With all but a handful of this year’s head races having been abandoned due to treacherous conditions, we find ourselves turning our attention to the narrow but calm canals of Frampton. Although not the Tideway, it is almost impervious to flooding, allowing a small group of fortunate crews to once again engage in racing over the rural 2500m course.
Open Junior 18 Quad
In this event, ten crews will battle for victory, with a few standout contenders for the top spot. Such crews include Henley RC, a club with a rich history that will certainly be looking to leave a mark and separate themselves from the competition. However, to do so they will have to take down a crew from Hereford Cathedral School, which features at least one rower from their J18 2x last season, who will be looking to improve upon their fifteenth at National Schools’ Regatta. However, my prediction for the win is an understated crew from Exeter RC, containing at least one rower also in the 2x last season, which impressively finished fourth at National Schools. If backed by strong crewmates, the win is theirs for the taking.
Open Junior 16 Double
In a field of seven crews, Wycliffe College should be the standout crew, containing members (such as Fullman) of the J15 4x+ from last season which finished fifth at National Schools. They also won the J15 4x+ at this regatta last season over Great Marlow School by three seconds. If they can convert their speed into a smaller, coxless boat class, the win should be within grasp. Despite that, one crew they may have to watch out for is from Avon County RC, which came third in the J15 2x at this regatta last season, although it is unknown if it is the same crew racing this year or not.
Open Junior 15 Singles
The J15 1x is the largest boys’ event of the regatta, but the draw is nonetheless dominated by one club: Wallingford RC. With seven of the twelve crews entered being from this club, it seems inevitable they will perform strongly, through both confidence in their depth of squad and sheer volume. In any case, some of these athletes competed at Reading Small Boats Head in early October, taking first and second in the J15 2x as well as third and fourth in the Band 1 J15 4x+. The only crews likely to match the sheer quantity of Wallingford crews may be Magdalen College School. With three crews entered, and a third place in the event last year, they have a fair chance at success, though the competition from Wallingford may overpower them.
Open Junior 14 Doubles
Of all the open events, this could be the most unpredictable, with most of the crews being relative unknowns and not having entered the event last year. However, of the returning clubs, Wallingford RC certainly stands out, having taken the win last year by a staggering margin of 35 seconds. Still, whether their new cohort will be able to repeat this success remains to be seen. Another crew to watch is from Hereford RC, who have also had past success in the J14 2x, finishing fourth at the British Junior Rowing Championships in 2023. In the end, though, given the slow start to this year’s head season, don’t count anyone out quite yet.
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