National Schools’ Regatta 2025 – Open Junior 15 Coxed Quads Preview

The peak of the season for these athletes, the National Schools’ Regatta, draws ever closer. The emotion leading up to a big race is often a mixture of excitement and fear; a mixture of wanting to go out there and do your best, and being afraid that you have not done enough to secure the desired result. The winter miles and the summer sessions culminate this weekend, and we will see which boats have done enough to secure a top result.

Yarm School Boat Club

This crew from the perhaps overlooked Yarm School Boat Club seems to be going from strength to strength this season; at the Oarsport Junior Sculling Head, they won their event by over fifteen seconds. They then had an unfortunate race at the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta, where they finished in fourth place, behind Hereford Cathedral School Boat Club and Henley Rowing Club, only to win again at the Junior Sculling Regatta the following weekend. Although not as consistent as some other names on the draw, they could take home the gold this weekend.

The Windsor Boys’ School Boat Club

As what could easily be considered the best junior sculling club in the country, it is impossible to ignore The Windsor Boys’ School Boat Club’ quad despite a difficult early season, placing fourth at the Oarsport Junior Sculling Head, and missing out on qualification at the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta. They seem to have reclaimed their place on the podium after a second place finish at the Junior Sculling Regatta after blasting out the blocks; at the 500m marker, they were over a second ahead of Yarm School Boat Club, so if they can hang onto that pace in the middle kilometre, they will have a strong race.

Henley Rowing Club

Hot on the tail of The Windsor Boys’ School Boat Club at the Junior Sculling Regatta was Henley Rowing Club, a club with a history of strong pedigree in sculling. At the Oarsport Junior Sculling Head, their biggest head race of the season, they completed the course in a time that would have put them in second place if they had not been disqualified. Compelled to prove themselves thereafter, they placed second at the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta and third at the Junior Sculling Regatta. This crew has been consistently strong throughout the season, so there is no doubt that they will perform well on the weekend.

Hereford Cathedral School Boat Club

Winners of the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta, Hereford Cathedral School Boat Club had a phenomenal race at Holme Pierrepont not too long ago. Relatively new to the rowing scene, they first became known as a force to be reckoned with when their Junior 16 quad won at the National Schools’ Regatta in 2021. They have struggled with keeping the standard of their performance consistent as they placed third at the Oarsport Junior Sculling Head and then fourth at the Junior Sculling Regatta, but they may surprise us with another win.

Maidenhead Rowing Club

Maidenhead Rowing Club’s Junior 15 squad have shown a huge improvement from their tenth-place finish at the Oarsport Junior Sculling Head to a comfortable fifth place at the Junior Sculling Regatta. Although I don’t think they’re likely to break into the podiums, they will fight to make it into the A-final.

Bewl Bridge Rowing Club

Bewl Bridge Rowing Club are yet to appear at any major events this regatta season, with their last appearance being at their sixth-place finish at the Oarsport Junior Sculling Head. Similar to Yarm School Boat Club, they don’t consistently make the top finals at significant events like the National Schools’ Regatta, so having such a strong boat this year is encouraging for them.

Prediction

I feel confident that Yarm School Boat Club, The Windsor Boys’ School Boat Club, Henley Rowing Club, and Hereford Cathedral School Boat Club will make the A-final, with Maidenhead Rowing Club and Bewl Bridge Rowing Club likely pushing for it in the lower positions. Yarm School Boat Club, in particular, seems to have a lot of variation in their performance, so if they can put together their best performance this weekend, they’ll likely win gold. The Windsor Boys’ School Boat Club and Henley Rowing Club were only two and five seconds off Yarm School Boat Club, respectively, at the Junior Sculling Regatta which shows that these three clubs are incredibly strong, and the medals could easily go in any order.