To say that the racing of 2026 so far has been rocky would be an understatement – lashing rain, howling winds and torrential flows have meant that swathes of events have been cancelled across the country, and many clubs have barely been able to train since the New Year. As such, many clubs are looking at the coming Hammersmith Head with equal measures of hope and trepidation, praying that the event will go ahead and that crews will be able to shake off the cobwebs of winter, but keenly aware that we are at the mercy of the great British weather. Few will be more anxious to get out and test themselves against their competition than the fresh Junior 16 eights, having been denied the chance with the successive cancellations of the Quintin, Hampton and Molesey Head races, meaning that should Hammersmith go ahead, I’m sure we’ll bear witness to some impressive displays as each crew strives to display their dominance over one another.
Radley College Boat Club
Radley College BC stands as an interesting prospect to seize the title of the fastest Junior 16 eight on this stretch of the Tideway, looking to set a precedent for the rest of the year. Following a mixed set of results at Wycliffe Big Head just a few weeks earlier, Radley’s ‘D’ crew produced a standout performance to take first place, finishing more than 70 seconds ahead of the ‘A’ crew. It seems likely that subsequent changes within the boathouse, with crews and seats reshuffled, contributed to their victory at the most recent Wallingford Head. I think that the crew from Radley College will be primed to push for the inaugural win on the Tideway this 2026 season and will be keen to prove their worth.
Shiplake College Boat Club
A serious threat to Radley’s campaign emanates from the hallowed halls of Shiplake College BC, one of the household names in schoolboy rowing. Also short of racing experience in the recent months, Shiplake’s eminent quality of rowing and training, combined with the reputation that will be weighing on the shoulders of the crew members, will, I’m sure, inspire them to great things in pursuit of victory. Additionally, they’ll be entering this contest with an air of confidence about them, following on from their victory in the band two eights at Wallingford Head, actually managing to out-row all of the band one crews, including the Radley College crew they’ll be facing off against. Although a Radley crew did narrowly pip them at the post at the recent Wycliffe Big Head, I think this will be a great dogfight to watch!
St Paul’s School Boat Club
Another big name in the schoolboy rowing world, and with big boots to fill, come the boys from St Paul’s School BC. I can imagine that these lads will be coming into the event with a slight chip on their shoulder, as I’m sure their coaches will be striving for a better result than the second place that the St Paul’s Junior 16 eight managed at the last edition of the Hammersmith Head. I do think, though, that St Paul’s have got a very good shot, with a lot of talent scattered across their crews, as demonstrated by their victory in the Junior 16 coxed four at the inaugural Junior Fours Head, which will carry on through to their eights rowing as I can imagine the club shifts focus in preparation for the Tideway eights season.
King’s College School Boat Club
As the reigning champions of the Hammersmith Open Junior 16 eight, I’m sure there will be an air of expectation around the boys of King’s College School Boat Club as they gear up, ready to take to the waters of the Tideway. The dominant display from last year’s crew, clinching victory by over 15 seconds, shows a clear high level of J16 athletes from King’s College School. However, they seem to be a fairly untested crew coming into this event, having done few, if any, races this season. Meaning that whilst I wouldn’t rule them out of the running, I’d be sceptical about putting them in contention for the win, as I think it’ll be hard to replicate last year’s performance with so little racing experience.
Hampton School Boat Club
Last but certainly not least, come two crews from Hampton School Boat Club. Having narrowly lost out on second place last year to St Paul’s, I can see that the coaches of Hampton School will be very keen to make a statement with this first 2026 outing of their eights. And looking at the pool of talent available to them, I’d say that at least one crew has a high chance of a podium finish. A mixed bag of results in the Junior 16 coxed four at last year’s Junior Fours Head, with crews placing second, seventh, 16th and 20th signals to me that they definitely have the bones of a very strong crew. I’m sure that one of their two crews will be giving the likes of Radley and Shiplake a good run for their money, but I don’t think I could put them into the race for first with any great degree of confidence.
Predictions
Overall, I have to say that there’s a very, very strong field of crews ready to take to the Thames, but I believe that the entrants will split into two packs, with Radley College and Shiplake College battling it out for first, whilst Hampton School and St Paul’s School do battle for third. However, I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on that crew from King’s College School too, just to see if we have a dark horse that pushes for first on our hands!
