These previews were written prior to the cancellation of Wallingford Long Distance Sculls 2024.
A huge five hundred crews will be challenged by the narrow twists of the 4.5km stretch which has been claimed by many, including the dominant Oxford Brookes. In the case of WJ18 doubles, many crews have returned from a season of quads and eights to take on competitors in a smaller boat class, with many clubs choosing to enter multiple crews; this race will be hotly contested between both long-term rivals and close friends.
Sir William Perkins’ School
Sir William Perkins’ School enjoyed a historic 2023/4 season with representation at Coupe de la Jeunesse, World Rowing U19 Championships, the Olympic Games (for alumna Hattie Taylor) and both the Diamond Jubilee and Prince Phillip Challenge Cups at Henley Royal Regatta Royal Regatta. Leading the pack are bowwomen Pearson and Staples, who return from the eight that capped off last season with silver at the British Rowing Junior Championships. Their fellow steerswoman Al Qahef, setting off third, is new to SWPS having recently transferred from Maidenhead. Pearson and Staples in particular will be familiar with several of the opposition, having competed tightly with Marlow at the end of last season and training closely with home favourites Wallingford. Pearson triumphed over Wallingford by some 7 seconds in the WJ17 2x at Reading Small Boats Head. It’s this close relationship with Wallingford that could provide the already competitive SWPS with a notable advantage, due to their familiarity with the S-bends at the start of this course which threaten many a boat each year.
Lea Rowing Club
Although many clubs have made multiple entries into this event, Lea Rowing Club have entered just one crew, no doubt of a high quality. In recent times, Lea’s consistent pedigree in sculling has been something to admire, appearing in the final of the Rayner Cup at Henley Women’s Regatta as well as the Friday of the Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup at HRR. Lea are the reigning champions of this event, with a huge thirty-second margin over Wallingford in second place. The reins have been handed to Marie Girardet, a quality sculler herself, as a silver medallist in the Championship 2nd quads at the National Schools’ Regatta 2024. Though it’s not clear who sits in the stroke seat of this boat, one can be assured that any double clad in orange is one to watch out for.
Headington School Boat Club
It would be remiss to leave out the relentless force of Headington School Boat Club, one of the very few two-time winners of the Prince Phillip Challenge Cup. Their strength goes unmatched across the junior scene and this will be no secret in Wallingford, with a total of fifty-eight entries (and much doubling up), including 7 doubles in this event. Of these 7 crews, we see several returners from Headington’s 2nd eight and J16 contingents, all of which medalled in their respective sweep events at NSR last year. Steerswomen Jess Wiggs and Henriette Smit, who placed 5th in the Championship quads and 4th in J16 quads, respectively, at JSR 2024, will spearhead the Headington campaign in their two boats and set a high standard for their club’s performance throughout the entire course.
Marlow Rowing Club
Marlow Rowing Club’s seventeen-strong J17/18 girls’ squad will arrive on the turf of fierce rivals Wallingford in a variety of small boats, including 3 WJ18 doubles. As seems to be tradition for Marlow’s junior women, this double have swapped to sculling for the first months of autumn, following great success in the eight. Last season saw Marlow RC reach the Thursday of the Prince Phillip Challenge Cup for the 2nd year in a row, as well as the A final of the Championship eights at NSR. However, their ability in sculling is not to be underestimated – a rigorous program by Olympian Pete Chambers saw quads in the final of both the Diamond Jubilee and Fawley Challenge Cup last season. Bowwoman Francesca Wilson, a former GB U19 triallist who steers the first of the Marlow boats, was part of a victorious quad at Wycliffe Head in February. Similarly, in their J16 season, this Marlow contingent placed 3rd and 5th in the WJ16 quads at the Junior Sculling Regatta. Maddie Gallacher, who will steer another Marlow double down the course, placed 5th in the B final of the WJ17 doubles at the Junior Sculling Regatta last season, as well as winning the J16 2nd quads the year before. Though the return to sculling may have taken some adjustment this past month, the competition of a program as impressive as Marlow’s will spur these doubles on to impressive heights.
Wallingford Rowing Club
Home favourites Wallingford Rowing Club are represented in two doubles and will be served well by their familiarity with such a tricky and narrow course. Daisy Coleman sits in the bow, following her silver medal in the J16 coxed four at the British Rowing Junior Championships, while the other boat is steered by Cecily Swinfen, who is only a J16. These crews are, like many Wallingford outfits, less experienced than their competitors. However, Katie Greves’ expert coaching has built a stellar junior program that frequently sees her athletes punch far above their own weight in races. I look forward to seeing how these doubles will perform in the comfort of their home stretch.
Predictions
Boasting twice as many entries as anyone else and unparalleled depth across their squad, Headington will surely be amongst the fastest of this pack. Wallingford, Sir William Perkins’, and Marlow were fighting each other for top spots at the end of last season and will certainly carry it through to this race. Marlow’s relative experience as J18s in a field largely comprised of J17s will offer them a certain level of confidence and maturity that will carry them far. However, Sir William Perkins’ excellent regatta season will have built a lot of momentum heading into the autumn, while the youth and energy of Wallingford has rarely done them wrong. Any Lea double is a strong double, and it will be exciting to see how they fare in a field dominated by entries from familiar oppositions. Ultimately, I’d predict a top three of SWPS, Headington, and Marlow in no particular order, but with Lea challenging for a podium spot.
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