The Junior 18 girls scull is always a difficult and competitive boat, in any event, and this year at the Vesta scullers’ head, it will be no different. With 15 sculls from 7 different clubs, these girls will all be wanting to kick off their season in style and a grueling 5km head race in a single scull is the perfect way to do so. I for one am especially excited to see the battle for boasting rights between girls who normally row together, as the practice for GB trials begins.
Newark Rowing club
The Junior 18 girls from Newark rowing club had a successful 2021 regatta season, with Neve Woodman and Connie Ferrer coming 3rd at national schools championships in WCH2x and then moving into the quad and continuing to be competitive at Henley royal regatta. Emily Bell and Phoebe Loach-Martin who mainly competed in quads will also be trying to chase down their crewmates in this sculling race. This is their 2nd year as a J18 so it will be interesting to see how they develop this year, starting off with this head race.
Wycliffe College Boat club
Stella Fielder and Rachel Egan were both valuable members of the crew who competed in the WCH 4x at Nat schools and were 1 second off the medals, while in the champ doubles event, Maddie Taylor just missed out from the A final. However, the quad then went on to come 2nd at Brit champs a couple of months later. Having completed GB trials before, some of the Wycliffe girls will be no stranger to this single scull discipline and after some close races last season I’m sure they will be motivated to train and push themselves even harder than ever before.
Emanuel School Boat club
With both Maddy Kitchen and Maya Varley competing in this scullers’ head, Emanuel school should have a good shot of reaching higher up in the results. Coming 3rd in champ WCH 2- Maddy clearly can move a sweep boat and I think the transition into a scull will still be quite easy for her. Despite this, a single may perhaps not feel as natural as it is to some of the girls who sculled all of last season, such as Maya who reached the A final of national schools in a quad.
Westminster school boat club, King’s college school boat club, and Team Keane sculling school are the other clubs that have chosen to enter singles and it is impossible to rule anyone out as anything can happen at this event and boat class. Most of the clubs competed in quads last year but while sculling in a crew boat is similar to a single, it is not the same. So the question is, will these girls be able to transfer their skill and power into moving a much smaller lighter boat.
My overall prediction is that it will be one of Newark’s girls who take this particular victory, however, I do not doubt that the Wycliffe scullers will be snapping at their heels.
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