Eton College, Junior Men’s Eight
This might seem like an obvious choice but Eton really do look set to enjoy a fantastic season in 23/24. With the country’s fastest junior 16 outfit combined with a number of returning athletes from both the European and World junior championships, you’d be a brave man to bet against the boys in blue. They’ll be motivated by a two-year absence at the top of the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup tree and, after exiting the competition on the Friday in 2023, will be focused on reclaiming a prize they have won more times than anyone else.
Tiffin School, Junior 16 Men’s Quad
We love an up-and-comer. Tiffin are not a boat club who necessarily feature regularly at the business end of junior rowing but their junior 15 boys cohort had an excellent 2023. After finishing eighth at the Junior Sculling Head in March, they came back with a vengeance in the summer to win consecutive bronze medals at the Junior Sculling Regatta and National Schools’ Regatta. Their sole focus will be on overthrowing the might of the Windsor Boys School, who have beaten them at every turn in 2023.
Walbrook Rowing Club, Junior 15 Men’s Quad
Again, not a club that always ranks highly but an instiution on the rise. Based in Teddington, a stones throw from the sprawling green of Richmond Park, Walbrook won the Canterbury Cup for Junior 14 Coxed Quadruple Sculls at the National Schools’ Regatta after failing to even make the ‘A’ final at the Junior Sculling Regatta three weeks prior. It would be wonderful to see a boat club like Walbrook compete regularly and their step into Junior 15 sculling – one of the most competitive categories in schoolboy sculling – will be one we watch with anticipation.
Putney High School, Junior 16 Women’s Quad
Arguably the surprise package of Henley Women’s Regatta, Putney High put on a quite brilliant showing in the Nina Padwick Trophy to take an all-conquering Henley boat to within a length in the final. After sixth and fifth-placed finishes respectively at the Junior Sculling Head and National Schools’ Regatta respectively, this was a remarkable turnaround and spoke of a crew finding their feet in a highly competitive field.
Briony Wood, Junior Women’s Single
Briony’s achievements in junior rowing during the 22/23 season have already been well-documented in her nomination as part of the junior crew of the year contingent. Her triple gold at the British Rowing Junior Championships crowned a glorious season in which she emphatically announced herself as the country’s foremost female sculling talent. Shockingly, she still has three more years of her junior career to enjoy and will now be focused on making her way onto the junior international team, having already won the GB-France match.
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