The first record of the Women’s Head of the River Race being raced was in 1927 wad with a grand total of two boats entered. Nearly a century later, this event has transformed from a small event into one of the biggest fixtures on the rowing calendar. From its early days, when female rowers were fighting for recognition in a male-dominated sport, to the present day, where elite crews from across the globe line up on the iconic Tideway, the race has witnessed a remarkable evolution over time to become a prestigious spectacle of 6.8 km of the finest head racing of the year. The junior eights are no different, as they’ve followed this upward trajectory to become a chance for top juniors nationwide to prove their excellence while going up against senior crews. The Women’s Head of the River Race has allowed the junior category to unlock a fierce competitive spirit, making it the race to watch for those who want to see the future of women’s rowing.
Headington School Oxford Boat Club
Leading the junior category from a strong 17th overall place start is none other than the Headington School Oxford Boat Club A boat. The girls in blue will have a bit of pressure on their shoulders to keep up the standard that Headington has set over the years. Keeping her position in the stroke seat is Sophie Haisman, a powerful metronome who seems to be able to dominate the rhythm of any boat she sits in. A considerable crew will be at her back, made up of some of the fiercest juniors in the country; Ellie Duxbury has proven her proficiency after representing GB at the Coupe de la Jeunesse last year, as well as Lucy Pillar winning gold in the four and the eight at the Home International Regatta. Headington has always been a force to be reckoned with; however, after losing a considerable amount of the girls from their Henley-winning crew, they’ll need to fight to keep their top-dog status this year against many other crews who are rising through the ranks.
Tideway Scullers School
Chasing Headington down is the Tideway Scullers School A boat. The girls in their distinct white, yellow, and red kit will hope to retain and even improve on their second-place start in this category. Tideway Scullers have had an impressive track record over the years. Amalka Delevante was in the U19 World Rowing Championship silver-medalist quad, and similarly, Isabella Habdank-Toczyska represented both GB eights at Coupe and U19 World Rowing Championships last year, proving the depth of expertise in both disciplines coming from Tideway. Nevertheless, as an institution with a history in sculling, it’ll be interesting to see if they can match themselves in sweep at the Women’s Head of the River Race.
Shiplake College Boat Club
After a Hammersmith Head win, Shiplake College Boat Club is looking to add a Women’s Head of the River Race win to their roster. Over the years, Shiplake has developed a legion of high-performance athletes representing GB at various levels, such as Amelia Westbrook, who has proven herself at February trials as the top bowsider among the U19 trialists group. Shiplake has been developing their crew after racing against top crews from clubs, namely Leander and Upper Thames, over the past weekend, and the promising results should propel their confidence in the crew and give them an upper edge this weekend. However, they have been sullied lately by injuries in the top squad, so quick adjustments to their rowing may need to be made to win on the Tideway again.
Sir William Perkins’s School Boat Club
Sir William Perkins’s School Boat Club seems to have risen from the ashes in the past couple of years, producing talent across all disciplines and stating that they no longer want to be an underdog in junior rowing. Last year, they dominated multiple levels of the sport: stroke seat of the Women’s Head of the River Race eight, Anna Staples, attained a bronze medal in championship fours at the National Schools’ Regatta, whilst fellow crew members Emily Nicholas and Annabelle Thornton represented the school at the U19 World Rowing Championships in the four and pair. SWPS picks up rowers from the start of year seven at school, and their experienced coaching staff encourages depth and excellence in the squad. This year, the culmination of hard work and coaching will hopefully give us a strong result at WEHORR.
Lady Eleanor Holles School Boat Club
Lady Eleanor Holles School Boat Club has established itself as a powerhouse in junior rowing, with a track record of strong performances at the Women’s Head of the River Race and other prestigious regattas. The club has always emphasised a disciplined, methodical approach to training and development, which has paid off in producing consistently competitive crews. This year, the club’s squad is no different, with a roster of promising athletes who have shown incredible progress throughout the season. They pulled off an impressive second place at Hammersmith Head, finishing only four seconds behind Shiplake and beating ten other crews, including Headington and Tideway Scullers. Perhaps coming as a shock, their result showed that LEH can strive for a top-place finish and even fight for first place. I believe they could achieve extremely well if they use the senior crews that are being set off around them to push them on and motivate them to fight for the win.
Scottish Argonauts
Arguably one of the most interesting crews to watch at the Women’s Head of the River Race, you never quite know what you’ll get with the Scottish Argonauts until they cross the finish line. Due to the nature of the boat being a composite crew that changes every year, results over previous years have been a mixed bag, and they’ve placed anywhere from the low forties to the high hundreds. Junior Scottish crews tend to have less depth and experience than the powerhouses of junior women’s sweep in the south, but the annual trip to the Women’s Head of the River Race is a chance for multiple different clubs to be represented by juniors who are eager to face the conditions of the Tideway. Key rowers to look out for include the six-seat and bow-seat combination of Swanson and Nickho-Amiry, both of which I believe are among the top talent Scotland offers. Their impressive results at the recent Inverness Head and previous Scottish championship wins, all due to the high-performance nature of their training, make them key rowers to look out for in this boat.
Henley Rowing Club
Coming off the back of an incredible summer of racing, the girls of Henley Rowing Club will be chasing the fight once again at the most prominent head race of the year. Coming third at Hammersmith Head, three seconds off of LEH, should give their eights confidence to succeed and push on. Hopefully, the fight between the crews placed in the top three can be recreated again. Henley, similarly to Headington, has lost several girls who were key components of their boats to universities and top rowing programmess across the country, but whatever their goals for this year may be, they’ll be determined to continue building on their impressive legacy.
Prediction
This is going to be a terrific year of racing. The depth and vast number of crews entered into the junior women’s eights this year at the Women’s Head of the River Race will make for a gripping race. Interestingly enough, I believe this is the first year in a while that I haven’t felt as though there is one dominant crew that is a shoo-in to win. The top three could swing in unexpected ways. However, I’ll put my bets on Shiplake College BC, Lady Eleanor Holles School BC, and either Tideway Scullers, Headington School, or Sir William Perkins’s School BC to be racing for the podium spots. In the middle ground, I think names such as Surbiton High School Boat Club, St Edward’s School Boat Club, Marlow Rowing Club, and the Shiplake College B crew will use this as a chance to develop and race for the top ten spots. Almost seven kilometres of racing will be the ultimate test in the path to greatness.
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