Next to the mighty eight, the four is both the largest and arguably the most exciting of the sweep rowing events. Four rowers in a boat, no cox, and only their strength and tactics to guide them. When Wallingford Regatta was last held in 2019, the names of Pearson, Rawlinson, and Middleton were on the lips of dedicated rowing faithful. Now it’s time for some new talent and new names to be spoken. The regatta itself is arguably the start of the summer racing season for most clubs, preceding the Marlow and Metropolitan Regatta and culminating in Henley Royal Regatta. The race will act as a useful barometer for crews to see how they match up against their opposition and how successful their season beyond might be. It would foolish for crews to look too far into the future, however. A basic test stands in their way: six lanes, six boats, first across the line wins.
Kings College School Boat Club
Kings College School Boat Club has risen to the top of British schoolboy rowing in recent years, thanks in large part to an impressive performance at NSR 2021, where the Ch8+ picked up silver, and at HRR where they reached Friday losing narrowly to eventual winners Eton. This season has picked up where the last left off. 4th at SHORR and 2nd at HORR show that KCS certainly has a strong pedigree in eight racing but will that translate into the four?. Victory over Radley by over 10 seconds to win Fours Head in November would appear to indicate so. More recently, a 3rd place in OpSch4+ at Hammersmith Regatta provides a good springboard into side-by-side racing. KCS is a standard strong crew and will certainly look to go toe to toe with the big hitters of St Pauls, 1863, and Molesey.
The 1863 Club
A name that might be unfamiliar to some, the 1863 is the name students from London Oratory School race under. Supported by London Youth Rowing, 1863 has made great strides this season, the standout performance of which was a win at Hammersmith Head in the OpSch4+, beating KCS and Molesey by over 10 seconds. A victory of the magnitude over strong opposition may be a one-off but considering that the same Molesey crew beat 1863 by the same margin at Hampton Fours and Eights Head in January, it really could go either way. What is in no doubt is that 1863 is a strong contender for a medal, maybe even a win. One to watch for sure.
St Pauls School Boat Club
By the exceptionally high standards of St Pauls’s School Boat Club, this season has been one of ups and downs. 5th in Ch8+ at SHORR (the first time St Pauls had finished outside the top three since 2012) and 6th at Hammersmith Head would be decent results for a middling school boat club. But not for a crew that has made four out of the last six PE finals. St Pauls also has pedigree in coxless fours at Wallingford, with a bronze in Challenge 4-(an event where they face club rowers) in 2019 serving as a reminder that St Pauls can perform when it matters. Being the only school boat club with two entries in this category should help too. Anyone who would count a St Pauls crew out on the basis of a few bad results would be foolish, but to say St Pauls winning is a foregone conclusion would be equally short-sighted. It will be interesting to see if St Pauls can muster up a gold medal performance.
Molesey Boat Club
The name Molesey carries immense clout in British Rowing. Mo Sbihi, Andy Holmes, and Tom Ransley all practiced their trade here and the club is renowned for its strong junior program. Solid results at Hammersmith, 2nd in OpSch4+, and at SHORR where they placed 21st in Champ 4X- shows that Molesey have contiued their strong prescene in small boats into this season. However, with the speed already demonstrated by 1863 and with KCS and St Pauls chomping at the bit, nothing short of a top class performance will see Molesey competing for medals come race day. With the depth of their program, a strong Molesey crew is a force to be reackoned with.
Predictions: Tough one but I’d say 1863 winning(if they can produce their previous pace), with KCS and Molesey fighting it out for the remaining medals. Anything can happen and realistically any of these crews could win it.
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