This Saturday, a fleet of 300 eights will embark along the infamous Tideway stretch for the first
major Thames head race of the winter season. Being heavily oversubscribed attributed to the fact that it
has been an aeon since most of us last raced, with widespread flooding and weather disruption
cancelling many major races this season. Let’s just hope the worst has passed and we can all finally
get some good competition underway. With the likes of schoolboy titans Radley, St Paul’s, King’s
College, St Edward’s and Shiplake all in attendance, Saturday is sure to bring some thrilling racing,
giving these crews a chance to put their land training into practice and put out some speedy times.
Radley College Boat Club
Setting off first, and with a B boat following a few crews down, Radley are sure contenders for the
title this Saturday. Having stayed relatively consistent over the past year, Radley will want to break
winter hibernation with a strong start, getting right in the mix with the other goliaths in their race,
and setting off first will mean that the crew has a clear view of their opponents, with the cox able to
call pushes accordingly. They will also benefit from cleaner water, which could be essential. Last
year, Radley placed fifth but I’m sure they will want to improve their standing this year, and with a
developed coaching basis, this is more than achievable.
St Paul’s School Boat Club
Chasing Radley down, St Paul’s will be eager to avenge last year’s miss on Henley finals day. As a
club, St Paul’s have had their greatest success this season with a win at the Head of the Charles,
fighting off another eighty-nine crews. Just over 10 seconds off winning last year, St Paul’s will want
to add this title to their repertoire and rescale the podium, whose peak they were just pipped at last
year. It will be interesting to see how they fare, especially having a home water advantage,
something especially significant should conditions deteriorate.
Dulwich Collge Boat Club
Starting right in the middle of the pack, Dulwich are coming off an impressive win at the Docklands
Head last year, beating the opposition in the J18, J16 and Open categories. An impressive feat, this
proves Dulwich are an accomplished squad, with great potential to be displayed. It will be interesting
to see how they fare against even stronger competition, and if they can keep up or even push on
their opponents.
St Edward’s School Boat Club
If there’s anything ‘Teddies’ are known for, it’s their eights. Having won Henley’s prestigious Princess
Elizabeth Challenge Cup last year, the ‘juniors’ of the club will be striving to achieve a similar scene
of success. Fresh from a Seville rowing camp, we will see what the Teddies rowers have picked up,
and if that can transfer back onto the highly unpredictable waters of the Thames.
Eton College Boat Club
Last year’s champions, Eton are setting off relatively low in the starting order, which is surprising
considering the squad’s prowess. Their J18 crew also won their category, showing a depth of squad
which is consistent and effective across multiple disciplines. I’m sure they will be looking to prove the start order wrong, but this position, able to push off and onto other crews, could prove
useful.
Monmouth School Rowing Club
Monmouth have had a solid start to the season, achieving a second, third and fourth at their own
head race in December. Last year’s J15 crew were also well in the middle of the pack results wise at
Quintin Head, and their ability to get out rowing when many other crews are barred inside by floods
could prove useful when it comes to on-water hours this season.
Predictions
The J16 events are always one to look out for, since they provide a pedestal for the future athletes
who may well go on to higher representation. All of this year’s 17 crews have huge potential, with
regular names almost assured the good results. However, there’s never a verdict until the race is
over, and personally I’d quite like to see some of the lower town crews having a tussle to step onto
the podium. With Henley’s St Paul’s upset last year, these sorts of events aren’t impossible, and may
well prove inspirational to other crews around the country. Setting aside these major disturbances, I
would have to say the odds are in St Paul’s favour ever so slightly, though Teddies will absolutely
provide strong competition, as will Eton, Radley and Latymer. And hey, perhaps even Monmouth
and Dulwich might be able to take the step up, we will just have to wait until Saturday to find out!
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