St Paul’s School v Shiplake College
The PE never fails to disappoint. Action, close racing, last minute pushes – this race had it all. Shiplake started hot off the blocks, blasting out to take the lead, a move that was likely etched into the race plan to set a precedent over St Paul’s. By the end of the island, St Paul’s crept back up, using their slick technique and cool composure to snatch the lead. Paul’s broke away by a canvas, mirroring their row-through of Brisbane Boys’ College some 24 hours prior. However, Shiplake did not go down without a fight, and pushed back. If their ‘pain faces’ were anything to go by, Shiplake were clearly working to the max, showing exactly what it meant. With Shiplake forced to shift their regular relaxed race plan to a fiery sprint finish, the two crews had an exhilarating chase right to the line. It was St Paul’s who ultimately claimed the much-desired spot in the final tomorrow.
St Edward’s School v Radley College
The national champions once again proved their worth in this thrilling race against last year’s finalists, Radley College. Taking a lead of a few feet off the start, Teddies continued to feed on their momentum, taking a quarter of a length and building that lead up to three quarters of a length over the bronze medallists at National Schools. Stirred on by a steering warning for Teddies, Radley started to eat away into Teddies’ lead, reducing it to half a length just before the grandstand. Fired up by supporters lining the bank and enclosures, Teddies brought it home with a final surge, securing their spot in tomorrow’s final.
Final
St Paul’s School v St Edward’s School
Well, if it isn’t a silver-gold National Schools duel all over again. It is safe to say that the upcoming final between Paul’s and Teddies will be a fight all the way to the bitter end. Having rowed through Shiplake and Brisbane, Paul’s might just replicate this once again, as Teddies will be keen to have an explosive start. With a title-defence hanging in the balance, Bobby Thatcher’s boys will be keen to have their names etched into the Cup again. However, Teddies are a class act and no stranger to disrupting trends in schoolboy rowing this year. When it comes to a stacked junior final at Henley, it probably won’t get much better than this.
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