Held at the 2012 Olympic rowing venue at Dorney Lake, the National Schools’ Regatta is one of the largest regattas in the country. The 2022 competition will attract a total of 5,000 competitors. Among the countless youth events being held this weekend will be the J15 Men’s 8+. This race will include a total of 26 boats and is sure to be very heated and exciting. The twelve fastest crews will qualify for the next round and break into the A or B final. Here are some of the crews expected to do well at this regatta:
Radley College Boat Club:
Rounding out the top three at Wallingford, this is a strong Radley crew, but they’ll have to produce something special to avoid being squeezed off the podium this weekend. Radley also finished third at Schools’ Head, but finished much closer to fourth than second, making their position at the top of this category far from untenable but also far from secure.
St Paul’s School Boat Club:
Winners of this category at Schools’ Head, St Paul’s sail into NSR as red-hot favourites for the win. Unlike some of the other crews in this preview, Paul’s absence at Wallingford means we’re yet to see this crew properly flex its collective muscle at a national regatta, but this weekend that all changes. With a dominant position in the rankings, a deep history of success in big boats and a squad of exceptional athletes, anyone beating St Paul’s to gold would be a significant upset.
St Edward’s School Boat Club:
Finishing second behind Windsor Boys’ at Wallingford, this Teddies crew is a part of a larger shift at the school that has seen the programme develop rapidly over the last 24 months. Impressive showings at HRR last year seem to be only the start of the growth of Teddies, and with a steady step-on from SHORR – where this crew finished fifth – an A-Final finish is all but guaranteed, whilst a bronze medal is also likely within their reach.
Eton College Boat Club
Eton College Boat Club is a household name in the realm of junior rowing. Placing good times anywhere they go, it’s no doubt they’ll be in the running in the J15 8+ race. Back in 2019, the last time this event was run at the National Schools’ Regatta, Eton College Boat Club made the A Final. Rowing an impressive split of 1:35 for most of the race, the crew finished fifth, just eight seconds behind Norwich Boat Club. Though placing sixth, their J16 crew also raced in the A final, proving Eton’s strength in many different age categories.
The Windsor Boys’ School
The Windsor Boys School Boat Club have shown their prowess in the eight in many of their recent races. Their J15 8+ placed first in the C heat of the Wallingford Regatta a few weeks back, with a time of 6:40. This time placed them in the A Final, in which they raced head to head with St. Edward’s School Boat Club, holding them off until the finish line. They won the race by a mere 1.5 seconds. St. Edwards School is also expected to race at the National Schools’ Regatta, resigniting the competition between the crews. Windsor also finished narrowly behind Eton College Boat Club in 2019.
Shiplake College Boat Club
Shiplake is yet another crew which is well known in the upper echelons of the rowing world. Back in 2021, they placed second in the J16 8+ event, losing by just half a second to the Radley College Boat Club, and placing both crews in the A Final. Proving their grit and determination, the Shiplake college crew then beat the Radley College Boat Crew by three seconds in the final. In the Henley 4s and 8s competition of 2022, Shiplake also placed first, with a time of 14:02.8, showing that their crew has maintained its strength throughout the years.
Prediction
- St Paul’s School Boat Club
- Windsor Boys’ School Boat Club
- St Edward’s School Boat Club
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