Arguably the most important opening regatta of the season, Wallingford is the chance for crews to show their speed and assert their dominance on the 2000km course. Gone are the days of head racing for this year and Sunday’s racing should be fiercely competitive.
Latymer Upper School
One of the favourites for the win, and its easy to see why. Latymer took home wins in the quad at the Junior sculling head and JIRR. It seems this year Latymer have really stepped up their sculling, with the quad becoming the priority boat over the eight for the WJ16 squad currently. Their victory at JIRR sets this crew up well for this weekend, however it will be interesting to see how they cope with a longer distance and some potentially very competitive racing. Headington, having beaten Latymer at Hampton and the schools head, will be pushing this crew hard.
Headington
Headington and Latymer have had a fierce battle at many of the major head races this season, and this will no doubt continue on Sunday as Headington look to reverse their 3rd place at the Junior Sculling Head. With only 4 seconds separating the two quads, and Headington’s shock victory over Latymer at the Schools Head in the WJ16 eights (Which Latymer were unbeaten in previously) Headington have showed they are fierce racers and are in with a great chance for the win.
Kings School Ely
Kings have been producing some decent results in this quad, finishing 5th at Hampton and 3rd at the Schools Head. While they didn’t quite show this same speed at JIRR and the junior sculling head, placing 11th, and aren’t quite up to the standard of the likes of powerhouses Headington and Latymer, they have the ability to gain a decent result and this racing experience will be invaluable in the lead up to NSR.
Molesey
Molesey are beginning to develop a strong junior squad and this quad, while they aren’t at the top of the WJ16 sculling scene, may be able to deliver some speed and a good result this weekend.
Thames
As with Molesey, Thames have some depth in their juniors and have showed some speed at Hammersmith Head and Hampton. Its difficult to predict their speed in relation to the top quads as they did not race at the junior sculling head, but I think they’ll be able to have a great battle with Molesey.
Putney High School
While Putney are traditionally stronger at sweep, last season’s results for this age group proved they have talent and can produce some strong results. Again, they might not be in the same league as Latymer and Headington, but if this is the best quad from Putney they may be able to throw some surprises into the mix.
Others to mention are Sir William Borlase, after 9th at the Junior sculling head, Isle of Ely and Kings school Worcester who all have the potential to put in a decent result.
Prediction
This race is set to be a real battle between Latymer and Headington, and after the head season, I think its going to be too close to call which school can come out on top!
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