Rowing is back in business. After a much-needed break, the 2024/25 season has officially begun. Each year, when the season starts, new faces appear, bringing an unseen standard to the face of rowing. Will the dominant clubs continue their winning streaks, or can fresh names lift the trophies? Either way, it is a fascinating new journey waiting to begin. This season’s first main event is the Wallingford Long Distance Sculls, a 4000m upstream race on some of the most famous stomping grounds in rowing, home to Oxford Brookes University. This year we see a large number of famous names entered into the junior single sculls, especially with crews from Tideway Scullers, St Pauls’ School, and Lea Rowing Club. In such a hotly contested category, we’re surely in for some tight racing!
Tideway Scullers School
Like some of his fellow athletes from Tideway Scullers School, Joe McCarthy has proven his strengths in all areas over the years. Recently, Joe placed in the A-final of The National Schools’ Regatta in the Junior 16 quads, as has Zac Brockway, which I believe will put them in good stead to set down a blisteringly fast performance on Saturday.
St Paul’s School Boat Club
St Paul’s School: Arguably the most famous name in junior rowing around the world in recent years for their spectacular school-based program, which commonly shapes young athletes into Under 19 World Championship medalists. This program, headed by Bobby Thatcher, has won Henley Royal Regatta four times since 2015 and topped the tables of nearly every race they have attended. However, many single scullers have entered Wallingford this year, allowing athletes to put themselves out there as contenders for the St Paul’s School top boat this year. Coming straight from the dominant second boat this year, we see individuals like Christoph Hueffer, Arthur Hamill, and Milon Kalia go into the forefront of schoolboy rowing. Though they have achieved great success in 8+, can they bring the finesse needed for the single on the weekend?
Abingdon School Boat Club
Nine single scullers were entered into the head race on Saturday for Abingdon School Boat Club, a rather large group for a predominantly sweep school. This could indicate the potential for Abingdon to challenge in a slightly smaller boat, maybe the quadruple sculls. Of the nine, Rob Sagar, a confident second-eight member last season, stands out as the favourite to lift the trophy. After respectable results at the U19, I believe that Rob will be headed towards the top of the league tables this weekend.
Prediction
With this strong entry into Wallingford Long Distance Sculls, I believe there will be a group towards the front of the pack with broadly similar times. However, with a few unknown faces, it’s a tricky event to predict. I believe that if the power from St Paul’s School Boat Club School can be transferred into the twitchiness of a single scull, it’s seven-man Milon Kalia’s trophy to lift. I can also easily see Joe McCarthy and Zac Brockway in the top three, with Rob Sagar battling for the podium finish.
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