British Junior and Senior Rowing Championships 2024 – Preview of the Open Club Eights

The British Rowing Junior and Senior Club Championships bring a brand new combined event to Nottingham and will be a showcase of the best club talent. With seven competitors in the open eights category and only limited information available, these crews will represent an unpredictable mix of experience and make for an exciting clash of teams.

Auriol Kensington Rowing Club

The first team hoping to establish its name on the national stage is Auriol Kensington Rowing Club, who have achieved a number of decent results this season, including respectable performances in many of the major events. Having started the season with local success at Quintin Head and Peterborough Regatta, this group formed crews that finished in the top 150 at Head of the River and finished 6th and 3rd respectively in the G and H finals on the Sunday of the Met Regatta. These crews also faced a tough battle in the qualifying rounds in the battle for the Thames Challenge Cup at the recent Henley Royal Regatta. After ultimately failing to make it, Auriol hope to use their disappointment as motivation this time around and with their considerable racing experience, this team could be one to keep an eye on.

Star Rowing Club

After weather conditions limited racing opportunities at the beginning of the season, Star Rowing Club have taken every opportunity since then to show their strength. Their recent successes include qualifying for the heats of the Thames Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta, where they put up a fierce fight against Vesta ‘A’, and third place in the F Final of the Open Eights event at Met Regatta. Hoping to build on the momentum of their start at Henley, star will hardly be able to wait for another chance to establish themselves at national level.

Lancaster University Boating Club

Other hopes to attract attention at this event are Lancaster University Boating Club whose crew, despite local success at events such as Hexham Regatta, have not often been seen at the bigger events. With limited knowledge of their standing amongst these more experienced crews, it will be interesting to see how they fare.

Hereford Rowing Club

Hereford Rowing Club have already proven their strengths, with at least half of this team performing well at some of the recent major events. Coombes, Fraser, Lomas and helmsman L. Head headed to Dorney Lake to put in impressive performances on both days of the Met Regatta, placing in the top 14 teams on both days. Some of these athletes also saw the famous waters of Henley Royal where they qualified and took a round in the Wyfold Challenge Cup. Together with Wynter, Chick, Partridge, Fraser and Fraser, We will soon see if they can repeat their performance in Nottingham.

forecast
Recent results and the enormous racing experience suggest that the likely frontrunners star And Auriol Kensington, However, there is not enough information to completely rule out the majority of other candidates. If I had to choose a team to bet on, I would hedge my bets with star I know they will be full of energy after the unfortunate early end to their season at Henley and I am sure there is still a lot to see from this team.

About the author

Meg Ashford

Having been involved in rowing for over ten years in various roles, Meg joined the JRN team in 2023 after trying her hand at commentating at the Henley Women’s Regatta. Meg is currently a coach at Westlake Boys High School in Auckland, New Zealand and a commentator at Lake Karāpiro covering the series of events in the North Island.