National Schools’ Regatta 2025 – Girls’ Junior 15 Eights Preview

With the 2km showdown at the National Watersports Centre fast approaching, the Junior 15 Eights category at this year’s National Schools’ Regatta is set to be an exciting one; crews who’ve traded blows all season will finally go head-to-head over the standard course, and it’s clear that consistent training and depth in programme infrastructure will play decisive roles. With sub-7:30 times cropping up across the board, the battle for gold will be fast, close, and fiercely contested.

Wimbledon High School Boat Club

Wimbledon High School Boat Club made an uncompromising statement at Wallingford Regatta, winning their heat at Wallingford before finishing behind a very strong LEH crew, completing the course in a time of 7:21 in their heat – a quick time in the Junior 15 sweep category this season. This performance wasn’t built out of nowhere: a well-planned training camp in Sabaudia over Easter, combined with early-season water time at Dorney in February, shows a structured and progressive programme. If their current trajectory holds, they will definitely pose a threat to the strength and depth of LEH.

Putney High School Boat Club

Putney High School Boat Club have been consistent all year, and their A final performance at Wallingford will definitely have set them up well for further regatta racing, giving them confidence as they make the journey to Nottingham. Earlier this season, Putney took fourth at the Schools’ Head of the River on the Tideway – a demanding 6.8km challenge that rewards fitness, technique, and nerve. Their silver in the Junior 15 octuples at the Oarsport Junior Sculling Head also demonstrates programmatic strength across disciplines. Putney should be a contender for an A-final appearance, and are well set up to take a medal.

Latymer Upper School Boat Club

Latymer Upper School Boat Club have quietly built a case: fifth place finish at the Schools’ Head of the River (just 20 seconds off the lead Headington School Oxford Boat Club) positions them well coming into the summer. What’s more revealing is their commitment to race-specific preparation: they conducted race simulations at Dorney against senior crews from Eton and Shrewsbury, giving them early familiarity with the regatta format. A training camp in Banyoles added further depth to their season. Their Wallingford result wasn’t hugely impressive, but the infrastructure is in place – and they’re perfectly placed to punch into the A final, or achieve more.

Lady Eleanor Holles School Boat Club

Lady Eleanor Holles School Boat Club have had a strong season thus far, with their A crew taking the win at Wallingford regatta ahead of Wimbledon High and St Paul’s Girls School, as well as having a B crew competing with other A crews which shows how much depth their program has. Their strong start to the season – including a commanding win at Kingston Head over Surbiton and a near-victory at Quintin Head just seconds behind Headington – shows consistency and speed across multiple venues. LEH could be poised to reclaim dominance in Nottingham with a strong programme behind them.

Headington School Oxford Boat Club

For Headington School Oxford Boat Club, an eighth-place finish at Wallingford came as a surprise given their record — particularly after their imposing gold at the Schools’ Head of the River in March. But to rule them out based on one regatta would be short-sighted. Headington are renowned for peaking when it counts, with one of the most historically successful junior women’s systems in the UK. Whether Wallingford reflected a line-up shift or experimental crew combinations remains to be seen, but if Headington sends their top unit to Nottingham, a podium charge will still be within reach.

Maidenhead Rowing Club

Maidenhead Rowing Club‘s performance at Wallingford shows that they definitely have the potential to race and compete amongst the top dogs of junior women’s rowing, missing out on the Wallingford final but only half a second – a margin that is easily overcome in future races. Their programme has clearly put in the work, with a high-quality camp in Brive and persistent training throughout flood disruptions, including tank work to stay race-ready. Maidenhead may arrive under the radar, but if their performance in side-by-side racing reflects what we saw in the aforementioned B-final, they are a serious dark horse.

Wallingford Rowing Club

Second at Schools’ Head of the River, Wallingford Rowing Club enters this race with high expectations. Despite transitioning to sweep only recently, they made a seamless impression over the 6.8km course on the Tideway, finishing just three seconds behind Headington. Their season has included broad inter-regional qualification and signs of programme-wide strength. The question for Wallingford is whether they’ve converted long-distance cohesion into sprint sharpness.

Sir William Perkins’s School Boat Club

Sir William Perkins’s School Boat Club have quietly laid the foundations for a strong regatta season. Their bronze medal at Schools’ Head of the River in the Junior 15 eights category confirmed their position as one of the top contenders over long distances. Moreover, during Easter, they travelled to Sabaudia for a high-intensity camp, including racing at the Italian Federation’s Inter-Regional Regatta – an experience that surely provided valuable side-by-side exposure and sharpened technical execution. Continuing their success, they’ve sustained momentum with consistent top-ten finishes at Kingston Head, and whilst their performance at Wallingford would not have been the result they were hoping for, Perkins’s crews are known for building towards peak performance.

Prediction:

I predict that Lady Eleanor Holles School Boat Clb will lead the field on pace and preparation – but Putney High School Boat Club, Wallingford Rowing Club, Headington School Oxford Boat Club and Wimbledon High School Boat Club are all strong contenders who could close the gap. This is shaping up to be one of the closest Junior 15 eights finals in recent memory.