For the majority of boys in the Junior 15 Eights races, this will be their first time at National Schools’, and with it come the unique adrenaline of such a race, fuelled by stories of ecstatic heroism, to inconceivable despair. These boys will join over 5,000 other athletes at Dorney Lake; the venue that saw grit and determination transform into raw joy at the 2012 Olympic Games. Whether or not these crews hope to become the Olympic champions of tomorrow, one thing is for certain; they will be looking to dominate the field, and bring home the glory of a Gold Medal at the National Schools’ Regatta.
King’s College School
The objective of the coaches at King’s College School Boat Club is to “build one of the toughest and most technically competent J15 eights in the country” – and so far this year they have demonstrated just that. King’s capped off a hugely successful Head Season by claiming the pennant at Schools’ Head, beating their closest opponents – St. Pauls School – by a margin of no less than five seconds. Their journey to Headship was marked by a first and fourth place at Quintin Head from their A and B crews, and a second place finish at Hammersmith, being pipped at the post by their nemesis: St. Pauls.
As if this wasn’t enough, King’s then stormed into regatta season with a second place at Wallingford Regatta, tucking in behind The Windsor Boys’ Eight. A win – or even a podium finish – at National Schools’ would present a seismic shift in the landscape of this category compared to the J15s of years gone by, most recently in 2018 when the King’s crew only made the C final. King’s have clearly demonstrated a strong cohort of J15s this year, and we have no reason to doubt their abilities to steal the win in what promises to be one of the tightest races of the year.
St. Pauls School
St. Pauls is a name that will echo around the boat tents and grandstands of Henley for many years to come, and it is this fame and fortune that has inspired the lesser-developed athletes of the club to emulate the success of their older crew-mates. They, much like King’s finished in top form at Schools’ Head, though with noticeably less horse-power. The only other high ranking finish for St. Pauls during Head Season was at Hammersmith Head, where they played cat and mouse with King’s, but eventually coming out on top. Quintin was slightly more disappointing for Pauls, their fastest crew of three only managing to secure seventh place.
Last year St Pauls won this category at National Schools’, as did this cohort who won their event in the octuple over the shorter, 1000M course. This all seems to move the ball into Pauls’ court, but as they line up on the start line they will be facing crews that have already proved themselves at Wallingford Regatta; an event that St. Pauls made no appearance at. St. Pauls clearly have the talent and strength to achieve well in the Eights this year, but in a cohort this young, experience of cox and crew alike can often be the deciding factor, but it is yet to be seen whether this will be true here.
Hampton School
Another name often found in the medal tables for junior crews throughout both Regatta and Head Seasons, the J15 boys at Hampton have so far impressed this year. A fourth-place finish at Schools’ Head saw them tuck in behind Radley College, a 3-4 that was identical to the positions these two crews held on the same stretch of river earlier in the season at Hammersmith Head where Radley beat Hampton by a strong 4-second margin.
Interestingly this is the same order that we saw at Wallingford Regatta, except this time Radley claimed fourth and Hampton fifth; consequently meaning both crews missed out on what would have been a strong bronze medal to lay claim to at this stage in the season. Hampton may not be traditionally as accomplished as some other crews in this category, but they will be looking to build on a bitter-sweet win in the B final in this event last year at National Schools’.
Radley College
As seen above, Radley have so far this season seemed to have assumed the role of the antagonist in the relationship between themselves and Hampton, coming a position closer the Schools’ Headship at Schools’ Head, and a position closer to the pennant at Hammersmith Head. This would’ve stood them in good stead coming into the first Regatta of the Season at Wallingford, but another crew seemed to have different ideas…
Out of nowhere from the first half of the year, Grange School stole the bronze from Radley at Wallingford, relegating the traditionally high-brow crew to what is often considered the most undesirable of finishing positions at a multi-lane race – fourth place – competitive, but not quite up there with their competitors. Radley will not be a crew to be taken lightly at Nationals but seem to lack the pure aggression that has so far propelled the likes of Kings’ to victory.
Latymer Upper School
Latymer crews have a reputation for being ‘predictably unpredictable’ in their achievements at various Heads and Regattas throughout the year; making the job of commentator all the more difficult (and, all the more interesting). Latymer finished the first half of the year in a respectable, but by no means phenomenal 5th place at Schools’ Head – a noticeable difference from Quintin Head earlier in the season where they came in second, only a matter of seconds behind the winners, King’s.
Add to this their somewhat discouraging performance at Wallingford Regatta and we begin to understand why Latymer are so hard to predict. This is clearly a crew that has proven their ability to race over long, bitterly cold distances, and whether Wallingford was simply an adjustment ‘blip’ to the style of racing they hope will make them competitive this season, is yet to be seen.
Crews to Watch
As was said earlier, Grange School are the new kids on the block in this category, swooping in at Wallingford to steal the bronze after having no high-ranking finishes during the Heads of days gone by. This promises to make them potentially highly competitive at National Schools’, but crew and coach alike will find it hard to size them up as opposition, after such a shadowy appearance at the Heads.
Shiplake are a traditionally strong school that produce crew-upon-crew of fine young athletes, and as such we would be foolish to write them off; however a quiet winter saw them stay far away from the leading lights of this Cohort, and although making the A final at Wallingford, they drove home with a sunken heart as any dreams of taking to the podium were shattered when they found themselves coming across the line last.
Possibly the most interesting crew that will be lining up at in the shadow of the Olympic Rings at Dorney: The Windsor Boys’ School. Windsor may be famous in other spheres for their royal ties, but it was royalty of a different kind that has been demonstrated by the oarsmen of this club who have taken the win at Henley in the Fawley Challenge Cup for two consecutive years. It’s impossible to discount the young rowers of a club that is so competitive in this sport, especially after a surprise victory at Wallingford Regatta just two weeks ago.
In conclusion…
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is recorded to have said, “What truly makes us human is our unending search, our abiding desire for immortality.” It is this same principle that will separate winners from losers on race Day at National Schools’ Regatta; for those that wish to eventually emulate the success of the likes of St. Pauls and Windsor the journey will begin here, making high-octane racing for those involved, and an intense watch for those who will line the banks of Dorney later this month.
Good luck!
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