Winter is over and now the fun begins; the dark depressing days of endless ergos, 5k tests and frozen blade handles give way to a golden promise of a summer of racing looming on the not-so-distant horizon. The Schools’ Head heralds the arrival of better days and it’s about time. For three long years we’ve waited for the premier junior head to return to the hallowed waters of the Tideway and at 13:30 on Monday this hiatus will at last come to an end. The largest gathering of junior rowers in the country should provide an excellent showcase for all the talent the junior rowing world has to offer.
School First Eights is a category which is at times overlooked, even neglected, but the large entry (27 crews) and ever increasing standard means that there is bound to be fierce competition for the top spot. It’s a tricky point in the season when it comes to predictions with some clubs not racing over the winter months and only now beginning to show their abilities come the big head races. However, Hammersmith Head last weekend (hopefully a lesson learnt when it comes to last minute substitutions) has given us some tidbits of what might be expected from certain crews if not the whole field.
Reading Blue Coat
This crew raced last weekend at Hammersmith and came a respectable fifth-place in Sch/Jun 8+. However, none of the boats which finished ahead of them are entered in their category this time (albeit there’s a lot of clubs which didn’t race). Finishing 30 seconds behind Championship Eight winners Shiplake at Hammersmith, they look to be in a very good position when taking into account past precedent; 20-40 seconds behind the Championship winners looks to be an ideal spot for clubs looking to win First Eights. Come Monday, this may be the crew to watch.
Monmouth School
A school which always springs to mind when First Eights are mentioned, Monmouth have had some good crews in recent years. Indeed the last time the event was held Monmouth won (tied in a dead heat with Winchester College, who also have a crew entered). They’ve not raced much yet this year so it’s anyone’s guess as to whether they’ve got a winner – we’ll have to wait and see.
Bedford School
Another solid example of First Eight stock, Bedford are a club who have the advantage of having raced at Hammersmith last weekend. This gives them momentum over other non-tideway clubs as the lack of Tideway racing over the past few years mean any experience is worth its weight in gold. If only looking at crews also entered on Monday, they would have placed 2second behind Reading.
Other crews to look out for are Norwich, St Georges and Pangbourne, all of whom haven’t raced much but year after year manage to put out respectable crews. There’s at least five or six clubs which have the potential to win it but I reckon Reading Blue Coat have the edge going into Monday’s race.
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