It wouldn’t be right to send off head racing season and welcome in warmer weather without addressing the elephant in the room – keenly watched as a predictor of performance for the year ahead, over 300 crews will soon assemble on the Tideway for the Schools’ Head of the River Race. Viewed by many as the last chance to stretch the legs and do some distance racing before regatta season kicks off, this event is attended by some of the best junior and school crews from across the country. After a winter of rough weather and lots of cancellations, there has been a notable lack of opportunities for crews to test their mettle against one another, and as such, I think that many of the crews will be looking to assert dominance over their competitors for the year and prove themselves early on.
Shiplake College Boat Club
A most prestigious and respected name in the world of schoolboy rowing and no strangers to the Thames, Shiplake College Boat Club will be looking to build on its stellar reputation. This is demonstrated by the floods of GB and national competitors that attribute their start to Shiplake College Boat Club, a club with excellent training and coaching facilities, which can be seen in their performances at Henley Royal Regatta and other key competitions. Shiplake College Boat Club hasn’t gotten off to the start that many expected from them, with a string of strong yet not entirely dominant performances going into the new year, placing ninth at Quintin Head and sixth at Hammersmith Head. As such, I think that the boys from Shiplake College Boat Club will be looking to eke out one last big performance before the summer and, as such, will definitely be ones to keep an eye on as they charge down the Tideway in a week’s time.
Bedford School Boat Club
Yet another stalwart of British schoolboy rowing, Bedford School Boat Club stands as a serious contender in this race for one of the most prestigious accolades of the junior rowing season. With a heavy focus on quality training, Bedford School Boat Club continues to produce crews that perform well at the highest levels, with alumni going on to represent GB at multiple levels and a trophy cabinet comprising everything from Henley Royal Regatta wins to National Schools’ Regatta trophies. A solid performance at Bedford 4’s & 8s Head, with Bedford School Boat Club crews taking the two top spots in the Junior 16 eight and over 30 seconds separating the two crews, bodes well for the club. It also leads me to believe they will put up a strong fight, looking to build on their win in this category in 2023. The question is whether Bedford School will be able to cope with potentially difficult and different conditions to what they’re used to on the Great River Ouse and be comfortable enough to lay down some power and take the victory.
King’s Ely Boat Club
Another potential to take a win down on the Tideway appears as King’s Ely Boat Club. With an impressive wealth of coaches and facilities located down on the Great River Ouse (albeit a separate section from the aforementioned Bedford), the crew from Ely can be expected to be rowing with great precision and technique, which in so many cases can outperform the raw power which many clubs rely on. Following closely behind the two Bedford crews at Bedford 4’s & 8’s Head to finish in third, this crew will be keen to hunt down their nemeses from earlier on in the year.
Prediction
Overall, there is definitely a selection of very strong, experienced crews ready to take to the course this coming Saturday – a few wildcards thrown into the mix as international crews, such as Istituto Statale E.Stein, from Italy and St. Joseph College Rowing Club from Ireland will spice up the racing, and definitely have the potential to keep the current favourites on their toes. That said, I’d still have to keep my predictions as follows, although I believe the win could go to either Shiplake College Boat Club or Bedford School Boat Club.
1st: Shiplake College Boat Club
2nd: Bedford School Boat Club
3rd: King’s Ely Boat Club
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