SUCCESS was hard to come by for local clubs at the Fours Head of the River, but St Edward’s School and Wallingford Rowing Club found it at Pangbourne Junior Sculls, writes John Wiggins.

The 3km course along the Thames proved more than just a visual delight for the Teddies scullers as their junior quad of Barnaby Singfield, Campbell Nelson, George Hayter and Valentin Peiker, came home with the fastest time of the day.

Single-scullers Maddie Luke and Matilda Mann filled the top two places, Luke having earlier secured a second place in the double scull with Saskia Ward.

Felix Abel added to the medal tally with silver in the J15 singles.

Wallingford took home a number of bronze medals in both the boys junior pair, double scull and the girls J15 quad.

But they crowned a fine day with gold in the boys J15 quad courtesy of Philip van der Veen, Sam Fanstone, Toby Frances, Noah Barlow and cox Cameron MacKinnon.

Meanwhile, Wallingford’s elder statesman, Sean Morris, was on his annual pilgrimage to Turin, Italy for the Silver Skiff endurance race over 11km.

Morris had won seven consecutive titles, but this year had to settle for second place in the over-70 H category, finishing behind former Wallingford sculler Tom Bishop.

On the London Tideway, the weekend was given over to racing in fours and quads.

An early guide to possible Boat Race form was slightly distorted as Oxford’s men had last-minute alterations to several of their entries.

Cambridge will, however, still take confidence from their win in coxed fours ahead of the second placed dark blues. Oxford were also runners-up in the coxless event. The Oxford women also have much to do in the remaining eighteen weeks coming in behind their light blue opposition. The Oxford University lightweight women however found themselves victorious in the Band 3 coxed fours - their first win for many years at this event.

Abingdon School were third in the junior men’s fours behind Radley College who, having spread their talent between their boats, were pleased with second, sixth and ninth places.

Oxford Brookes’ sole entry was, due to illness, a variation on the lightweight quad that raced at the Head of the Charles in America.

On a cold blustery day in London, they were, impressively, third overall.

Saturday saw the Masters version of the Fours Head, with Oxford Academicals best of the local crews with third place in the men’s B quads.