A month of the Northern Sculling Series has already been completed and the challenge is certainly bringing out the best in our region’s young athletes. Being the penultimate race, Wansbeck is where we will see the best separate themselves from the pack, as we now have weeks of results to look at, which pave the way for how races will go during the remaining 9 months of the season. Wansbeck is the shortest race of the series thus far, which brings uncertainty- as we could see how the shorter course favours different crews. At 3.5km, it is certainly more of a slog than a sprint but many results this weekend will come down to how high the juniors will dare to go with their rate- and if they are able to hold it the whole way.
WJ18 4x-
The crews who have consistently entered this category over the series are; Cambois, Queen Elizabeth High School and St Leonard’s School. St Leonard’s have come out on top so far, having won Tyne LDS against these two other crews by a number of minutes and also beating these boats at Tees LDS, where it was actually York City who took the win. Although, competition this weekend also comes in the form of Durham ARC– who will be racing as a WJ18 quad for the first time. These girls pose a serious threat- as DARC’s WJ17 quad beat St Leonard’s WJ18 quad at the first race of the season; South Hylton LDS. St Leonard’s only have one returning athlete from the quad who lost to Durham ARC a month ago, which makes the result even less predictable.
WJ18 2x
Previous weeks to the series have seen an abundance of doubles enter, yet this Saturday, it is just Tyne United and Cambois -and they are both under WJ17. It would be no surprise if Cambois won on home water, as they have consistent strength in depth with their junior girls at the minute. There is a lack of results for this specific Tyne United crew and the Cambois double having raced last weekend, at Berwick LDS, only makes their position stronger.
WJ18 1x
Cambois’ sculler Furness remains unbeaten this season and so it is unlikely that anyone will be able to topple her, especially as she races on her home stretch of water. At Tees LDS, Cambois beat George Watsons College ‘Hughes’, Tyne’s ‘Wearmouth’ and Chester-Le-Street’s ‘Warren’– all of whom face each other again this weekend. Tough opposition could come from George Watsons’ ‘Dickerson’ and ‘Hall’ as this school has recently fielded a fast junior quad- although lately these girls have not been tested in the single scull.
We should see a range of clubs and schools competing for the top spots at Cambois RC this Saturday, as the end of many of these girls’ final sculling series’, as juniors, draws nearer.
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