Staged on the iconic reverse Championship course the Schools’ Head of the River is one of the most prestigious races on the calendar and an event for beginners and tenured athletes alike. It is a challenging 4.5 mile route, with a long straight at the end and a lot of maneuvering at the start of the course from Chiswick to Hammersmith. There is almost as much emphasis placed on a good line as there is a good row – choose the right part of the river and you could easily earn your crew several seconds over the opposition. The standard in boy’s rowing in the UK is possibly at an all-time high, with all of the top schools featured in what promises to be a barnstormer of a category.
St Pauls School (P Bennison) – SPS(A) – (61):
St Paul’s School are definitely a favourite here; they have proven time and time again that they can produce really strong crews especially on home turf. You’d be foolish to disregard Bobby Thatcher’s boys without good cause – they’re always incredibly fit, well-drilled and backed up by a legacy of success right the way through the age groups. Previous iterations of this boat have either won or placed highly in the event and then gone on to dominate the J18 circuit and I’m sure this crop of athletes will have similar ambitions. After suffering the ignominy of a time penalty at Hammersmith Head – which relegated them to fourth position – this is definitely a crew to watch.
Westminster School (A Apatu) – WES(A) – (62):
A stalwart of UK junior rowing, Westminster are another crew to keep a close eye on. Their back-and-forth with St Paul’s, which can be traced all the way to Bill Mason and the legendary duel throughout the 2014/15 season, has become a narrative that filters through every age category at both institutions. After a third-placed finish at both Hammersmith and Hampton Heads, they’ll be raring to prove themselves on the biggest long-distance stage of them all, aided by their intimate knowledge of the course. The next chapter in this era-defining rivalry is waiting to be written – in either pink or black ink.
Eton College (S Loehnis) – ETN – (63):
You may be wondering why this preview reads almost like a carbon copy of our Championship Boys preview. Truthfully, it’s indicative of the strength of programs like Eton, SPS and Westminster but also demonstrates their commitment to developing young athletes from a relatively nascent point in their rowing career. This Eton crew won at Hampton Head in early February, beating both KCS and Westminster (albeit what was possibly a weakened Westminster crew) and have a great legacy of boating competitive eights in this field.
Latymer Upper School (J Fell) – LTU (A) – (64):
This is their home turf and after a very promising second-placed finish at Hammersmith Head a week or so ago, this Latymer outfit will certainly be in contention for the medals. Latymer are traditionally more of a First Eights school, but mix it up with the big boys when they have a really special group of athletes – 2022 could be one such year. Beyond Hammersmith, it’s tricky to build a robust form guide for this boat – they were slated to race at Hampton but didn’t start. A medal would be a pretty fantastic achievement.
Radley College (A Robinski) – RAD(A) – (65):
Radley College are etched into the very fabric of schoolboy rowing. Their remarkable consistency (there is perhaps no finer example of the phrase ‘success breeds success’) owes a lot to the program they’ve built in the Oxfordshire countryside. We haven’t seen much of this crew in the winter racing season (although Radley did put out some strong boats at the Fours Head in November) so they’re a bit of a dark horse approaching Monday. Add that to the fact that Radley traditionally aim to peak for Henley Royal Regatta and it may not be a huge surprise to see them featuring outside of the top three or four crews. Never write them off, though.
Other Crews:
Abingdon School (O Absolom) – ABS(A) – (66), Another strong college, likely to place reasonably highly in the standings. Dulwich College (J Farrow – Smith) – DUL(A) – (67), A very strong rowing school, likely to give the top 4 a run for their money, having placed highly at Hampton. Maidenhead RC (B Novobritsky) – MHD – (68), Another strong club from the Thames Valley, likely to give a good account of themselves. The King’s School, Chester (F Thomson) – KCH(A) – (69), This will be this schools first time on the race circuit and will be all in to prove their mettle.
My Predictions are:
- St Pauls School (P Bennison) – SPS(A) – (61)
- Eton College (S loehnis) – ETN – (63)
- Westminster School (A Apatu) – WES(A) – (62)
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