Wallingford marks the return of club rowing and for most, if not all, the long-awaited return of regatta season. In what has been a grueling winter, it’ll be hoped that this transition into summer rowing will bring with it the summer weather. Having watched a lot of these crews compete against one another at the Head of the River, it’ll be nice to see the big boats of the challenge eights side-by-side in the ultimate demonstration of power and precision. It might feel as though Henley is far in the future but rest assured that it isn’t. Wallingford is the first step in what will be a steady succession of racing in the run-up to the Ladies Challenge plate and the Thames Challenge Cup alongside the Temple Challenge Cup, when student crews re-enter the fray post BUCS Regatta. Who knows if the eventual winner of those competitions will be making their mark at Dorney or asserting their dominance in Nottingham; only time will tell.
Leander Club
Having had a seriously strong winter of racing it’ll be hoped that we still haven’t seen the best of Leander Club. With a string of strong performances in the Boat Race fixtures and a new course record at the Head of the River, Leander have incredible depth at their disposal. Beating Oxford Brookes to the headship, there’ll be a cautious optimism for the remainder of the season. Ultimately, however, Leander have it all to lose. They’re the ones who should win; many of them are full-time athletes racing against those that have full-time jobs to balance alongside their training.
Thames RC
Having had an inconsistent start to the season by their own lofty standards, Thames will be looking to make a statement of intent at Wallingford. Coming fourth at the Head of the River, Thames beat Leander’s second boat, showing that they moved beyond a number of defeats that they suffered to their Tideway based rivals, London RC, at the beginning of the head season. With a number of Thames athletes being ineligible for the 2024 edition of the Thames Challenge Cup, on account of them having won it last year, how they fare against Leander is an interesting observation. From the outside it could be assumed that they have little choice but to field a Ladies Plate crew. The outcome of this race and the Metropolitan Regatta in a number of weeks could prove to be an important factor in whether that comes to fruition.
London RC
London have had an incredible head season, showing great progress as a club. Beating Thames in the Boustead Cup, their only side-by-side race to date, albeit in the style of the Boat Race, they know that when the occasion rises they have what it takes to topple the very best UK-based club programmes. London, like Thames, have a number of eligibility questions, with three eights entered and the biggest squad that they’ve had for a number of years so there’s lots of scope when it comes to making changes to find a winning lineup throughout the rest of the summer. They’ll be a club to watch come the summer.
St Paul’s School BC
For a number of years now we have seen that the best school crews in the country have what it takes to go stroke for stroke with the best club rowers. It’s not that I’m saying St Paul’s will win – that would be an incredible upset – but the Schools’ Head of the River winners will be looking to dent the confidence of their opposition (Eton, Shiplake and Kings College School) in their hopes of claiming the triple (the aforementioned Schools’ Head of the River plus National Schools’ Regatta and the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup). Schoolboy rowing continues to be one of the best spectacles and it isn’t often that we see them facing off with fully grown men, some who are old enough to be their fathers.
Shiplake College
After finishing second at the Schools’ Head of the River – 11 seconds back on St Paul’s but having caught a boat-stopping crab passing Harrods Depository – Shiplake will be desperate to hit the ground running at Wallingford. An A-final placing, where they might get a shot at the impressive St Paul’s, would be an excellent achievement for this crew as they look to mount a serious charge for silverware into the summer.
Eton College
After withdrawing at the 11th hour at the Schools’ Head of the River, Eton will be keen to set the record straight on home water. We have not seen much of these boys through the winter – partly due to cancellations and partly due to their reluctance to join the peloton of participation – but expect them to return with the bit between their teeth. Eton’s program has a clever habit of peaking at just the right time and a strong performance this weekend will lay down a marker ahead of the National Schools’ Regatta in just over three weeks’ time.
King’s College School, Wimbledon
It’s a phenomenal reference point on schoolboy rowing as a whole that in a preview focused on ‘elite’ eights, four of the boats called out are junior crews. King’s College School had what I consider to be a strong showing at the Schools’ Head of the River, finishing third overall and 12 seconds back on the winners from St Paul’s. With everyone waiting to see just how fast Bobby Thatcher’s group are, this is a great opportunity for KCS to push on the furor and establish themselves as a clear medalist contender in a few weeks’ time.
Molesey Boat Club
Ever the enigma, Molesey’s club crews are either sensational or flatter to deceive at the highest levels. After appearing out of nowhere to take the Thames Challenge Cup in 2022, their 2023 season was a little underwhelming in comparison as the club failed to make it past the Friday. With a few coaching switches at the top-end, it will be interesting to see if these guy can improve on what was probably a slightly disappointing 16th overall at the Head of the River race in March.
Prediction
There really should only be one winner here but rowing has taught me never to write the script before the race has begun. Leander are an elite program, they’ve performed well and put some distance between themselves and their competition at an early stage in the season. Whether the transition to shorter races has an impact, it shouldn’t, but it might. Outside of Leander, expect Thames to be the best of the rest. When it comes to winning regattas they’ve done it so frequently recently that they just know how to find that groove. Whilst London and St Paul’s are themselves admirable competition, they might fall short of what’ll be needed over the duration of the course.
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