Raced over a relatively short 3000m, Hampton Head is a fast-paced event. The second chance for crews to showcase some early season speed after the Tideway’s Quintin head last Sunday, the J15 VIIIs category is always competitive and with 21 entries, this year’s event will be no different.
Latymer Upper School
Latymer Upper has a reputation for producing a lot of fast crews at J14 and J15, and though they often tail off in senior years, last years 5th place in Champs VIIIs shows this is not always the case. They came 8th overall at NSR last year but J14 is rarely a reliable marker for success, as seen by their impressive second place finish at Quintin Head. With 3 entries in J15 8+ alone, They will be looking for at least one crew to finish top three on Saturday, and challenge for the win.
St Paul’s
Last years winners in J14 8x+ at NSR, one cannot discuss St Paul’s without looking at their recent success. Bobby Thatcher has produced some incredibly fast senior crews, but the foundations for such success are borne out of the programs in place in the younger year groups. They came a slightly disappointing seventh at Quintin last week, but with three crews racing, that very well could have been a matched VIII performance. As has become the case with all St Paul’s entries, they will be looking to come out on top.
King’s College School
As has been the case in the past two seasons, King’s crews improve dramatically from J14 to J15, and this year group is no different. After a lacklustre 15th place in J14 as NSR last year, King’s put down an impressive performance at Quintin last week, finishing 1st and 4th in two matched VIIIs. They are also the current holders of this event, having won it the past two seasons in a row. While undoubtedly confident after last weeks performance, they will have to resist the urge to become complacent, as last year’s King’s J15 VIII that won Quintin and Hampton went on to finish a disappointing 17th place. This could signal the start for another year of success for King’s as they try and establish themselves as true Champs VIII contenders, but first, this crew must prove themselves at Hampton.
Westminster
Last year was not a hugely successful one by Westminster’s usually high standards. Prioritising a top quad, their VIII could only manage 15th overall at NSR. Similarly, their J14s finished 19th. However, they have come out fighting this year and look to be back on form – across all their year groups. Their single entry in J15 VIIIs at Quintin last year finished an impressive third, a huge improvement on last year’s result and they will be targeting another top three spot on Saturday as they look to build momentum in the run-up to Schools’ Head.
Norwich School
Norwich finished 2nd in J14x+ last year at NSR and a respectable 6th at Quintin. While not a particularly renowned Boat Club, they have seen success in recent years, with a win in Senior 4+ last year at NSR and high rankings for all their crews at Quintin. They will have to put down an impressive row to beat out some of the other schools on this list, but they should not be ruled out
I do not doubt that Saturday will see some intense racing in this category. With these oarsmen’s first Schools’ Head just over a month away, they and their coaches will be eager to take every opportunity they get to compete against other schools. As for my prediction for rankings on Saturday:
- King’s College School
- St Paul’s School
- Westminster School
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