Schools’ Head of the River 2025 – View from the Embankment

Around ten minutes past one, a small crowd gathered along the Putney embankment on a fair day in the beating heart of London’s rowing capital. Amongst them were parents, coaches, friends, and relatives, arriving from different walks of life but connected momentarily through shared investment in the racing to come. All eyes were fixed on the chink of light visible between the jutting edge of the Surrey bank and the looming struts of Craven Cottage, a gap in the bendy Thames that would give us our earliest glimpse of the first of over 300 crews to pass underneath Hammersmith Bridge. That wait is peculiar and, even for a neutral, gently nerve-wracking. The hush descends as supporters scroll the timing page, checking intermediate splits and straining their eyes for the sight of that opening lowball. On this quiet afternoon, you would almost not know that the country’s premier junior head race is unfolding just a few kilometres away. Crews paddling up and beyond are mistaken for boats in the competitive fray, whilst the sudden jolt of a marshalling launch indicates a litany of false dawns that the advancing armada is upon us.

Suddenly, movement. Earnest, forthright, synchronised to within inches and heading towards us. It begins.

Open Championship Eight

It is no huge surprise that St Paul’s School retained their headship after an impressive winter of racing, including the outright headship at Hammersmith and a second-place finish at Quintin, combined with various promising small boat performances at the U19 GBRT Trials. Perhaps slightly more surprising was the stacking of the pack behind them. Shiplake were seven seconds back but only a few seconds clear of Eton College, who flew under the radar to slide into third. This is a good credentialing of the new first-eight coach, Will Satch, and his effect on this programme, who certainly have an excellent cohort of young athletes.

Seeing Hampton School in the top five again was nourishing after such a long time away from the sharp end of proceedings. Their ascent under Josh Butler has been excellent, and their focus will now be on medalling at the National Schools’ Regatta in May. The presence of both Eton and Hampton in the top five relegated perennial contenders St Edward’s School to fifth and substituted King’s College School and Radley College – under the tutelage of Paddy Duggan now – to sixth and seventh respectively. All were within 14 seconds of Shiplake, leaving the summer of racing – when several of the aforementioned usually get faster – tantalisingly open.

Bedford School had an excellent row to cement themselves as a part of the peloton in championship eights, placing eighth, whilst Latymer were ninth and Westminster School rounded out the top ten.

Girls’ Championship Eights

With Tideway Scullers School opting to prioritise the quad – more on that later – the path was left (relatively) open for Headington to steal back in and reclaim their headship. This was not so much a steal, though, as a resounding statement of intent; Ryan Demaine and Chris Hermes’s athletes were just under 20 seconds clear of their nearest challenger in Shiplake College. If TSS choose to stay in the quad, Headington look like they’re in with a real shot of securing the schoolgirl quadruple of titles, provided they continue to find speed during the Easter break.

What is fascinating about this category is the increasing density of contenders around the medal positions. Shiplake went 0.4 seconds faster than St Edward’s School, who in turn were seven seconds faster than Wallingford Rowing Club. In fifth were Lady Eleanor Holles, a further 0.3 seconds. That pack, bunching together over the long and winding championship course, is a good indicator of tight racing in the summer.

Open Championship Quads

The Windsor Boys School found the answers to an event they have not won in three years, winning this category by 16 seconds over Leander Club. In fact, Mark Wilkinson’s charges were so quick that they beat their eight by four seconds and placed 30th overall, the fastest four-man boat of the day by some distance. Molesey were third, four seconds back on Leander, in a performance that underlines their credentials heading into the summer. Hartpury brought some of their richly talented single scullers together to finish fourth and will surely seek further speed and cohesion with time and thought on this boat class. Marlow slipped back a little from performances of yesteryear, placing fifth and narrowly seeing off the Grange School in sixth and Claires Court in seventh.

Commiserations should also go to the Tideway Scullers School, whose finishing position of eighth does not reflect the fact they spent the last portion of the course battling a broken blade that stuck out from their boat at a side angle. With all eight oars in unison, an ascension up the speed order could well have been on the cards.

Girls’ Championship Quads

All hail the Tideway Scullers School. Fresh from taking the junior headship at the Women’s Head of the River two and a half weeks ago, these four young women came together to blitz their home course and win by ten seconds. What was shocking was that it was not Wycliffe College biting at their heels; the previous holders slipped back into fourth as Marlow stole one over their bitter rivals on the grandest springtime stage of all. Maidenhead Rowing Club performed brilliantly to finish third, 0.7 seconds ahead of Wycliffe.

With the Oarsport Junior Sculling Head taking place tomorrow – featuring boats from all the previously stated aside from Marlow, who race at J17 level – the chance for retribution will be swift.

Other Mentions

Hampton School won the open first eight and open junior 15 third eight divisions, compounding a superb day on the Tideway. None of their crews finished outside the top ten in their respective categories, reiterating that this programme is back with a bang.

Like Hampton, Eton College do not row on this piece of water regularly but made good use of their time here, winning the open second eights and finishing third in the third eights to match their championship result. This gives the powers that be plenty to think about heading into the long stretch of seat racing to come.

St Paul’s School need no introduction on this platform, and without wanting to ‘glaze’ them any further, their results stack up impressively: winners of the headship plus the open junior 16 and junior 15 titles plus the second eights in both age groups. This was the most victories of any club, perhaps not surprising given that the Tideway is their home, but no less foreboding for all those looking to steal their crown as the premier schoolboy programme in the country.

Headington School entered five events and won four of them, including girls’ second eights and both first and second junior 15 eights. Their girls’ championship quad was listed as TO.

Surbiton School may not punch too aggressively at the championship level (placing seventh in this bracket), but their younger juniors have much to be pleased about after securing the junior 16 championship and second eight titles, plus the girls’ junior third eight.

The Italians from I.S.I.S “E. STEIN” Gavirate took the open junior 15 first eight category, whilst Wimbledon High School secured the female equivalent.

Although Wallingford Rowing Club did not collect any pennants, they did manage three top-three finishes, including in the girls’ junior 15 championship eight, open junior 16 school second eight and girls’ school second eight.

Canford School won the mixed eight title, while Kingston Grammar School, the girls’ school’s first eight pennant winner (a win that, amongst many, JRN foretold), stands out to me.

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