On Sunday, an armada of 25 J15 eights will be storming down the Tideway from Chiswick Bridge to Hammersmith Bridge once again, taking the 2 ¾ mile course downstream with great confidence after many of the crews’ successful outings at Hampton, Henley and Quintin Head this year. Being nearly 2.5 miles shorter than the ‘traditional’ boat race tideway course, we can expect the rapidity of crews to be tested, being an unfamiliarly quick pacing whilst also being in a very familiar setting. With the likes of St Pauls School (A and B), Radley College, King’s College School and Westminster School all hoping to come out on top this Sunday.
St Paul’s School
After an astounding success in the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup at Henley last year, the schoolboy sensations have given their winning streak to their younger crewmates, who ultimately took the win in a competitive field of 16 at Quintin Head. This recent advantage over the competition also entered in this race may be a signpost for an expecting St Paul’s crew, however, close followers like King’s College may pose a problem, as could slower J16 crews setting off in front of them. Nevertheless, St Paul’s will be in a safe position on Sunday and should easily be in the running for the prestigious gold medal.
Reading Blue Coat School
Reading can only impress on Sunday, being runners up at previous races, such as a 7th place at Quintin Head this year, but are yet to win in a competitive field. They have taken a win before, though this was only in a limited category of 3 at Henley 4s and 8s Head. Even so, a win is a win and this may have inspired them to ramp up their training and commitment in the run up to Hammersmith and the even larger Thames head races to come in quick succession this March. As one of the smaller and lesser known schools for rowing, Reading’s ethos is highly commendable, hoping to develop their rowing programme further and put their school on the map, climbing the league tables for junior rowers.
King’s College School
Further impressive strides have been made by the King’s College School, who are current title holders of the event, winning by a comfortable 14 seconds (though St Paul’s did not attend). At Quintin Head, they were close on the heels of St Paul’s coming second, with Hammersmith Head the perfect event to settle their rivalry, giving King’s an opportunity to avenge their loss at Quintin, and show St Paul’s that they are a force to be reckoned with. Further evidence for their capabilities comes with the recent Hampton Head, where King’s again took a win in the category by a comfortable 10 seconds. I am sure we are going to see a strong performance from King’s after a month off racing, and the battle between King’s and St Paul’s will be thrilling to watch.
Predictions
With St Paul’s leading the way down the course, followed by two J16 crews and then the rest of the J15 contingent, I can expect that the organisation committee has motive behind the advantage for St Paul’s, who we can only expect will be their fastest crew. Also, with King’s College lagging behind, setting off in 9th, this may indicate a lower average PRI for the crew, perhaps not as strong as last year. However, if this is not the case, then the slight setback could in fact be advantageous as King’s may take several slower crews set off before them, boosting morale of the boat. However, I’m expecting St Paul’s to comfortably win here, their primary competition being King’s College who could be the hamartia of St Paul’s. As ever though, we must remember that literally anything can happen on race days, and so no one crew can be discounted or given a definite winning prediction. We shall just have to wait until Sunday to see which crew emerges victorious!
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