Wallingford Regatta herald the beginning of the regatta season for most junior athletes and brings with it an early preview into the relative speed of the lead contenders. 2023 also sees South African representation, a theme at Wallingford in previous editions. With three heats early in the morning, the fastest crews will assemble in the Final at 12:18 pm this Sunday.
St. Paul’s School Boat Club
It would be safe to assume St Paul’s will be up for it this weekend. A club steeped insuccess, it’s only natural that their J16’s will remain competitive following their win at Schools’ Head. Placed in Heat A along with strong clubs such as King’s College School and Shiplake College and with the National Schools’ Regatta only four weeks away, Paul’s will be looking to put forth a strong performance.
Eton College Boat Club
After a decent second-placed finish at the School’s Head, trailing St Pauls by six seconds, Eton will be looking to lay down a powerful performance to see if they have caught up with their contemporaries this weekend. With a “home” advantage, they will hopefully have the confidence to put up a fight.
Hampton School Boat Club
Hampton, a crew that placed last in the B Final at NSR last year, 28 seconds behind St Pauls and the other leaders of the J16 category, have seemingly made a comeback, placing third at the Schools’ Head by 1.5 seconds. If they continue on this trajectory, a medal seems eminently possible.
Radley College Boat Club
Radley, fourth at the Schools’ Head, are definite picks for the A Final. Word on the street is that they beat Eton at a fixture a week ago and if this information is true, then Radley are on course to set the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons. A strong result seems likely.
Shiplake College
Shiplake haven’t raced in a J16 crew yet but it would be foolish to rule them out entirely. Historically, it’s a gamble to assume performances at Schools’ Head translate to regatta speed but if this J16 crew is made up of athletes found in the winning second eight and its quads, then they would certainly be ones to watch.
South African School’s Rowing Union
Despite my obsession with rowing, I have yet to delve into South African Schoolboy rowing. Being a Rowing Union, it is probable that they have a much larger catchment and have selected only the best the country has to offer to bring all the way to a seemingly rainy summertime Dorney (surprise, surprise). I look forward to seeing how much they disrupt my predictions.
Predictions
- St Paul’s School Boat Club
- Radley College Boat Club
- Hampton School Boat Club
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