National Schools’ Regatta 2025 – Open Junior 15 Eights Preview

For all Junior 15 crews, National Schools’ Regatta is the season’s pinnacle. The regatta that makes a year’s training worthwhile. The race that defines the season.

The National Schools’ Regatta format will be new for the Junior 15 crews compared to other regattas. All 21 crews will face a time trial, from which the top six will enter the A-final to compete for the Founder’s Cup, while the remaining 15 crews will be sorted into their respective finals.

Throughout the season so far, a few of these crews have looked like generational talents – and if the Nottingham wind allows, they may look to break the event record of 6:16 and cement themselves as a crew for the ages.

St Paul’s School Boat Club

As expected, St Paul’s School Boat Club comes into the weekend fresh off the back of a clean sweep at Bedford Regatta, displaying their strength in every tier of Junior 15 racing. This clean sweep could not have come at a better time and will fill St Paul’s with confidence that they can have a repeat of last National Schools’ Regatta, where both the Founder’s Cup for Junior 15 first eights and the Bluefriars Cup for Junior 15 second eights were brought back to London. They are undoubtedly a crew who will have the event record in the back of their mind and the victory at the forefront.

King’s College School Boat Club

King’s College School Boat Club have displayed real speed throughout the season with a win at Kingston Head and a second place at the Schools’ Head of the River, followed by a competitive third place finish at Wallingford Regatta. Earlier in the season, I wrote that the previous King’s Junior 15s were not afraid to declare themselves the fastest Junior 15 eight in KCS history; National Schools’ Regatta is the best chance this year’s crew will have to prove their ancestors wrong. A finish in the medals would be enough to better the previous King’s crews.

Hampton School Boat Club

Last year, Hampton School Boat Club took an impressive silver medal at National Schools’ Regatta. This year, they have shown remarkable progress: from Kingston Head to School’s Head of The River, Hampton closed a 29-second gap to King’s College School to just two seconds. Then, two months later, this Hampton crew overcame that gap completely to beat KCS at Wallingford Regatta by four seconds. Their ability to step up and close significant margins in the space of a few months shows their talent and prevents them from being ruled out for the Founder’s Cup.

Radley College Boat Club

Second place at Wallingford Regatta and an A-final finish against St Paul’s School boat at Bedford Regatta sets this Radley College crew up well for National Schools’ Regatta. Radley displayed their depth and strength just three weeks ago with both their ‘A’ and ‘B’ boats making the final of Wallingford Regatta. The ‘B’ boat beat the likes of Latymer Upper School Boat Club, and their ‘A’ boat finished just three seconds off the victors, Hampton School Boat Club.

Abingdon School Boat Club

At the 2024 National Schools’ Regatta, Abingdon School Boat Club just scraped through the time trials to enter the A-final in sixth place. When the final came, however, Abingdon fought their way into the medals, taking a bronze home. This year, Abingdon were unfortunate to draw eventual winners St Paul’s School Boat Club in the first round of Bedford Regatta. Despite this first-round knockout, though, they will surely have hidden speed that they could not unleash at Bedford Regatta.

Latymer Upper School Boat Club

Latymer Upper School Boat Club won their heat at Wallingford Regatta but could not replicate it in the final, finishing sixth. Nonetheless, this is a strong result, and making the final at such a competitive regatta is an achievement in itself. In the week following Wallingford Regatta, Latymer put in a shift to make the semifinal at Bedford Regatta, where they had the closest finish to St Paul’s School of the day.

Prediction

Their commanding victory at the Schools’ Head of The River and subsequent clean sweep at Bedford Regatta firmly cements St Paul’s School as favourites. Behind them, scrapping for the two remaining medal spots, I expect to see Radley College and Hampton School do battle. Radley’s ability to deliver when it matters most, combined with the sheer depth of this year’s cohort, will present a challenge for a Hampton crew that has become adept at overhauling the odds and making monumental strides throughout the season. Radley in second, Hampton in third.