The pinnacle single sculling event at the regatta, this is where the gems are found, the opportunity for some of the fastest club scullers in the country to test their mettle against athletes from regions where they may not usually make contact in a normal setting, providing some exhilarating battles.
Lea Rowing Club: Max Raymond-Barker
Last year’s champion is back for blood, hailing from Lea Rowing Club, Max won in 2024 by an impressive nine seconds, a margin almost unheard of. Max is back this year with more experience under his belt and a lot more racing, sadly missing out on qualifying for the Diamond Challenge Sculls, he will likely see this as an opportunity for redemption and see if he can blow the rest rest of the field quite literally out of the water for a second year running.
Hereford Rowing Club: Jamie Coombes
A force to be reckoned with from the west midlands, Jamie Coombes comes from Hereford Rowing Club and is a builder by trade but still managed to clinch a silver medal in this event in 2024 and also consistently proved himself as a versatile oarsman, playing a key role in the engine room of the Hereford Thames Cup crew that raced very well just a few short weeks ago. I am sure that as the event draws nearer that he will have a certain athlete in orange in his crosshairs, ready to strike straight off the start line.
Bath University: Archie Norton
A strong entry from the boys at Bath University, the best of which can be seen to be Archie, who sadly just missed out on the prince of wales quad for the club, but don’t let this fool you as he is a technical machine that will ruthlessly sink his teeth into any racing dogfight he can get his hands on. under the stewardship of GB performance Development Academy coach Tom Selby, Archie has developed heavily in his first year of university and it will be incredibly exciting to see how he stacks up next to the more established senior club rowers.
York City Rowing Club: Barney Evans
Travelling down from York City Rowing Club, Barney is a prominent member of the GB Performance Development Academy which aims to take new rowers and set them on a pathway to the GB senior squad. it will be interesting to see if barney can produce the fast speeds that he has showed on the water behind closed doors and in testing and translate that to six lanes of aggression and intensity, this will likely give us a clear picture as to how far along this pathway Barney is, likely a good portion of the way through.
Prediction
I think Max Raymond-Barker‘s margin last year cannot be ignored and I am fairly confident that there will be very little that can stop him doing it again. For second place it falls into tight competition, but i think the new blood and technical fortitude of Archie Norton will be able to beat Jamie Coombes for second place, Leaving the Hereford born and bred sculler in the bronze medal position.
