In what is the fifth and final National Schools’ Regatta for most of the racers in this category, all crews will want to round off their careers in this event with the best performance possible. Given that both Championship and Non-Championship Eights categories have combined this year with six sets of medals being given out, it could well be the case that some of the medals in this category will be decided by the C final, with no semi-finals necessary. There are 15 entries into the Championship Eights category this year, and 16 places up for grabs in the semi-finals. If all Championship crews make it through to the semi-finals, the winners of this event may well know who they are with 4km more of racing to do.
Bedford School
Despite beating the likes of Radley by over a length in a 1200m race a few weeks ago and beating many Championship crews at Schools’ Head, Bedford have decided to not race in the Championship category and are instead hoping to make it two wins in a row this season in the one-tier-down category. They have a serious speed advantage over the other crews in this category and are favourites to win. Pete Mulkerrins will have his boys well-drilled and with plenty of winter miles in the legs.
Monmouth School
A well-established veteran of the Child Beale scene, Monmouth’s form has fluctuated quite dramatically over the past few years. Not so long ago, the boys from Wales had some of the best junior athletes in the country but are now struggling to maintain a serious challenge to the front-runners in this category. An outside bet for a medal given they were almost 30 off Bedford’s pace at Schools’ Head, Monmouth posted a 6:38 at Wallingford. They will need to have shaved some seconds off that time if they are going to want to compete for a medal.
Pangbourne College
7th in this category at Schools’ Head, Pangbourne will be hoping to climb the ranks and contend for a medal. I think their goal on Saturday will be to make the C final, and fight for a medal there. When it is your final year of racing, crews will give everything they have and more to make sure they leave with no regrets. Much like Monmouth, Pangbourne were the pride of the Child Beale category several years ago – they had one of the fastest junior fours in the country. They’ve struggled to recapture this form though, and face the prospect of missing out on the podium again next Saturday.
St Georges College
Having not raced in the eight at Wallingford, opting instead for the school coxed fours’ event, St George’s will have made the best use of the flat water at their facility in Walton to find speed. In what I imagine is a crew made up predominantly of J17s who finished 5th last year in J16 1st Eights, they will be hungry for a medal. Whether they manage to make good on this remains to be seen – the field is highly competitive and a ‘C’ final berth overall would represent a good innings for these boys.
Dulwich College
A 10th place at SHORR this year, and a 14th in Champ eights at NSR last year, Dulwich so far seem to be on for a slightly lower placing than year. This being said, the purchase of a new Hudson eight will likely have helped their speed. They also train out of Putney and are consistently surrounded by very fast junior and club crews – this can be a conducive environment for finding additional speed in the last few days approaching the National Schools’ Regatta.
Enniskillen BC
After being pipped by three seconds at the School’ Head of the River by Bedford School, Enniskillen will be looking to overturn this on Saturday. An Irish club, they will be making the journey over here, and with some racing in England already in the bag, they will be hoping that their journey was worth it. They’ve looked pretty handy in recent social media footage and they’re always fierce racers – it’d be nice to see them enter the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup at Henley this year too.
Great Marlow School
Another school with a lot of potential. This crew achieved a third place finish at SHORR, and have backed this up with a 6th place finish in J18 8+ at Wallingford, posting a 6:20. This is a promising performance, and they will be hoping to carry on improving to warrant a medal on Saturday evening at Dorney.
Reading Blue Coat School
After not making the A/B semis last year, RBCS will be looking to making the A final this year, now the two events are run separately. 6th at SHORR would’ve put them in there at that part of the season, but have they worked as hard as other crews to prepare them for regatta season?
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