After months of dark evenings and cold mornings, the Schools’ Head of the River at last rolls around, the final bridge for junior crews to unlock summer racing. Open Junior 16 first eights offers six crews the final opportunity to display the result of their winter miles on perhaps the most famous course in all of rowing. Constant cancellations of earlier races will leave crews hungry to showcase their head racing speed and build confidence heading into regatta season.
The King’s School Chester Rowing Club
There have been few races from The King’s School, Chester, so far this season, as they chose not to travel down for the inaugural Junior Fours Head or the recent Hammersmith Head, leaving their last Tideway experience this very race a year ago. In this event last year, they finished seventh, a solid result, but it leaves plenty of room to improve, especially with this group of athletes finishing fourth in Junior 15 first eights last year. This strong result will undoubtedly drive the cohort to keep the quality of results at this year’s Schools’ Head.
The King’s School Ely Boat Club
At this race a year ago, The King’s School Ely finished just over 30 seconds behind The King’s School Chester in Junior 15 first eights. They return a year later and will be looking not just to close, but to overturn the margin. The King’s School Ely also holds a huge advantage of having raced on the Tideway this season, experience that is invaluable on a stretch as unforgiving as the Tideway course. This experience came from the Junior Fours Head, where The King’s School Ely’s ‘A’ Junior 16 coxed four finished in an impressive tenth out of 25. Can this early indicator of speed be transferred into eights for Friday’s racing?
Great Marlow School Boat Club
Great Marlow School last raced in eights at Wallingford Head in 2025, before the wave of cancellations hit racing. Here they finished sixth in the second band of Junior 16 eights; a result that would not have thrilled the squad, but positives can be taken away, such as beating opponents Reading Blue Coat School by an impressive margin. Following the racing hiatus, Great Marlow School raced at Avon Spring Head in a coxed four, just 13 days prior to Schools’ Head. A lack of training in the eight may potentially hinder Great Marlow School this Friday, but the crucial Tideway experience will certainly be an advantage to them, no matter the boat class.
Reading Blue Coat School Boat Club
Reading Blue Coat’s current Junior 16 squad have huge shoes to fill this year after the previous squad raised the squad’s standard to a new level, coming seventh in championship Junior 16 eights at last year’s Schools’ Head and winning Reading Amateur Regatta a few months later. Mixed results have come from this year’s squad, including a win in the Junior 16 coxed four at Wycliffe Head and what would have been a 19th-place finish, had they not been racing time only, at Hammersmith Head. The speed in the coxed four is clear, but Friday’s result will be determined by how well they can transfer it into the eight, just as Reading Blue Coat’s previous J16s did.
St George’s School Boat Club
Similar to The King’s School Chester, St George’s School have had few appearances so far this season which perhaps hints at them choosing quality training over racing, making them a very real threat in this category. They did not race a Junior 16 eight at last year’s Schools’ Head, but this group did race in the Junior 15 first eights category, resulting in a solid, middle-of-the-field finish. After months of training leading up to this Friday’s racing, St George’s School will be quietly confident of their speed.
Emmanuel School Boat Club
The only school in this event that will enjoy the luxury of home waters, Emmanuel School Boat Club, are setting off at the back of this category but will undoubtedly be looking to finish at the top. An absence at The Junior Fours Head and Hammersmith Head is surprising, but they are no strangers to the famous 6.8km course, and this will be used to their advantage.
Prediction
1. King’s School Chester: The strength of this squad last year will surely be carried forward into this year’s racing.
2. Great Marlow School: An impressive result at Wallingford Head shows some serious speed that will be on display again this Friday.
3. Reading Blue Coat School: Following a mixed bag of results so far, it is hard to know their exact speed, but their program has clearly produced fast Junior 16 eights before.
