It’s been perhaps the most disorientating, bewildering, utterly absurd 14 months of many of our lives. The fabric of humanity was snatched away from us, almost overnight, by a silent, invisible killer that has laid the country low and claimed the lives of thousand upon thousands.
That innate will to socialise, to be among our fellow man and woman, is what makes us so human. It is irrepressible and the stifled nature of the last year has only exacerbated our collective need to be with those we love doing the things that make us happy.
And now we find ourselves on the brink, staring at a world unfolding from the cocoon of enforced hibernation. The mad, unadulterated rush of pint-drinking, hair-cutting and sport-playing is indicative of a race that need the simple pleasures to function – and thrive. And there is perhaps no better way to truly, wholly, purely thrive than in the intense heat of competitive sport.
And with that, I am delighted to welcome you back, formally and hopefully forever, to the events we look forward to, the community we look up to and the sport that we, as rowers in pursuit of glorious perfection, will never stop chasing. I bring you – the Championship Boys Eights preview for the National Schools’ Regatta 2021.
We’re back. And, God, it feels good.
Abingdon School Boat Club
Despite being in the very capable hands of senior coaches Mark Earnshaw, Rory Copus and Nick Strange, Abingdon have struggled to compete for much silverware in recent years – tending to place at the top of B-Finals at National Schools’, and most recently losing on the Wednesday of Henley 2019. However, this is the most unpredictable season ever, and with quite a few athletes from Abingdon’s NSR 2019 bronze-medal winning J16 Eight now in their final year and in the First Eight, who knows what kind of speed they’ve been cultivating behind closed doors.
Bedford School Boat Club
Other than their highly successful Child-Beale winning 2018 First Eight, Bedford are another boat club that has really struggled to perform at a high-level in recent years. Back in 2019 they were knocked out on the Wednesday of Henley, and only placed 5th in the C-Final of NSR. Although the 2019 results of their J15s and J16s (who now comprise their First Eight) were not particularly special, it should be noted that nine of their senior squad began the GB Trials Process this year. However, it seems unlikely that Bedford will be challenging for a place in the A-Final, let alone a medal.
Eton College Boat Club
The Eton blue of this historic boat club needs no introduction. They’re the current holders of the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup and although their record at this event has been less impressive, they’re fearsome racers with a much-revered pedigree of emerging victorious in the seminal moments. To make up for lost time, Eton have been busy racing various schools on the Dorney Lake stretch, including RSSBC, Radley and Teddies. They did not appear at Hammersmith Regatta, which leaves rather a lot to the imagination as to their rough speed but on home water in the first major race back after a year out, expect fireworks from the boys in blue.
Hampton School Boat Club
We haven’t seen much of note from Hampton in recent years, losing on the Wednesday of Henley 2018 and 2019, and placing fairly poorly in the B-Final of the 2019 National Schools’. The results of their J15s and J16s back in 2019 were also nothing to write home about, so it remains to be seen how they’ve progressed since then. However, interestingly Hampton have also entered a Champ Coxless Four, a Champ Quad, and a 2nd Quad on the same day as the eight. With a no doubling-up rule in place at NSR this year, it will be interesting to see whether or not they’ve prioritised the eight as their top crew.
King’s College Wimbledon Boat Club
If our recent Championship Eight poll is anything to go by, then KCS are winning next Saturday by half a lake. Dominant on the plains of social media and JRN polling, the question will be asked as to whether they’re going to carry that form onto the water. No one will have been more disappointed to watch the season slip away in 2020 than KCS, who had put in an excellent performance at Quintin Head and looked to be building a head of steam approaching the summer. We’re told however that this crew could be even faster – and are feeling very strong coming into the event. They’ve got one returner from last year and six J17s on-board. Could this be their year to smash the glass ceiling? Given the strength in their crew and the motivations to upset the established order, I wouldn’t bet against them…
Radley College Boat Club
Radley are a boat club with serious pedigree, having made the Semis and Finals of the PE at Henley over the last few years, and having won the bronze medal back at National Schools’ 2019. Unluckily for them, they’ve been even more disrupted than most over the last year and a half, having been forced off the water for several periods before last March’s lockdown due to high river levels on the upper Thames. Although their current upper-sixth only made the B-Final of J16 Eights at NSR 2019, there are several athletes in this crew from Radley’s bronze-medal winning 2019 J15 Eight. Having recently been hosted at Dorney Lake for match-racing with Eton, we should certainly expect a highly competitive eight from Radley – but just how quick is nigh-on impossible to tell.
Royal Shrewsbury School Boat Club
In lieu of a racing calendar, we’ve seen many crews battling each other on rivers and lakes up and down the country and RSSBC appear to be no different. They took on Monmouth on the River Severn a few days ago and traveled to Eton Dorney before that. Another big name that have flattered to deceive over the past few years and have been waiting for a superstar crew that transposes back into the big boy conversation. Once again, we at JRN are hamstrung by the almost complete absence of pedigree on this unit (they did not race at Hammersmith Regatta) but they’re another crew who will be aiming to make an ‘A’ final if all is well.
Shiplake College Boat Club
Shiplake seem to only have got better and better in recent years, with Hugh Mackworth-Praed and Dave Currie driving the club onwards and upwards. Sadly for them, before lockdown last year they were shaping up to be one of the best junior eights in the country – having also had a successful 2019 season that saw them win a silver medal at National Schools’. Although most of those athletes have now left, we should still expect something special from Shiplake this season, especially as they’ve managed to have two UK based training camps in between lockdowns. Their current upper-sixth also had a very strong J16 season back in 2019, although it would appear that many of this year’s crew are actually athletes from the lower-sixth.
St Edwards School Boat Club
Are the glory years of Teddies behind them? During the 2013 and 2014 seasons, they continually flirted with true greatness, putting on successive runs to the latter stages of the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup alongside impressive showings at the National Schools’ Regatta. As with all the crews we’re due to see line up next weekend, relatively little is known about the true speed of this crew – they boated two pretty fast crews at the Quintin Head in 2020, including one which came 19th overall and finished eight seconds back on KCS Wimbledon. Will we see a return to the summit from Teddies? We do love following the comeback trail…
St Paul’s School Boat Club
Arguably the strongest junior boys domestic rowing program, Paul’s have gone from strength to strength since Bobby Thatcher secured their first win in the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup in 2015. Successive National Schools’ Regatta wins in 2018 and 2019 was crowned in the beating Henley sunshine of July 2018, when their crew smashed all records to become the fastest schoolboy boar to ever row at the event. That outfit were truly remarkable but expect the legacy they left behind to inspire the legs and minds of today’s generation – Paul’s were controversially disqualified from Hammersmith Regatta a few weeks ago but the speed they had was clear for all to see.
Westminster School Boat Club
Westminster’s Boat Club has fluctuated between prioritising the quad and the eight in recent years, but they’re already shaping up to produce a quick First Eight this summer. Although they only made the B-Final at NSR 2019, and have struggled to progress past the first few days at Henley, this season’s crop of athletes look like they could compete for medals. Many of this crew, now in their final year, were in Westminster’s highly successful 2019 J16 Eight and Coxless Four, both of which won gold at National Schools’. If they’ve been able to sustain their speed over the January lockdown, then who knows what sort of result they could produce.
Predictions?
With this year’s National Schools’ being probably the most unpredictable ever, making an accurate prediction is nigh on impossible. However, it seems likely that the winner of this year’s Queen Mother Cup will be the boat club that has been best able to get water time whilst others haven’t, and perhaps most importantly grind out the hours on the erg at home over the last year and a half. Therefore, although anything could well happen, I would expect to see either St Paul’s or Eton taking gold, with any of Radley, Shiplake or Westminster nipping at their heels.
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