This weekend marks the return of the annual competition Wallingford Long Distance Sculls, raced along Wallingford’s stretch of the river Thames, from just after Brunel Bridge to the finish, 4000m upstream, by Oxford University Boat Club. With a smaller entry of 7 boats spread over 4 clubs, there will certainly be a competitive fight for the win.
Henley Rowing Club
Off the back of a very successful season is Henley Rowing Club, who are entering three boats into the category this year and will certainly be looking to come away with the win. With their 8 being the star of the show last year, dominating the 2021/22 season and coming away with wins at Schools’ Head, National Schools’ Regatta and Henley Women’s Regatta, it’s no doubt that the squad is full of fast, competitive athletes. However, Henley’s J16 girl’s performance must not go unnoticed – they won the J16 quads at National Schools’ Regatta and even when competing in the J18 category, won at the British Rowing Junior Championships and reached the semifinals at HWR, narrowly missing out on the final by just ¼ lengths. Clearly, Henley has just as much technical precision in the sculling categories as the sweep and looks to be one of the favourites for this weekend’s win.
Wallingford Rowing Club
With only one entry this year, it can be expected that Wallingford Rowing Club has put their top athletes into their J18 quad for this weekend. The crew are definitely at an advantage, the race being on their stretch of river to hopefully eliminate any steering complications and their boat club being situated along the racing stretch, allowing the athletes to stay warm and dry pre-race, putting themselves in an excellent position compared to their competition. The club also had promising racing results last year with their Girls J16 2x medalling at National Schools’ regatta and will be fierce competition for the Henley quads.
Predictions
Other entries also include two boats from Sir William Borlase’s, whose J18 quad had notable speed last season, qualifying for Henley Women’s Regatta and reaching the quarterfinals. Stratford-upon-Avon Boat Club are also competing and is looking strong after coming third at Wallingford last year behind two experienced crews from LEH. However, I think Henley will take the victory this weekend, followed by Wallingford. However, all clubs will be strong competition following promising 21/22 seasons and could potentially be challenging for top spot.
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