Despite a rather disjointed start to the 2026 British Rowing calendar, crews return to the Tideway once again this year at Hammersmith Head. Due to many races being cancelled in recent months, all clubs will be keen to prove that their winter training has been worthwhile, and they will be hoping to get some all-important practice on ‘The Boat Race’ track prior to Schools’ Head of the River in less than a month’s time. The race starts at Chiswick Bridge and finishes under the infamous Hammersmith Bridge, a course that relies heavily on the coxswain finding the best stream and their crew making the most of the fastest water.
St Paul’s School Boat Club
St Paul’s School are no strangers to the Tideway and all its small nuances, not only achieving many successes in the past, such as winning the last two Schools’ Head of the Rivers, but also having it as their own training ground. They are also particularly familiar with success at the Hammersmith Head, having won last year in the open eights category and been the quickest crew of the day, beating Molesey, London RC, and even Shiplake College. The crew racing in this category is presumably the club’s second eight, given St Paul’s simultaneous entry into the championship event. As it is likely that a reasonably high degree of fluidity remains between the top crews at this stage of the season, examining the general performance of the St Paul’s senior squad so far this season remains valuable is assessing the calibre of this boat.
The club’s main victory of the season so far was when they became consecutive men’s youth eight winners at the Head of the Charles Regatta back in October, a category that Bobby Thatcher is now incredibly well-versed in. This extra racing in the US will have provided extra experience that other domestic crews have been unable to gain with all the race cancellations over the last few months. Jonathan Miles is the club’s current star athlete, achieving third place at GB trials and winning Scullers Head, which also took place on the Tideway. This is a very promising crew that hopes to continue their run of success.
Hampton School Boat Club
Similar to their Tideway-based rivals, Hampton School revelled in the success of last year’s Hammersmith Head, winning the open junior eights category. Hampton is known for its deep roster of athletes, stretching all the way down into the junior years, and so is able to bring two eights to the race this year, each boat playfully entered into the draw as Freddie Mercury and Brian May. Members of their squad also boast international victories, with their very own Ewan McVey winning the Coupe de la Jeunesse in the junior men’s eight back in the summer, showing not just quantity but also quality. However, the question is: will they be singing ‘We are the Champions’ after the race this weekend?
Radley College Boat Club
Radley has always been towards the top of British schoolboy rowing, with success as commonplace as many of the aforementioned crews. However, the club has a history of failing to convert these other victories into wins at the pinnacle of the sport, such as at the National Schools Regatta and Henley Royal Regatta. They have an unfortunate record of losing the most Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup finals, having failed to clinch the final-day victory on eight occasions. This could all be about change, though. Patrick Duggan took over as first eight coach in 2024 and, at the recent GB trials, produced five athletes who were quick enough to reach the top 20 in the rankings. The most impressive of these was Csombor Hanzcar, who finished second nationally. The club certainly has momentum and will be hoping to start a chain of victory at Hammersmith Head.
Reading Blue Coat School Boat Club
At the few races that have gone ahead this season, Reading Blue Coat have capitalised as much as possible. The inaugural Junior Fours Head saw them come an impressive sixth out of 25 crews and then they added to that with a second-place finish at the Wycliffe Big Boats Head. Both these results demonstrate a hard winter training block that is starting to pay dividends. Their own Alex Brown qualified to attend GB trials, showing a programme that is making headway, with a pre-qualification at last year’s Henley Royal Regatta also displaying signs of potential. Now, can the ‘Blue Coats‘ keep up their current run of form?
Dulwich College Boat Club
Dulwich College started their 2025/26 season strongly with a win in the Junior 18 coxed fours category at Kingston Small Boats Head, a victory that saw them overcome clubs they will meet again this weekend, such as King’s College School and Hampton. This will give those racing confidence, knowing they can compete with and thrive against some of the best clubs in the country. Transferring to the Tideway, the crews’ coxes will have to navigate a difficult course, a course that coxes will be hoping to master as effective steering lines can shave crucial seconds off finishing times. The newly appointed Captain of Boats, Jack Lalor, will certainly hope to transfer his college’s status into silverware.
Prediction
All competing clubs will be hoping to make the most of an early taste of the Tideway in 2026 in preparation for Schools’ Head of the River. Those with boathouses based on this section of the Thames will have superior knowledge of the finer details and techniques needed to succeed on an extremely challenging course, potentially giving them an edge before crew watts are even considered. St Paul’s recent successes and holding the home advantage lead me to believe they are the most likely victors. The cards are in their hands, but should they slip up, I believe crews from Hampton and Radley will hope to capitalise and snatch the medals away from St Paul’s.
