The 2020 Weybridge Silver Sculls will be the second major club run event to see crews out racing on the river. Running from Walton into Weybridge this 3.3km upstream course will be the first welcome taste of competition that some of these crews have had in months which should make the racing all the more exciting. Covid-19 obviously means a reduced entry but that doesn’t mean there wont be fierce competition for the fastest time. Op J18 2x sees eight crews entered by three clubs: Tideway Scullers School, Team Keane and Walton Rowing Club. This event should show us the fastest junior crews these clubs have to offer and will give us some of the first glimpses of what we can expect from them over the coming season.
Tideway Scullers School
Tideway has four crews entered. Woolmer/Kelly are the first off the line with both of them being Nat Schools gold medalists and GB France representatives as J16’s along with Reagan and Oliver. Woolmer was also part of the runner-up crew at the last Fours Head. Oliver/Hansen are bound to be quick with Oliver coming runner up at the Pairs Head last year with Kelly. Regan/Obholzer are the last of the overtly quick entrants as Read/Eaton are greater unknowns. Obholzer may be a name familiar to you as he achieved a sub 6 2k over lockdown setting a new junior record in the process and Reagan won this event with Hansen last year. The calibre of these crews is going to mean some swift, smooth sculling on race day and its a tough call on which one of these crews will come out on top.
Walton Rowing Club
Walton has just the two entries of Maffi/Bryant and Goldfinch/Holloway. Maffi/Bryant came second at this event last year losing out on the top spot by 5 seconds to a Tideway crew including Hansen. These crews may not have the same list of achievements as their Tideway competitors but Walton have turned out some fast crews over the past few years and the Watt Farmers should not be underestimated by any means.
Team Keane
Finally Scott/Russell Thompson and Kellett/Jeronimus are Team Keane’s entries. This will be Scott/Russell Thompson’s second outing of the season with them already having raced at the Pairs Head last weekend. They put in a good performance coming second (albeit nearly a minute behind winners St Pauls). They are the only crew entered to have raced this season so they stand at an advantage going into this competition.
Prediction
With it being so early in the season and having had so little racing experience it will be a matter of testing the water for the crews competing this weekend. Tideway has some individually quick athletes and Walton are bound to have a competitive crew with Team Keane being the only club with some racing time this season. That being said my predictions for the racing are:
1st – Woolmer/Kelly TSS
2nd – Oliver/Hansen TSS
3rd – Maffi/Bryant WLT
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