A key milestone in the season for junior and club crews, Hammersmith Head sees crews race between Chiswick and Hammersmith Bridge on the Tideway. All will vie for glory over a difficult course with bends, winds, and strong streams, all of which will likely affect the outcome on Sunday.
King’s College School Wimbledon Boat Club
KCS will be looking to consolidate a powerful start to the season. With a commanding performance at Quintin head earlier this year, having had the fastest time (unadjusted for penalties they received due to completion of bursts in the marshalling area), they look to be the favourites. Kings are also the defending champions of this category from last year, beating second-place Hampton by a significant margin of eight seconds last February. They look to have laid the foundation for a great season ahead, with the rewards from their winter training program showing most recently at GB U19 trials this past weekend, where they had many strong performers.
Bedford School Boat Club
Another strong contender this Sunday will be Bedford. After their outstanding performance at Quintin Head in January, where they came second to Shiplake, they will indeed be looking to consolidate and strengthen their record. With Daniel McGregor stroking, who sat in the seven seat of their B-final-winning eight last year at National Schools’ Regatta, there is no doubt that Bedford’s crew this year is a serious contender for the top spots among the very best; we can only wait to see to what extent they will challenge the other powerhouses of junior rowing in Britain.
Radley College Boat Club
On the topic of top school rowing programs, Radley is, of course, unmissable. With a strong performance at National Schools’ Regatta last year, finishing with a silver medal, and an impressive third at Quintin Head this season, there is no doubt that the Radley eight will also be stiff competition. They will be looking to show that, as we near Schools’ Head of the River, no club can discount them for the top positions at any and all races as we move into the second half of the season.
Latymer Upper School Boat Club
Home advantage will certainly affect Sunday’s results, and one crew with such an advantage is Latymer. With most of their crew being in their final year of school, this crew is highly polished, so they will definitely look to take advantage of their experience to deliver their best possible performance.
Prediction
If I had to call the race, I would put King’s as favourites, closely followed by Radley and Bedford.
The former have demonstrated their prowess time and time again, particularly in these head races along their native stretch of river. However, their victory is by no means guaranteed, as there will be extremely stiff competition, even in the absence of St Paul’s (they have entered their first eight into the Open Championship Eights category). Above all, Sunday’s results will tell us what we can expect from each crew for the season ahead.
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