As the spring rowing season continues to pick up, the Wallingford Regatta will be held for the first time in three years! The rowing audiences have certainly missed this exciting giant race. There will be hundreds of boats competing in all different sizes and divisions. Closer to the end of the day, the Op 18 singles will race. This section has seven boats from five different schools (Leander, Hereford Cathedral School, Nottinghamshire County Rowing Association, South African Schools Rowing Union, and Exeter). Here are previews of three of the racers ahead of the May 1st race day:
South African Schools Rowing Union – Q Marketos
Quinton Marketos, hailing from the South African Schools Rowing Association was one of the few selected from the boat club to come to England and compete with some of the best junior rowers in the world. Though an experienced sculler, he appears to have more experience in larger sculling boats as opposed to the 1x. Rowing with the King Edward VII High School (RSA) he placed second at the 2020 SSA Schools Championship sitting in the five seat. His proven experience as a team player in sculling boats will serve him well going into this 1x race. We expect a fantastic performance from him.
Nottinghamshire County Rowing Association – B Richards
Byron Richards saw a lot of success when he first picked up rowing. In his earlier races as a 13-year-old, he picked up wins in the J13 1x category at the Northwich Head and the Abingdon Rowing Club Spring Head. At the Junior Sculling Regatta at the end of May of 2021, Byron placed first in the time trial with an impressive time of 7:41.2, beating out the nearest competition by 30 seconds! In the A Final, he again placed first with a time of 8:24.01, winning by a margin of 20 seconds. Seeing such quick times and easy victories in the last few years from Byron, it’s undeniable that he will be strong competition going into this race.
Hereford Cathedral School – I Jackson
Innes Jackson from Hereford Cathedral school also has some nice races under his belt. At last year’s National Schools’ Regatta, he rowed in a 4x+ with Alfred Sudall, Jack Cadwallader, and William Morgan-Jones (another competitor in this 1x race). Stroking the boat, Innes placed first by 12 seconds, placing him in the A Final. As expected, Hereford Cathedral School once again dominated the pack with a decisive time of 6:47.65, this time a little closer, but still a comfortable six seconds ahead of the rest of the pack. He and his teammate, William, should have a great race this weekend if they keep up the solid effort.
Predictions:
Given the size of the field, I anticipate some quick and competitive racing this Sunday. I look forward to see if the Hereford Cathedral boys can replicate their success in small boats, while considering the might of Exeter’s Tom Fuller (who I pick to lead the pack) and the surprise of an international athlete.
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