The championship coxless fours is always a highlight of the National Schools’ Regatta, and this year, it takes on a new edge. With the regatta moving to the National Water Sports Centre in Nottingham, crews will face a different course and more unpredictable conditions. Many of this year’s contenders have already faced each other at recent events and in last season’s Junior 16 final; it will come down to who can handle the pressure, the conditions, and the competition. Here’s a look at the leading crews.
Kew House School Boat Club
A silver at Wallingford Regatta in the junior/schools category has firmly put Kew House School Boat Club on the radar. While they crossed the line 15 seconds behind a dominant Shiplake crew, the notable absence of Shiplake from this year’s National Schools’ Regatta championship coxless fours event throws the race wide open. With Wallingford and St George’s College hot on their heels, just three and five seconds behind, Kew can’t afford complacency.
Middle pair Joshua Wright and Oliver Briggs return from last year’s Junior 16 coxed four that narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth and just five seconds off a medal. Their experience in high-pressure finals will be crucial this time, particularly in the engine room, where consistency and power make the difference in tight margins. With another year of development, they will likely have added technical refinement and raw wattage. Add to that a high-intensity training camp in Belgium, which suggests a club investing heavily in preparation, and Kew are well-positioned to convert their potential into performance. Even beyond these four, the programme’s overall strength, highlighted by a Munich representative on the girls’ side, indicates long-term investment and depth across the squad. This is a promising sign of a club that is aiming high on multiple fronts.
St George’s College Boat Club
St George’s College Boat Club nearly matched Kew House School Boat Club stroke-for-stroke at Wallingford, finishing just three seconds back. That narrow margin shows they are already competitive, but their consistency may give them an edge; this is a club that has been here before. Their pedigree is reinforced by a silver medal in last year’s Junior 16 coxed fours- a category where many of this year’s contenders have already clashed oars. Ben Winfield, the returning stroke, should aim to offer a cool head under pressure and the kind of race craft that comes from national-level experience. With a leader like that in the stern, and presumably a cohesive unit built over the past season, this crew could time their peak perfectly.
Nottingham & Union Rowing Club
After finishing second in this event last year, Nottingham & Union Rowing Club want to go one better. Their early-season victory at the Head of the Trent in the open Junior 18 coxless four category shows they’ve got power, though a 22-second gap behind Agecroft in their respective championship coxless four at the same event raises eyebrows. With Nottingham having faced little direct junior competition, it makes them hard to read, but certainly not to be ignored.
The intrigue deepens with Oliver Fisher, who is stroking the championship coxless four this year and perhaps also raced the junior eight at the recent Junior Inter-Regional Regatta. If confirmed, it highlights Nottingham’s flexible, high-capacity athletes who can contribute at the top end across boat classes; multidisciplinary rowing signals a confidence in athlete adaptability.
Moreover, the club’s strong developmental pipeline, highlighted by 20 crews at the Junior Inter-Regionals, speaks volumes about foundational work and depth. If the top four are drawing on that same culture of performance, they will be in the mix when the medals are decided.
Winchester College Boat Club
Winchester College Boat Club might not be making headlines, but they are stacking silent momentum. An invitational racing circuit – including showdowns with Pangbourne College Boat Club, Monkton Combe School Boat Club and Bryanston – will have demonstrated squad intensity training, even if their championship coxless four was not fully tested here. These types of club-focused fixtures are ideal for sharpening internal competition and creating pressure-testing scenarios away from the public eye.
Their early-season training camp in Avis laid a strong aerobic base and is sure to have given the team valuable water time, both of which tend to show dividends in the final 500 meters of championship finals. With another two returning athletes from last year’s Junior 16 coxed four that came sixth, there’s continuity of squad development. These are athletes used to racing one another in tight fields—it will be intriguing to see how far that familiarity carries them when it matters.
Kingston Grammar School Boat Club
Last year’s champions, Kingston Grammar School Boat Club, are back with a new generation, albeit the boat contains three returners from last year’s crew. The question is whether they have managed to reload? With a training stint under their belt following the conclusion of the winter racing, they have certainly prioritised mileage and climate-friendly prep. But they remain relatively unknown without results from Wallingford of note or early-season benchmarks. Still, KGS has form. The club knows how to win this event; institutional knowledge cannot be underestimated. If the new crew has inherited that mindset, they could be dangerous.
Wallingford Rowing Club
Fourth at Wallingford Regatta and within five seconds of Kew, Wallingford Rowing Club are very much in the medal conversation. They have already demonstrated that they can hang in the second half of a tough race, and if they find a gear they lacked at Wallingford, they could easily flip the script. Do not be surprised to see them sneak onto the podium.
Notable Mentions
Tideway Scullers School were the winners of the open coxless four at Greenwich Head and overall Head of the River champions, highlighting their well-established fours programme. While their racing this season has been largely under wraps, success at the more senior level often bleeds down into junior performance. If they turn up with a focused crew, they could be one to shake up the podium.
King’s School Worcester Boat Club
With a solid performance in the Junior 18 quads at the Oarsport Junior Sculling Head and a camp in Seville, King’s School Worcester Boat Club have put in the groundwork. While this is a sculling result, it shows squad potential. However, with limited sweep data, their four remain a wildcard.
Prediction
While plenty of contenders have the credentials to take gold, Kew House School Boat Club stands out as the crew to beat, especially with Shiplake out of the picture. Kingston Grammar have three returners from last year, so they must surely also be considered front-runners. Expect substantial challenges from Nottingham & Union Rowing Club and St George’s College Boat Club. It’s going to be a high-stakes drag race down the lake at Nottingham Sports Centre.
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