Although Storm Amy put an end to a few head races at the start of this month, all is not lost, as crews from up and down the country will be racing down the course(s) at Nottingham Autumn Head this weekend in what at best could be crisp autumnal sunshine, or at worst a repeat of some of the negligent weather we have almost come to expect from head race season. Nottingham’s central Midlands location makes it an ideal venue for a wide range of clubs to target, meaning the racing on offer will be varied and very exciting.
Nottingham Autumn Head offers three different course lengths – a 6,000m long course in Division one and in Division two, a 3,700m long course and a 1,900m short course.
Junior 16, 17 and 18 Singles (long course)
Division one’s long-distance racing is open exclusively to single sculls (J16 and above), allowing for a closer look at the ones to watch for this season after Scullers Head in September and ahead of the long-distance GB U19 Benchmarking Events in October and November.
Among the ten J18 singles vying for the title are two from Bedford School Boat Club. Payne and Rioch were part of Bedford’s National Schools’ Regatta (NSR) Championship eight last summer, which finished an impressive sixth in the A-final among the most competitive crews in the country. Payne and Rioch are certainly well-versed in moving boats quickly and should pose a formidable challenge to others in the field. Newark Rowing Club is also putting out a crew fresh from the glories of last summer – Petkovic time-trialled to a respectable 34th in the Championship Singles event, demonstrating a pre-existing prowess for the single scull. From Nottingham and Union Rowing Club, another set of former crewmates come head-to-head – Jamieson and Duncan were supposed to race as a Championship double at NSR in May but fell victim to the cancellation of Sunday. Could Nottingham Autumn Head offer them the opportunity to display their sculling talent, five months later? Three other singles from Nottingham and Union, as well as one each from Newark and York will take to the course, but I would expect a victory from either of the Bedford scullers.
A field of seven J17 singles will follow the J18s down the Trent, and Newark Rowing Club’s Harry Woodman is one to watch in this category, having finished an impressive fifth at Scullers Head on the Tideway at the end of last month. He’s also got form at this event; he finished second by just seven seconds in this category last year. Crews from Peterborough City Rowing Club, as well as Nottingham and Newark RC and Bedford School will be racing too, but all being well, this should be Woodman’s race.
The J16 category of the morning division offers a long-distance racing experience that many of this age may not have tackled in a small boat class before this season. Toby Bell (Newark RC) should feel quite comfortable sitting at the start of this race, having won his age group at Scullers Head by a respectable seven seconds. Peterborough’s entrants, Dennis and Waller, have form, having raced together in a J15 4x+ last season, and entrants from Nottingham County Rowing Association could also pose a threat, but Bell’s chances appear strong.
Junior 18 Coxed Fours (long course)
Just two junior coxed fours will race the long course for a medal at Nottingham Autumn Head: Bedford School and Nottingham and Union Rowing Club. It would be fair to assume that Bedford, who have demonstrated an impressive record in sweeping over the past few years, culminating with their NSR sixth place last season, will have this race, but the crew from Nottingham will have the advantage of knowing the water they’re racing on, and, with Ibrahim listed as a member of the crew, it could resemble their Championship Coxless Four which never raced at NSR last summer – two highly-competent sweep crews coming head-to-head could make for some exciting racing on Sunday.
Junior 18 Doubles and Pairs (long course)
As far as doubles are concerned, a York City Rowing Club victory is guaranteed – York Richardson will be chased down the Trent by York Gillard. While the conclusion may seem foregone, racing against their own teammates will undoubtedly add an extra level of competitiveness and aggression for both crews.
Similarly, only two pairs will be fighting it out for the win – Peterborough against Nottingham & Union. From the latter, Armson was supposed to be racing in a Championship Coxless Four at NSR, and Barber from the former’s championship event also had his race cancelled. Nottingham and Union’s crew will be racing with the advantage of knowing the course, which could be enough to give them the edge over the crew from Peterborough.
Junior 16 Doubles (long course)
Nottingham & Union Rowing Club are fielding a crew for this category too, and as with the others, they are packing a punch: Findlay’s crew won the short course event in a J15 double last year by a margin of thirty seconds. Although Loughborough Boat Club’s Askham has the potential to be a strong entry, Nottingham & Union have previous success at the event, and train on this stretch of the Trent year-round – a victory from them would be unsurprising.
Junior 15 Singles (short course)
A flotilla of seven J15 singles will race on the shorter course of Division two, with only one (McKenzie of Northampton) having raced at Nottingham as a J14 last year. He beat all of the junior doubles and all but one of the J15 singles at the 2024 event, demonstrating considerable prowess at a young age. Derwent Rowing Club’s Gestopa may be a match for McKenzie, though, having won the J14 single category at Trentham Regatta in the summer – another entrant who clearly can move a single scull well. Other entries from Peterborough, Burton Leander, and the Nottingham County Rowing Association could also have the potential for successful races – J15 categories can often be among the most unpredictable and therefore exciting, due to the different stages of development that each athlete is at. That being said, I would expect either Gestopa (Derwent RC) or McKenzie (Northampton RC) to be pushing for some silverware.
Junior 14 Singles (short course)
Scullers from Nottingham County Rowing Association, Trent Rowing Club and York City Rowing Club will most likely all be experiencing their first head races at this early stage in their rowing careers – a daunting yet exciting prospect in a single scull.
With crews racing across three course lengths in two divisions, Nottingham Autumn Head on Saturday should be an exciting day of racing for all.
