The Vesta Scullers Head puts athletes in their single sculls to battle with the famously harsh Championship Course. The Tideway combines every weather element between Mortlake and Putney, paired with a singles race, meaning the Scullers Head tests experience and power. This event gives the new Junior 16 boys an open stage for anyone to prove themselves as an athlete to watch at the start of this season. With exactly half of the category filled with competitive boys from either Barn Elms Rowing Club or Bewl Bridge Rowing Club, these clubs will have high hopes for this year’s event. But who will be able to take on the elements?
Newark Rowing Club: Toby Bell
Although Barn Elms and Bewl Bridge have put out a plethora of athletes, the athlete fighting for the top spot comes from Newark Rowing Club. Toby Bell has achieved some of the highest accolades, particularly in the single scull category. Bell raced in many smaller summer regattas last year, racing up in the Junior 16 category, and this high level of experience resulted in him placing a respectable fourth at the British Rowing Club Championships in the Junior 15 single, as well as producing a competitive 13th in the Junior 16 double. These results undoubtedly give Bell an edge in terms of experience when competing at Vesta this year; if Bell can convert his regatta speed onto the Tideway, he may be an athlete to watch out for this coming season.
Tideway Scullers School: Louis Hennessey
In close competition with Bell is Louis Hennessey from Tideway Scullers School. Representing Tideway Scullers alone gives Hennessey a name to live up to, and I’m sure his sculling ability will be of an extremely high standard. Hennessey was selected to represent the competitive Thames London Team in a single for the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta last season and proved himself by gaining a respectable bronze medal in an extremely tight race. Following on from this achievement, he continued the training in a single to then go on and place 11th in the British Rowing Championships in the summer. Hennessey can prove the depth of sculling at Tideway Scullers, and being on his home water may give him the advantage over Bell.
Bewl Bridge Rowing Club: Daniel Ribbens and Nico Rainbird
Moving on to the large group of competitors from Bewl Bridge Rowing Club, the top end of their athletes consists of Daniel Ribbens and Nico Rainbird, who together have a lot of experience in a double, including a win at Kingston Regatta and sixth place at the British Rowing Club Championships. However, the rest of the Bewl Bridge boys aren’t to be underestimated. Ribbens and Coward were selected to represent Thames Southeast at the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta and claimed sixth in the Junior 15 double, demonstrating the depth of talent in this cohort. The Bewl Bridge boys can take a high placing spot among their competitors, but who will be brave enough to pull through?
Barn Elms Rowing Club
Finally, it would be wrong to leave out the athletes who train year-round on the Tideway, Barn Elms Rowing Club. When racing the championship Course, experience provides a significant advantage, so without a doubt, these boys will be among the more prepared in the competition. Barn Elms are known for success in their single sculls, and the newly turned Junior 16 boys are coming in fiercely. Specifically, Gallon, Hume, and Davies, who made up a coxed quad, secured a silver medal when representing Thames London at the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta and fourth place at the British Rowing Club Championships. The boys’ sculling ability has been displayed; however, will their local water knowledge give them enough speed to climb to victory in this highly competitive category?
Prediction
I believe the first-place position in this competition will be a close race on the Tideway between Louis Hennessey and Toby Bell, with the former taking the victory. Fighting it out for bronze, the fierce Bewl Bridge and Barn Elms athletes, Daniel Ribbens and Toby Gallon, should see some close timings, but ultimately, I believe Ribbens will round out the podium on race day.
