The Schools’ Head of the River is the final chance for the cream of the junior crop to showcase their springtime speed as the head racing season draws to a close. Racing down the famous 6.8km Tideway course, the crews entered will be looking to finish this component of the racing season on a high before going into training for the shorter races in the summer. With 12 crews featuring in the girl’s championship eight category – the premier sweep division for junior women – we should be in for a cracker, with no obvious leader from the early season duels.
Henley Rowing Club
Henley Rowing Club have struggled to match their historically high standards in the past year or so but remain competitive in the broader pack. Their results in 2025 include a third-place finish at Hammersmith Head and a fourth place at the Women’s Head of the River Race; I am sure they will be looking to improve their position in the rankings as they take to the Tideway course again. As well as possessing multiple athletes in their junior women’s squad who entered the GB trials process, the fuel will be genuinely added to the fire after the club narrowly missed out on a podium finish in 2024.
Headington School Oxford Boat Club
Off the back of a sensational 2024 – where they won not only this headship but The Prince Philip Challenge Trophy at Henley Royal Regatta – Headington will arrive on the Tideway with pride and legacy on their mind. With a recent second-place finish at the Women’s Head of the River Race – some six seconds behind the winners – they will use this result to summon the collective strength of yesteryear. As last year’s victors and with junior international Sophie Haisman in the stroke seat, Headington will lead the charge next week.
Tideway Scullers School
Having won the junior event at the Women’s Head of the River Race by six seconds, the confidence that this will imbue in Rhona MacCallum’s young women will be immeasurable. With three athletes inside the top 20 at the February U19 GBRT Trials – including stroke Charlotte Van Der Wiele – Tideway Scullers School will take to their home water with the headship in their sights. This programme is remarkable not only because it is a club shouting in the face of the behemoth school squads but also for the off-water struggles that the Chiswick-based institution has endured in the last few years. With a crew entered into the quad too, one would assume that the best eggs will be in this basket after such a successful run down the course a couple of weeks ago.
Shiplake College
Having announced themselves onto the junior women’s scene in 2021 by winning – at a canter – The Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup, Shiplake now have their eyes firmly set on winning the biggest prizes in the eight. They were scrapping around in the pack last season, winning silver at this event before slipping off the National Schools’ Regatta podium. 2025 has been impressive for Dan Safdari’s athletes; victories at Quintin and Hammersmith Head was the tip of a February iceberg that also included a double win at the latest U19 GBRT Trials courtesy of Amelia Westbrook (who won both runs with different partners in the pair). They were third in junior eights at the Women’s Head of the River, some 19 seconds behind the Tideway Scullers School, and will want to close that gap next week. With a strong approach to recruitment that often sees Shiplake capture various top talent from across the country, it would be a disappointment if this programme does not find itself on the podium.
Lady Eleanor Holles School
Bookending the COVID-19 pandemic with two wins at the National Schools’ Regatta in girl’s championship eights in both 2019 and 2021, Lady Eleanor Holles have struggled a little to recapture the form of previous seasons, but 2025 might be a turning point. Their latest result was fifth in junior eights (47th overall) at the Women’s Head of the River but were second at Hammersmith Head (less than four seconds behind Shiplake). With Jamie Kirkwood now heavily involved in coaching the first eight, it should be no surprise that the former Oxford University and Imperial College coach is having an immediate impact.
St Edward’s School
Another boat club whose emergence onto the junior women’s scene has been rewarding to watch, St Edward’s School came close to glory on several occasions in 2024. They were silver medallists at the National Schools’ Regatta after placing eighth in this event a few months prior. They were knocked out on the Friday of Henley Royal Regatta by Newport Aquatic Center of the USA and will be desperate to return to the top of the pack in 2025. They were seventh at the Women’s Head of the River but second at Quintin in a smaller field. If they can close the gap between themselves and the front-runners – in full knowledge of an expected turn of speed come the summer – then they’ll be pleased.
Wallingford Rowing Club
In the list of programmes that continually and emphatically punch above their weight, Wallingford Rowing Club may be chief among them. Coached by Katie Greves – a former GB Olympian – and likely to feature Naomi Bell and Hannah Scott – who placed tenth and 11th at the November U19 GBRT Trial – this boat will be fast. How fast remains to be seen; they were sixth at the Women’s Head of the River (0.1 seconds ahead of Teddies, who had beaten them at Quintin in January) and will be delighted if they can sneak past the likes of LEH and/or Henley.
Notable Mentions
Other crews to watch out for include Marlow Rowing Club (who were narrowly behind both Teddies and Wallingford at the Women’s Head of the River), Surbiton High School, Godolphin & Latymer School (who raced well at Quintin to finish fifth and were 0.3 second behind Marlow last Saturday) and Latymer Upper School.
Prediction
When examining the results between these crews over the course of the last few months, it is very clear that the gaps between the group is small. In past years, this category was a two-horse race between Headington School and either Lady Eleanor Holles or Henley Rowing Club but in 2025, the landscape looks altogether different. I expect Headington to arrive with revenge on their mind and it will be up to the Tideway Scullers School to find new heights to scale.
About The Author
Discover more from JRN
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
