Quintin Head of the River marks the beginning of 2024 racing, leaving behind the disappointment and cancellations of the year gone by, and making way for a new milieu of medal winners. However, given the sheer number of returners from last year, maybe they won’t be all that new after all. The premise is simple, 30 or so battalions of nine will rip through 4400 metres of temperamental Tideway torrent. But in true Head Race fashion with no consolatory silver or bronze medals, only one unit will have some metal to show for the the test of their mettle.
Eton College Boat Club
The historic Eton College Boat Club are set to enter A and B crews into this year’s Quintin Head, perhaps in the hopes to identify their speed against the likes of their common rivals (Radley and St Paul’s, to name a few). However, since the men in black (and white) have decided to carry out their campaign elsewhere, in the Open Eights category, Eton will be able to take it to Radley. In my opinion, the standout man to do so is Alex Perkins. He is returning from a hugely successful trialling process, making the GB 4-, the highest priority of the national team, and is notorious for his ability to pull almost obscence wattage. However, we mustn’t forget the very many strands of silk threaded through this crew. The returner Inigo Shorrock will be keeping the quality high, as will J17s James Bell and Henry Clarke who are said to have fine technical ability. As long as Eton are able to stick to their race plan that has proved faithful to them over their many years of rowing, I wouldn’t doubt a successful run from them.
Radley College Boat Club
This leads me nicely to Radley, another boarding school that is so frequently grouped with Eton in the discussion of schoolboy rowing. These boys have a very distinctive style – one may even go as far as to regard it as “Brexit Rowing”. However, if that made you chuckle, stop immediately, as this is a very good thing, especially in a race like Quintin Head. Why waste time brooding over fickle numbers such as catch slips when you can attack each stroke and tear through the course, as they have proven to do so in recent years? They have found a style that wins them medals, so I look forward to seeing them stick to it this weekend. I think the forerunners for the Radley College Crew (given they enter the first 8) will be Angus Gray-Cheape, Bob Rawlinson, and Gabriel George. If these boys impart the wisdom they have gained from their duties last year, both with club and country, onto the new young blood in their 8+ they’ll be tough to beat. Let’s just hope their boat club TikTok remains dormant…
St Edward’s School Boat Club
Based on the crews from St Edward’s (affectionately : Teddies) being entered in as “cup” and “dagger” alluding to their school coat of arms, I believe it is safe to assume they will be racing Quintin Head in matched eights. These boys will still be brimming with excitement to get back into the schoolboy racing scene after they seized the double last year (a win at both National Schools’ and Henley Royal) however they will be under pressure to maintain the quality that was brought by the likes of Isaac Hillicks-Tulip and Rory McDonell. Yet, we mustn’t forget that Teddies are bringing the only Henley winners in this entire category: Harvey Burford and Felix Jamieson. With these two, along with numerous other exciting young athletes in the programme, even in matched eights, Teddies could really impress.
Latymer Upper School Boat Club and Westminster Boat Club
I’ve decided to group these two clubs for several reasons. Firstly, they are local to the course and will be very well accustomed to its many idiosyncrasies, and secondly, these two clubs have been constantly involved in fixtures against one another. They also both have some real stand-out athletes, including the GB men’s pair from last year’s Coupe De La Jeunesse: bowman Leopold Hainlein from Latymer and stroke Timothy Gutsev with Westminster. These two will very much be core members of the success of both clubs this year. Additionally, both crews had young squads last year, so while it might have made their 2022/23 campaign tougher, they bring many returners, coxes and crew alike, with the experience and skill to pass onto their promising J17s.
St Paul’s School Boat Club
While their first eight have decided to clash with the fully grown men in the Championship category, the Paul’s second eight truly is a force to be reckoned with. They have numerous athletes trialling, including six returners from last year’s NSR silver medalists in the second eights category, a massively impressive achievement. To have athletes such as Pip Bennison and Laurenz Orlando building on top of their successful 22/23 season is proof enough that this is a second eight with the potential to break the hearts of some first eights this weekend.
Predictions
I look forward to seeing how this race does end up panning out. It’s a major line in the sand for the rest of this season and will give each club an idea of where they stand against others. If I had to make a call at the podium for this year’s Quintin Head, I’d sit with the following :
- Eton
- Radley
- Teddies ‘cup’ / ‘dagger’
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