Regatta season is well underway, with some of the fastest racing yet to come at this year’s National Schools’ Regatta venue at Nottingham. With warm weather ahead, racing this weekend should be exciting to watch.
St Mary’s School BC, Cambridge
The crew from St Mary’s School BC, Cambridge is the first of these doubles to set off, giving them clear water to push away from their competitors. This double seems to have a long history of racing together, with their first notable performance coming in 2023 via a second-place finish in the girls’ junior 14 coxed quads. Eilidh Hutton also raced in the quad last year at Junior 15 level, finishing sixth in the B-final, before this crew won the British Rowing Championships racing for Cantabrigian. This crew were due to race at the Junior Sculling Regatta in early May but withdrew, leaving us unsure as to their true speed (although they did finish third at the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta).
Trent Rowing Club
Madison Walker and Jessica Atkin from Trent Rowing Club are another crew with a list of successes together. Last year at the National Schools’ Regatta, both crew members raced in the girls’ Junior 15 coxed quad, which came fourth overall.
Hartpury University and College Boat Club
Third to set off is the Hartpury University and College Boat Club crew, who have already had a fabulous season after winning the Junior Sculling Regatta by almost five seconds and the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta by three seconds. Both athletes in this crew are outstanding, but Phoebe Asquith has had some notably massive achievements, including racing up last season for A.B. Severn, which allowed her to not only come second at the National Schools’ Regatta in this category (giving her another opportunity to go for gold this year) but she then also qualified to race at the GB vs France Regatta. I think the talent shown in this crew and the incredible season they have already had puts these girls in good stead for the gold medal this weekend.
Wallingford Rowing Club
The athletes from Wallingford Rowing Club are another crew who have already shown their rowing prowess this season. Together they competed in the women’s Junior 16 quad at the Junior Sculling Regatta and raced in the B-final. This indicates that this crew is certainly fast enough to reach those top spots, making the racing exciting for competitors and spectators alike!
Yarm School Boat Club
Fifth to set off are the crew from Yarm School Boat Club. The athletes in this crew have shown their speed with successes both regionally and nationally. Both White and Oliver raced in the women’s Junior 15 quad at the Junior Sculling Regatta, coming sixth overall. Both athletes in this crew seem to be racing up, showing experience beyond their years. Will their age put them at a disadvantage to the older, more seasoned crews?
Hereford Rowing Club
A club with an increasingly prominent presence on the national rowing scene, this Hereford Rowing Club duo finished third at the Junior Sculling Regatta and won the West Midlands Junior Inter-Regional Trials. They finished third together at the British Rowing Junior & Senior Club Championships in the women’s Junior 15 double last summer, so have spent a lot of time together honing their craft.
Predications
The racing will be close with so many outstanding athletes, but I think Hartpury University and College Boat Club will take the win due to their experience and recent success together. They will be closely followed by Trent Rowing Club, Hereford Rowing Club and St Mary’s School BC, Cambridge.
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