It’s becoming increasingly apparent that second eights are just as hotly-contested as the nominal ‘Varsity’ crew in today’s rowing community. Not only is this driven by an uptick in engagement across squads – and a cultivation of culture and participation across boats – but it’s also due to the sheer number of juniors involving themselves in the sport. Winning the second eights category, particularly at J16 level, can be the perfect stepping stone to breach first eight territory and often is a fantastic springboard for fast racing across an entire squad.
Eton College
The holders enter the Schools’ Head with the weight of expectation sat heavy on their shoulders. In 2022, it was Radley – whose strength across squads borders on legendary – who took the win with Eton trailing behind. The development of talent at J14 and J15 feeds directly into the results we see in these categories and these are age-groups that Eton take very seriously. With one eight racing at J16 level at Quintin Head – finishing sixth out of 14 – it’s hard to really predict with any certainty how this group will fare. A surer estimate of their relative speed was perhaps given at Hampton Head, where a second eight finished last in the category behind crews who they’ll face on Wednesday.
Radley College
Another regular on the serious scene, Radley are back for vengeance after slipping into second in 2023. Their second crew were tenth at Quintin Head in junior 16 eights, but were the second fastest second eight (it looks like Teddies were in matched boats but both finished ahead of Sam Townsend’s boys). If they can find a bit of speed, they should be in contention here – they were second-to-last at Hampton Head but I’d expect them to have found some speed since then (evidenced by a sixth-placed finish at Hammersmith Head as the fastest second eight).
Westminster School
Winners of this category at Hampton Head, Westminster will be hard to stop on home water. The tideway has been fast-flowing and difficult to contend with for some weeks so the amount of water time these boys have had will likely impact their result. Whatever the case, it’s highly likely they’ve spent more time on the Thames than most of their direct rivals. As per my opening gambit, the hierarchy has swapped a great deal in this category; Westminster were 15 seconds back on Radley at Quintin Head before beating a Radley crew at Hampton before again succumbing to defeat at Hammersmith Head by over 20 seconds.
St Paul’s School
Another forever-contender, St Paul’s School know what it takes to win at this level. They were victorious as J15s last year and that bodes well for their chances on Wednesday as the squad thins out and the strongest athletes begin their transition to senior status. A St Paul’s J15 second eight finished fourth at the National Schools’ Regatta last summer and it remains to be seen how many remain in 2024. Their nominal second eight was 12th at Quintin and they did not enter a second crew at Hammersmith (some of their top athletes were at trials so the squad was somewhat depleted) so it’s hard to ascertain where they’re at right now.
King’s College School, Wimbledon
Their first eight enter Schools’ Head as arguably the crew to beat, having picked up a convincing victory at Hammersmith Head, a second-place at Hampton Head and a third place at Quintin Head. Can King’s College Wimbledon’s second string ride the wave of momentum surrounding this club at the moment? A strong first eight usually makes for a strong second crew and Wednesday will provide us with the evidence we need to prove or disprove that theory.
Notable Mentions
Hampton have come leaps and bounds as a squad in 2024, wracking up a multitude of wins on home water at their February Head (although J16 second eights was not one of them). They’re a boat club whose progress I am watching with some interest. Latymer are always strong in this age group and I expect to see them challenge the front-runners.
Prediction
I do think Radley College are the favourites here, although it is incredibly tricky to ascertain much given the fragmented nature of the season so far. I expect Westminster, Eton, SPS and KCS to push hard.
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