC. Nevertheless, I love an unexpected draw entry, so I’m rooting for Ancholme.
Club Masters
The Northern Masters rowing scene is abundant with crews from all corners of the region, and this weekend will be no exception, with strong representation across all boat classes in both sweep and sculling events. With the draw appearing to pit many local regulars against one another, the combination of multiple different age bands in the same race makes predictions difficult, due to the variation in starting handicaps. However, there is no doubt in my mind that it will result in some hard-fought battles.
Conclusions
Overall, it is heartening to see so many crews down to compete at Tees, showing that the sometimes forgotten Northern region has a thriving circuit across the junior, senior, and masters age brackets. It is brilliant to see relative newcomers Infinity BC and Lambton RC with such a healthy number of entries as they line up alongside Northern circuit regulars like Chester-le-Street, Durham ARC, Durham School, Tyne, Tees, Hexham, Cambois, and Tyne United. It promises to be an action-packed day.
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