The Schools’ Head of the River Race (SHORR) is the pinnacle junior eights head race of the season. All the getting up early and the long winter ergs having been in preparation for this gruelling 6.8km race. Many crews are lacking water time and combined with the Tideway’s notoriously tricky conditions, we should be in for some surprising results.
Henley Rowing Club
Henley are the current holders of this event, beating long-time rivals Headington by just one second. This year, they are looking just as strong – they had some great results at GB trials in November and followed this up with three wins in all three junior women’s events at Fours Head for the second consecutive year. In January, they won the WJ18 8+ at Quintin Head and more recently posted the fastest junior time at the Women’s Eights Head of the River (WEHORR), only to be demoted to second place by half a second for being late to the start. They will be looking to rectify that on Friday and maintain their position as the dominant club so far this season.
Headington School Oxford Boat Club
Headington have also had a pretty strong season thus far. They took the win in the eight at Wallingford 4s & 8s Head and then placed second at Quintin Head, 13 seconds behind Henley. They closed the gap to just under 10 seconds at WEHORR over a longer course. Last year, with one crew substitution, they closed the gap from 20 seconds at WEHORR to just 1 second at SHORR. If they can repeat this feat, they could come out on top.
Wycliffe Junior Rowing Club
Wycliffe is a club that is well-known for sculling. They had two boats in the top ten at Fours Head in the WJ18 4x, not including their top quad which had an equipment failure. They have also had some very strong results in GB trials so far this season. It was perhaps a bit of a surprise to see them jump in the eight at the end of January, but they have certainly got some speed in that boat. Third place at WEHORR, only five seconds behind Headington, is a fantastic result for them and I expect them to get faster as they spend more time in the eight. However, it seems that they have entered a top quad at this race. Can they still get close to the top two without four of their best rowers? I’m not entirely convinced, but I still expect them to go fast.
St Edward’s School (Teddies)
Teddies started this season how they finished the last. A fifth place at GB trials was followed by fourth in the quad at Fours Head which both represent really good results. They backed this up with a fourth place in the eight at Quintin Head, just one second behind Shiplake. However, at WEHORR, they were nearly a minute behind the frontrunners. If they can turn this around and get back to where they were, they can definitely challenge those at the top.
Hinksey Sculling School
Hinksey had a brilliant season last year, and like many of the other crews mentioned here had some strong results at GB trials and placed second in the coxless four at Fours Head, but have been rather absent since then. If they are as fast this year as they were last year, they can definitely challenge those at the top, but with little to go on, it is hard to know where they will fit in
Surbiton High School
Last year, Surbiton were right at the business end, fighting it out with Henley and Headington, but this year, they placed seventh at Quintin Head and eighth at WEHORR. This seems a bit out of character as they have retained the majority of their squad from last year. I don’t want to speculate too much about what has happened, but I really hope they can turn this form around and challenge those at the top. After all, racing is more exciting when anyone can win.
Other Entries
Other entries include Wimbledon High School, Lady Eleanor Holles and Latymer Upper School. Whilst I don’t expect these crews to be challenging those at the top, they may upset some of the previous aforementioned crews. Another crew worth pointing out is The King’s School, Chester. They came an impressive fifth last year – if they can repeat that performance, they can definitely challenge those towards the top of the midfield.
Prediction
It is likely to be a tussle between Headington and Henley again, with perhaps Wycliffe, Hinksey and Surbiton (if they find their past speed) getting in the mix. If you pushed me, I would say that Headington’s recent progression may stand them in good stead, but I’m not fully convinced they will come out on top. All in all, it promises for some exciting racing.
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