Regatta season has finally begun which means distances are shorter, tan lines begin to form, and side by side racing enables a degree of unpredictability that makes racing that much more exciting. With Wallingford acting as one of the first regattas on the roster, each crew will come out swinging to attain coveted final slots and start their season off well. On top of this, it is finally a chance to show how all the grueling winter training has helped crews gain speed on the 2000-meter course.
In 2021 Headington had a lot of success in both sculling and sweep, coming third in the girls champ coxless quad and then later in the season dominating the girls eight events. This included winning Woman’s Henley, Henley Royal and the British Junior Championships. This year they have continued performing well, finishing second at a very competitive Schools Head of the River. It will be interesting to see what boat their coach decides to focus on this year but Headington are known for producing athletes who are very balanced in both disciplines, such is the versatility of their program. If this quad entered is anywhere near its top boat, then they will have a solid chance for gold at Wallingford Regatta.
Claires Court School are in the second heat. There had a junior double make the final of the JW2x at Henley Woman’s Regatta in 2021, proving the school produces quick scullers on both the boys and girls side. They recently raced in the girl’s champ quads event at the School’s Head of the River and placed a very strong fifth. This result means we know these girls have really good underlying fitness so it will be fascinating to see how they compete over a much shorter course.
Kingston Grammar School have entered an A and B crew in the Bob Elliot Challenge Cup this year, demonstrating the strength of their squad at the moment. They were only a few seconds behind Claires Court at SHORR, coming in seventh and 20th respectively from 35 boats. Moving into lane racing however is a whole different mentality to head races; I believe the A crew will have a fine chance of a medal this weekend.
Finally, Wycliffe College have entered a quad and are in the second heat. This crew will be ready to unveil their speed after a very strong head season, which included a win in WJ184x and a second-placed finish in WJ174x at the Oarsport Junior Sculling Head to combine with several provincial event wins. 2022 has also seen Wycliffe produce multiple trialists who have done very well throughout the year. If this boat contains even a couple of these athletes, it will be a very difficult outfit to beat.
There are other crews worth mentioning such as Shrewsbury School, another top program that has been performing well this year, coming fourth at Wycliffe SBH in the quad.
To conclude, my overall opinion is that it will be Wycliffe who takes this first victory, with Headington and Claires Court School giving them an entertaining race in the A final.
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