Reviews
King’s College School, Wimbledon v Westminster School
There was nothing in it as KCS and Westminster both battled off the start, with KCS leaning into their Bucks advantage to edge ahead by a canvas off the end of Temple Island. As the crews approached Fawley, KCS extended their lead out further from Westminster but were by no means comfortable with the Westminster boys constantly remaining in contact. As both crews approached the finish line with haste, it was clear to see that despite the trials winning power Max Peel was able to provide, it was unable to match the cohesive power and force that KCS were able to deliver down the 2112m of course.
Shrewsbury School v Marin R.A, USA
In the last race before the Teatime Break, we saw Marin R.A USA battle it out against Shrewsbury School. Marin had a more comfortable start coming out at rate 40 compared to the more frantic Shrewsbury boys rating 44 resulting in them leading to a length at the barrier. Settling into a steady rhythm, it was easy to see that the mark boys knew they had it in the bank as they conquered every push Shrewsbury mounted in a fearless attempt to regain control of the race. As we approached the enclosures it was obvious this race belonged to Marin who crossed the finish line first and ready to go through to the next round on Friday against
Shiplake College v Deerfield Academy, USA
Off the back of a brilliant Prince Phillip race, all eyes were on the junior events and Shiplake and Deerfield did not disappoint. From the moment the race began it was neck and neck, with only a few feet in it after the island in Deerfields favour. Ever the fighters, Shiplake were determined to stay in the race, and put to bed the claims that they don’t perform as well at regattas. They put in a surge after Remenham, and perfectly executed their race plan as they took a length over Deerfield by the time they crossed the line. To give credit to the Americans, they didn’t let Shiplake get comfortable and gave all the spectators a great race.
Previews
St Paul’s School vs Brisbane Boys’ College, Australia
A true battle of the titans. Taking on the National schools’ silver medalists and Marlow winners of St Paul’s are Brisbane boys who have returned to Henley to reclaim the Princess Elizabeth title after 30 years. The Brisbane boys have also won a National silver medal this year as they claimed 2nd place at the 2023 Australian Rowing Championships. Therefore, this is a tight match up and one likely to produce a result determined by pure grit. Overall, it appears that Brisbane boys may have a slight upper hand but it’s sure to be a close one
St. Edward’s School vs Eton College
Both crews come through to this round with comfortable wins against Hampton and Great Marlow respectively. Teddies, the arguable favourites for this race, won National Schools with a 15-second gap to Shiplake in 6th, however, Shiplake came into their season with a win at SHORR in true Shiplake fashion. With the conditions and lane allocation playing a big factor in the National Schools results, it will be interesting to see how competitive the crews really are on a level playing field down the Henley track and whether in the previous few weeks, Eton have been able to close the gap between them.
Radley College v King’s College School, Wimbledon
At this year’s National Schools’ Regatta Radley took a 6-second lead over KCS, leading them to finish in 4th and King’s in 5th. However, it could be that with fairer conditions and such close side-by-side racing, the boys from KCS are able to grit their teeth through to the finish and claim the win. With KCS beating Radley at Wallingford Regatta and the SHORR but results falling the other way at National Schools it really is all to race for. After all, it was Radley College that came through with an unexpected win in last year’s semi-final of the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup against a formidable Eton crew.
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