The first major event in the Scottish rowing calendar is the Scottish Rowing Spring Regatta, held on the unpredictable waters of Strathclyde Country Park. This classic regatta lake hosted the European Rowing Championships in 2018 and has hosted countless domestic and international regattas since its opening in the 1970s. Every Scottish rower will be aware of the challenging conditions typical of this open stretch of water, which brings a crosswind and impressive waves to test the technique and bravery of competitors. Having said this, Strathclyde Park can produce great racing conditions, which looks to be the case for this weekend, with a mellow headwind scheduled for both days. 86 events will be held across two days, attracting people ages 14 and up, with every boat class catered for.
Senior Races
In the open single, coming straight off a win at Ghent International Regatta, Ben Parsonage (Clydesdale Amateur Rowing Club) will take to the Strathclyde waters, searching for another gold medal. Gregor Hall (Stirling Rowing Club) is another established name in British Rowing, but instead, for beach sprints. Hall recently took home gold at the Saints Coastal Regatta, where he bettered some British Rowing Team athletes in the championship single and mixed double, taking home gold in both. Robbie Waddell (Glasgow University Boat Club)has represented Scotland for two years in beach-sprint rowing and flat water and will likely be among the few who receive a medal in this tough field of 12. Adding to this strong field is Kiwi rower Luke Watts, who is currently rowing in Ireland. Watts has produced excellent racing results. Most recently, the Lagan Head of River Race 2025, where he produced a time 0.2s behind Irish national team member Hugh Moore. Watts has also medalled numerous times at the New Zealand rowing championships, putting him in the first-place battle with Parsonage and Hall.
The open pair has slightly less competition, with two crews from Glasgow University Boat Club and two from Clydesdale Amateur Rowing Club. Both crews raced this event last year, and the combination of Alexander Beeson and Matt Hughson came out on top, but will the provisional A crew of Ethan MacLachlan and Joe Flood manage to flip the scoreboard in the early stages of this racing season? The two Clydesdale Amateur Rowing Club boats, I imagine, will battle for the minor positions, as I don’t see them being faster than the two university boats leading up to BUCS regatta.
The women’s quad could shape up to be the tightest racing of the regatta. Five crews, all at similar speeds, will battle head-to-head with only a gold and silver medal available; three will walk away empty-handed. Edinburgh University Boat Club has entered their top beginner quad, and it will be their first experience at a 2000m race against other crews. Edinburgh’s year-on-year novice success is proof that this program is bulletproof. I struggle to see this crew not medalling. The other medal will likely be picked up from the Performance Development Academy crew, who won early this year at the Inverness Fours and Eights head. The crew of Swaile, Wilson, Hunter, and Gildert has just finished a training camp in Belgium, where they will likely have found more speed. I would put this crew as favourites to win ahead of the Edinburgh University Boat Club crew.
Junior Races
The Junior Boys’ single has ten entries from across Scotland, but the standards appear to be at their highest in years. The most eye-catching name on the entry list is Ezra Ferguson, who won GB U19 Long Distance Trials in February and claimed victory at the Oarsport Junior Sculling Head in J17 quad. Thomas Lowrie from Clydesdale Amateur Rowing Club was a member of the Scotland Rowing Team in 2024 and competed at GB U19 early IDS. Lowrie has been Ferguson’s main competition in Scotland and will likely do the same again this weekend. Another U19 trialist for this year is Finlay Morrison from Aberdeen Schools Rowing Association, who will likely be competitive with Ferguson and Lowrie at the top of this field. Finlay predominantly sweeps at his home club, and this was his discipline when he represented Scotland at the Home International Regatta. My prediction is that Ferguson will win with clear water over Lowrie in second place, with Morrison taking third position.
The Junior Girls’ single also features many talented scullers. Briony Wood (The Glasgow Academy) will return to the Scottish Rowing Spring Regatta after being touted as a generational talent for her wins in the Girls Championship Single Scull at the National Schools’ Regatta in 2023 and 2024. As she has recently topped the table at GB U19 spring assessments, I expect her to take another win at the Scottish Rowing Spring Regatta. Chasing down Briony is Jemima Aspinall (University Rowing Aberdeen), who competed at Coupe De La Jeunesse 2024 for Great Britain. Aspinall’s international experience may give her an edge over her competitors. Isobel Soyinka from Clydesdale could also seek her first win in this event. After competing for Scotland last summer, Soyinka has also won nearly every event this year that she has raced, which leaves the door open for her to take home gold.
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