Saturday Racing:
St. Edward’s School vs Eton
As expected, this was a great match-up – but produced a predictable result from a predictable race. With Eton having clearly seen what Teddie’s were capable of doing in the second half of the course yesterday, they attempted to dominate straight off the blocks with the same extremely powerful start we’ve seen all week. By the end of the Island, they had managed to carve out a canvas lead, extending that out to ¾ length by the quarter-mile. By the Barrier, with Eton clearly front-loading the race as they rated nearly five strokes per minute higher than their opponents, they led by a length and a quarter. However, it was at this point that Eton reduced their rating, and Teddie’s seemed to settle into the race better, holding Eton at a length and a half through Fawley and the mile. As both crews came through Stewards’ St. Edward’s seemed to be clawing back some ground as they upped the rating into a sprint finish, but once again, as is often the case at Henley, they ran out of water and finished 1 ¼ lengths shy of the reigning champions. The boys from Oxford will be devastated, but they should leave the regatta with the heads held high as they are clearly one of the best crews from Teddie’s that I’ve seen for a while, and certainly gave Eton a run for their money.
St. Paul’s School vs Westminster
St. Paul’s really showed their strength in this race and proved that whilst many might have backed Eton for a repeat PE victory this year, St. Paul’s are an extremely serious contender. Westminster got a better start, although it was fairly neck and neck, emerging from behind Temple Island with a narrow lead. However, St. Paul’s were quick to push through, and by the quarter-mile, they had managed to gain 3 ft on the boys in pink. It was at this point that St. Paul’s clear technical superiority began to show, gaining a length by the Barrier and clear water by Fawley. Although Westminster kept fighting and never lost contact, with the gap fluctuating between 1 ¼ and 1 ¾ lengths, they ultimately simply could not muster the speed to make a serious challenge to St. Paul’s lead, eventually crossing the line 1 ½ lengths down. Although this may have been the result I was expecting, as Bobby Thatcher’s boys come to the regatta keen to better their National Schools’ result, it certainly wasn’t a boring race and provided much for the throngs in Stewards’ to cheer for.
Sunday Preview:
Eton vs St. Paul’s School
I’m seriously looking forward to this, as I think this could well be one of the best races of the entire regatta. A repeat of the 2018 final, this time St. Paul’s are no longer the record-breaking crew they once were but have clearly gained a lot of speed since National Schools’ and look to be a seriously competitive outfit. For once I’m not sure I’m really in a position to be able to call this race, as whilst Eton may have entered this regatta as a favourite, St. Paul’s have consistently shown that they won’t be consigned to a bronze medal like they were at NSR. Both crews had almost identical semi-finals, with both crossing the line with a slightly reduced rating (compared to a sprint finish), Eton in 6 minutes 45 seconds, and St. Paul’s 6 minutes 46 seconds. I think this could be absolutely nail-biting and may well come down to the line as the race is decided by a final sprint through Stewards’. When the timetable comes down tonight, note this race down, as it should be a humdinger.
MarginalGainz
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