With the Schools’ Head of the River rounding off this year’s unsurprisingly interrupted head season, crews will be looking to show off their skill and talent in head racing one last time before regatta season. This year, the women’s third eights category has only three entries, but there is no doubt the competition will still be fierce as they battle each other and the mighty Tideway. This stretch of the Thames is known for testing even the most experienced athletes, so composure and adaptability will be just as important as raw speed.
Headington School Oxford Boat Club
Headington School Oxford Boat Club is well known for its superb training programme, consistently producing multiple successful boats across the season. Training within such a competitive environment means that even the third eight benefits from the same technical focus and high standards that define the programme. I don’t expect anything less from this crew, especially given the advantage of training alongside such strong first and second eights, which could serve them well on a long, tactical course like the Tideway.
Surbiton High School Boat Club
With Surbiton High School Boat Club’s Junior 16 first eight taking silver at last year’s National Schools’ Regatta, it wouldn’t be surprising to see many of those athletes now forming the backbone of this third eight, likely bringing valuable racing experience and confidence to the crew. The club clearly has depth and is bringing a competitive crew into this head season. Surbiton’s programme has grown rapidly in recent years, and their ability to field multiple strong boats is becoming a defining feature of their squad.
St Paul’s Girls’ School Boat Club
Many of the St Paul’s Girls rowers also enjoyed a strong regatta season last year, taking bronze at National Schools’ Regatta in the Junior 16 first eight category, finishing eight seconds behind their rivals from Surbiton High, suggesting that the two programmes are closely matched, and that rivalry could easily carry over into this year’s Schools’ Head.
Prediction
I anticipate that Headington will come out on top next week, but I expect very close times among all three crews. Every athlete will need to be at their best to prove that the hard graft put in over the winter training block has paid off. With such a small but competitive field, even minor details could influence the final outcome. As always, the Tideway brings its own surprises, so only time will tell who will emerge as champions.
