The Pairs Head of the River Race, held by the Barnes Bridge Ladies Rowing Club, is an excellent opportunity for crews to assess their speed early in the season, even if most clubs eventually switch to eights for the summer racing. The technically demanding nature of the pair combined with the unpredictable water of the Tideway (especially considering the recent rain) will undoubtedly result in an amazing competition come this weekend. The 32 entries this year are comprised mostly of Tideway-based clubs such as St Pauls School Boat Club and Westminster School Boat Club, but also includes Radley College Boat Club, amongst others.
St Paul’s School Boat Club
St Paul’s School Boat Club is definitely one of the favourites coming into this year’s Pairs Head of the River. Coming off a highly successful 2023-24 season will put pressure on the athletes to start this season off well, as well as fill them with confidence. St Paul’s School BC has a good record in the Pairs Head of the River, claiming the top seven spots. Furthermore, like many other clubs entered in this race, St Paul’s School BC trains on the Tideway, allowing them to perfect their racing line with ease. Amongst the pairs they have entered is the Karadogan-Reese pair, who sat in five and six of last year’s first eight, respectively. Another standout pair from last year’s first eight is the Tallec-Botos-Wild pair, which is second in the starting order. The rest of their pairs are made up of combinations from last year’s J16 first, second, and third eights, all three of which won medals at the National School’s Regatta.
Westminster School Boat Club
Easily recognised in their bright pink kit, Westminster School Boat Club has been producing quality student crews for a long time. Similarly to St Paul’s School BC, being able to train daily on the Tideway will help them to practice for the race, but with the recent red boards, this advantage may be snatched away from them. The majority of the Westminster School BC entries are comprised of their Junior 16 first eight, with Alexander Taylor being the only member of last year’s first eight in the competition. Curiously, he is in a pair with Kennan Kesterson, who raced in the Championship 1x category last year at the National School’s Regatta. It will be interesting to see how he will take this sculling experience into the pair. However, the top pair from Westminster will likely be Frye-Mazi, who after a disappointing National School’s Regatta took part in the GB vs France Match J16 race last year.
Radley College Boat Club
Radley had a very impressive 2023-24 season, winning both the J16 first and second eights at the National Schools’ Regatta. However, many of Radley’s best rowers choose to play rugby in the Michaelmas term, leading them to be slower in comparison to rival schools early in the season. One pair to watch is Sutherland-Hunter, out of which Monty Sutherland was in the winning J16 first eight from last year. He also has GB experience from the GB vs France Match, making him a key competitor. The Wenger–Jenkins pair may also be quick, with Jenkins returning from the first eight and Wenger from the second eight. Although Radley tends to pick up speed as the season progresses, I am excited to see how they stack up against St Paul’s School BC and Westminster School BC this weekend.
Other Clubs
Though St Paul’s School BC, Westminster School BC, and Radley College BC take up the bulk of the entries, there are also crews from Dulwich College Boat Club, Emanuel School Boat Club, City of Cambridge Boat Club, Stratford-upon-Avon Boat Club, and Walton Rowing Club. Dulwich College Boat Club’s pair (Blain-Craig) are both from last year’s first eight. Fourth in the starting order, this pair is placed well to disrupt the St Paul’s School BC dominance at the front end of the race. Pearson-Hall from Emanuel School Boat Club also has the potential to do well on Saturday, having raced at the National School’s Regatta in a pair and placing fourth. This prior experience rowing together will give them a sure advantage going into the race.
Prediction
Considering their success last year, it is hard to see anyone but St Paul’s School BC at the top of the podium. That said, it will be interesting to see which of their top pairs will come out on top. Following them may be the Frye-Mazi pair from Westminster School BC, or possibly the Blain-Craig pair from Dulwich College BC. We will just have to wait and see!
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