For what feels like an eternity rowing has been a bitterly cold and damp sport but luckily the changing of the seasons brings the months of Regatta racing towards us. Starting with Wallingford Regatta, which will act as a baseline for crews to identify their early-season placements and figure out their competition for the rest of the season’s events. But until then, crews will need to keep their cool and prove the efforts of their winter miles. As the distances shorten and lactic acid increases, the young athletes will be pushed to their limits, and it will be interesting to see how they have adapted to this updated (and arguably more strenuous) format. This weekend, we will see racing from the likes of big names: Westminster School, St Paul’s School, St Edward’s School, Radley College Boat Club, and Shiplake College. The J16 event is particularly exciting too, since it displays athletes of high potential, who may be looking to trial for a GB vest in the next year or two, and with the eights being the fastest boats on the water, we’re sure to be in for some exciting racing.
St Paul’s School Boat Club
Honestly, these boys need no introduction. Their boat club has been all over the rowing community for years, claiming countless victories until a major upset at Henley last year. Though they didn’t race last year in the J15 category, their J16 crew won by three seconds to Hampton (racing again this year). Some of the athletes might have been rowing up, and so we could see some returning faces, who can bring the experience and expertise to the rest of the crew to ensure optimum success. Are they going to manage it this year? Well, the only thing that could spark a challenge is the format change, since this is over an unbiased 2000m stretch, compared to the turbulent Thames, which is known for its changeable lines and currents. Being situated on the river, St Paul’s have a clear advantage when it comes to navigation, which will be lost when on the straight course. The question is, how much will the opposition be able to bounce back, and how successfully will they adapt to the ‘sprint’ format? The jury’s out.
Radley College Boat Club
A commonplace name when it comes to the schoolboy sweep, Radley are stepping up to the challenge to beat seemingly unstoppable St Paul’s, and they have a strong basis and potential to do so. Last year, their J15 crew (who will be the ones racing on Sunday) captured a clear victory over the field by 10 seconds, while their J16 counterparts managed a solid third place. They will be looking to exchange that bronze for either silver or gold, but this is a clear testament to the programme’s continuity. Most recently, the crew came fifth at the School’s Head of the River, a slight drop in positioning but still very commendable given the large field of 17 crews. Radley will be hunting down St Paul’s with a passion, but will they have done enough since March to put their dreams to fruition? We will just have to wait until Sunday to find out.
Shiplake College Boat Club
Another established rowing-focussed programme, Shiplake seem to have been handing out scholarships and investing in empachers faster than St Paul’s tore down the Tideway course. Last year’s J15 accomplished a solid fifth-place position, but this year’s contingent grappled with a perhaps disappointing ninth place at School’s Head. Though this might cast doubt on the Shiplake investment, it is worth noting that their top junior 18 crew came second overall, missing out only to St Paul’s. This could show that their investment this year has focussed on their Championship crew, however, their fifth place positions in the J15 events at Wallingford last year may attribute the School with a magic flourish when it comes to side-by-side regatta racing. It will certainly be exciting to see how this J16 crew fares against its competition, but it does feel like they will be overshadowed by their older crewmates.
Hampton School Boat Club
Finally, Hampton School is most certainly on the cards for success this year, as their cohort accomplished a double silver in the J16 and J15 events in 2023, so the gold would be the only natural progression, albeit a challenging one. In recent months, Hampton came third at the School’s Head, which puts them right up there with the likes of St Paul’s and King’s College Somewhat lesser known, Hampton School have certainly been putting in the effort over the winter from their plethora of results, it will just be interesting to see if what they have done can surpass that of the other crews and give them the highly deserved silverware they endeavour.
Prediction
This Sunday will bring a comfortable and welcome change to racing, enhanced further by the increase in competition as the event register rises from six to 18, allowing for multiple competitive finals to occur. From experience, side-by-side racing unleashes a whole new dynamic to the sport and is most welcome to displace the head race season! As far as any predictions go, I hope Hampton have mustered the ability to topple ‘favourites’ St Pauls, however, I realistically think they will claim the top spot, followed by Hampton and then Radley. However, since we’ve hardly had any regatta events so far, these previews are solely based on the Head results, and so this new challenge might usurp the traditional ‘pecking order’, and the great chain of being of the rowing hierarchy may be reset. We will just have to wait until Sunday to find out!
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