After an overwhelmingly wet winter last year which led to the cancellation of Hampton Small Boats Head, the race is back this year, thanks to a much drier (though colder) winter. It has been encouraging to see that very few races have been cancelled by this point in the season. This year hosts just over a dozen entries, with a mix of clubs travelling from afar to crews that train on the very water that they will race on. They will have to contend with a relatively narrow river that bends and turns at various points.
Molesey Boat Club
The crew that might well end up winning this race is located just a few hundred metres downstream of the finish line. Molesey, therefore, are experts at navigating this particular stretch of the Thames. They did not compete at Junior Fours Head just over a fortnight ago, but instead might have been training on the Hampton stretch, knowing that it would give them a sizeable advantage in this race. Without details of the crews, nothing can be certain, but Molesey have entered an open junior quad in the first division, before this race in the afternoon, suggesting their athletes may be doubling up. Again, time will tell whether this is a help or a hindrance, but Molesey are out to win.
Tiffin School Boat Club
Unlike Molesey, Tiffin are a crew that did race at Junior Fours Head, and performed well, finishing seventh out of 38 entries. Based slightly further downstream in Kingston, it can be said they are race-ready, or at least the racing environment is not something unfamiliar to them this season. It is important to note that Tiffin seem to have entered only this event, allowing for total focus. However, with named crews not released, it is unclear whether the athletes in this Tiffin crew were both in the quad that performed at Junior Fours Head. This result will boost them for potential success at the weekend.
Claires Court School Boat Club
Going upstream this time to Claires Court, a school which has had a large amount of both representation and success at this race in years gone by. In recent years though, perhaps their programme has not quite been at the top of their game. This can be seen in their Juniors Fours Head result, with their top crew placing 12th. Nevertheless, the school entered three quads into the Junior Fours Head, boasting great squad depth. They have also entered a quad for this race, as well as a large fleet of single scullers, which makes it tricky to deduce exactly who is racing in which boat class.
Other Mentions
It is also worth mentioning some of the other crews competing. Walton Rowing Club are also an extremely local crew with pedigree in small boats. They will therefore know this stretch of the Thames well and benefit from the home advantage. For crews coming from further afield, look to City of Bristol Rowing Club and St Peter’s School Boat Club for competitive showings.
Predictions
Overall, it is hard to look past Molesey Boat Club: Tiffin and Claires Court will struggle to overcome their local advantage. As for second place, it is difficult to call, but I think Claires Court will just edge out Tiffin for silver.
