With the 2018/19 season underway after a long, (and much needed!) summer break, we are straight back into a cold, unforgiving head season! The gruelling 6,800m course is a leap back into the season for the 4’s as it really tests the junior squads and provides great learning experiences for the younger athletes and coxes.
There are 25 crews entered into this event, the Women’s Junior Challenge Quads. This is the first year that different bands have been introduced for junior categories at Four’s Head.
The day started off calm and still in the overcast of the early morning. The clouds provided shelter from the wind resulting in some quick time-trials, but as with any results at J15, they were not as originally expected...
In temperatures of 22oC+, Thames Ditton regatta saw over 200 schools, clubs and universities race upstream on the 1k Thames course in front of the picturesque Hampton Court Palace. Along with the dodging of many stray pleasure boats and swans, TDR saw some very close 1-on-1 racing. In Open Challenge 8s, Radley A took the gold, showing a significant step on from poor results at Bedford. A significant crew change was noticeable and this set them up nicely for National Schools’ Regatta the week after, where they took second place behind the dominant crew from St Pauls. The J14 and J15 age categories saw some extremely close racing, with both Kingston Grammar School and Surbiton High School taking home four...