There is no doubt that Sir William Perkins’s School Boat Club is a leading light in female junior rowing. Nestled on the banks of the Thames a brief walk south from Laleham- rowing at the school began in 2003, making it a relatively recent addition to the circuit. As part of the school’s building development programme, the new boat club was completed and the squad moved in during the 2016 season, giving them access to a tailor-made space to unlock their maximum potential.
In such a short period, the girls at this boat club have shown incredible attainment in the sport across many national competitions, such as the National Schools’ Regatta, whilst also representing the school internationally. Just last season, two girls represented GB at the 2024 World U19 Championships in St Catherines, Canada, as well as at Coupe de la Jeunesse in Račice, Czechia, the Munich International Regatta and the Home International Regatta in Strathclyde, Scotland. Perkin’s athletes competed in fours, pairs, eights, and even doubles, showing the program’s breadth and depth across sculling and sweep.
Since the Paris Olympic Games, the boat club is proud to say that a former SWPSBC athlete, Harriet Taylor, has competed at the pinnacle of the sport in the GB eight. Following in her footsteps, three athletes recently attended the U19 GB Early IDs, with excellent placements all around, including a fantastic 2nd place finish from Emily Nicholas. Captain of Boats Annabelle Thornton, a one-year trialist, also competed in Boston but in the U23 trials instead, where she performed well despite being young for the category.
Though one cannot take anything away from the work put in by the athletes themselves, there is no doubt that such great success comes in large part from the first-rate set of coaching staff, who provide a balanced program of land conditioning and water sessions, set to the highest of standards. Head Coach Chris Boddy offers a unique input from rowing at the very highest of levels, having competed in World Cup regattas, World Rowing Championships, European Rowing Championships, and finishing his performance career winning The Ladies’ Challenge Plate at Henley Royal Regatta in 2016 with Leander, where he was vice-captain for two years. There is no understating of his achievements within the sport, and it is clear from Perkins’s results that the excellent coaching staff has effectively transferred so much of their substantial experience and knowledge to their athletes.
As the new year begins, Perkins will be looking for yet another strong season after the long hours of winter term training, with high aims at Schools’ Head of the River, National Schools’ Regatta and beyond. To that effect, they are looking to recruit the upcoming stars of the sport by offering rowing scholarships to the Sixth Form for girls in their Junior 16 season. Given the strong results to date and the investment in recruitment, Sir William Perkins’s School Boat Club will undoubtedly continue to rival the absolute best in junior female rowing for years to come.
