With the upcoming School’s Head of the River, the pinnacle of the season has arrived to mark the closure of what has been a somewhat disappointing winter: crews and coaches alike will be eager to discover how their winter training programme compares against their counterparts from across the country. Five J16 crews will battle the Tideway course in this category in hopes of leaving the 2023/2024 head season victorious.
Surbiton High School Boat Club
Surbiton has garnered a strong reputation over the years, continually demonstrating an exceptional prowess particularly within the J16 categories. At Hammersmith Head, they clinched a second place finish, 6 seconds ahead of the arguable favourites, Headington School, which they will be keen to replicate in upcoming races. Just a couple of weeks earlier at Quintin Head, they again took the silver medal behind Henley Rowing Club. These results against other leading contenders on the J16 circuit indicate how Surbiton have posed themselves as ones-to-watch this season. I predict them as the largest threat to the rest of the entrants.
Headington School Oxford Boat Club
The Headington programme possesses an outstanding level of depth again this season, boasting 5 eights across all categories. Last weekend they demonstrated a triumphant performance at Women’s Eights Head of the River (WEHoRR), where their 4 junior crews finished 1st, 6th, 21st and 35th. At the Hammersmith Head, Headington came up just short of rival crew Surbiton High School, who they will face again at Schools’ Head, as well as Godolphin and Latymer School, finishing 3rd overall. Aside from this, this J16 eight has little experience, so it may be difficult to assess how they will compare to their rivals. However, we can establish that the squad has gained valuable racing experience in smaller boats, particularly at Wallingford LDS, where they claimed 7th, 8th, 9th and 12th. I look forward to seeing how these exciting results will translate into the bigger boats.
Putney High School
Putney High School boast the Tideway as their home river, giving them the slim competitive edge that may be required to triumph over the other leading contenders. The J16s are coming off the back of an overall 143rd place finish at WEHoRR, a commendable result for a young and inexperienced crew. Having, like numerous other schools, experienced a dispiriting head season thus far, I predict the anticipation of Putney will be ever-intensifying as they wait to demonstrate the fruits of their strenuous winter labour. Putney will definitely be seeking a top 3 finish at Schools’ Head, and I have every faith they will be able to achieve this.
Prediction
I predict that Surbiton may just secure the victory over Headington, with Putney High claiming the bronze. However, the other 2 entries, from St Paul’s Girls’ School and The Kings’ School Chester are also reputable crews who will be seeking a top 3 position. Ultimately, it is all to play for, and I predict that the way each crew tackles the challenging Tideway course may be a deciding factor considering just how similar the results may be.
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