Reading University Head of the River 2025 – Open Junior 18 Quads Preview

This article was written prior to the event cancellation

For a race that is usually quite small, this year’s Reading University Head has a lot of very competitive entries from some of the highest-performing clubs in the country in the open Junior 18 quads category. A lineup you would expect to see somewhere like the Schools’ Head of the River is present, missing only a few major competitors, such as Molesey Boat Club and Tiffin School’s Boat Club. However, the course is not one without difficulty, only having one straight section directly off the start with the rest of it taxing the steering seat after that.

Claires Court School Boat Club

This Junior 17 crew from Claires Court School Boat Club has continued rising through the ranks of the quads in the country, going from fifth place at the National Schools’ Regatta in the Junior 16 quads last year to third place at Hammersmith Head last weekend, losing just to Junior 18 crews from Windsor Boys’ School Boat Club and Molesey Boat Club. This performance proves their strength and determination to get the best results, which puts them in the mix for some of the top spots in this race. 

Windsor Boys’ School Boat Club

A name known throughout the entire junior rowing circuit in the UK and even in the US after their victories at the Head of the Charles, Windsor Boys’ School Boat Club are expected to dominate. Their most recent result was a victory at Hammersmith Head, where they claimed 25 seconds over the third-place Claires Court School Boat Club crew and seven seconds over the second-place quad from Molesey Boat Club. This boat could be a mix of their Junior 18 and Junior 17 crews, like was seen at Hammersmith Head, but I doubt that would affect the outcome of this race since both are at the absolute top of UK junior racing. 

Leander Club

Missing from Hammersmith Head, Leander Club is another club notoriously known for their performance in sculling races, coming in fifth last year at the National Schools’ Regatta. However, there aren’t many concrete results to accurately predict their standings among the other crews in this race. 

Marlow Rowing Club

Another club infamous for its junior sculling results and another present at Hammersmith Head, this Junior 17 crew from Marlow Rowing Club placed six seconds behind Claires Court School Boat Club at Hammersmith Head. However, this time, the entry is named after a different person, so it could be a different crew or a revision of one that raced last weekend. 

Prediction

Although predictions are usually hard to make, I do not doubt that Windsor Boys’ School Boat Club will take the number one spot simply because of their formidable strength and the lack of Molesey Rowing Club, their main competitor. Leander Club has a good chance of claiming second place but will be chased down by Marlow Rowing Club and Claires Court School Boat Club. Both Marlow Rowing Club and Claires Court School Boat Club will be happy that some of their main competitors aren’t present and will battle it out for third place, a battle that I think Claires Court School Boat Club proved to have the upper hand in due to their six-second lead on Marlow Rowing Club in Hammersmith Head. 

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