St Paul’s and Headington take top titles at 2025 Schools’ Head of the River

In a perfect day for racing, over 300 crews took on the Championship Course on 25 March

The battle for supremacy in junior rowing is heating up with every passing year. Hundreds of boats navigated the weaving bends of the Tideway as junior talent manifested itself on this world-famous piece of water.

At the sharp end, St Paul’s School took the headship by seven seconds, a slight decrease on their winning margin in 2024 but a commanding victory, nonetheless. “We are fairly relieved,” said Bobby Thatcher, Director of Rowing. “We ripped our fin off on the pre-paddle, so we spent the morning trying to sort a replacement. It was a consistent row. The boys did well, especially after the chaos before.”

St Paul’s School – winners of Championship 8+. Photo: Lauren Hazel/JRN

Thatcher’s programme continues to build a head of steam, as their athletes secured a further four wins in the Championship Junior 16 Eights, Championship Junior 15 Eights and both Second Eight equivalents. With such a deep pipeline of talent flowing through, this titan of schoolboy sweep will take some stopping in the years to come.

Headington also retained their 2024 Championship Girls’ Eights title, reasserting their authority on a category to which they seem to have an almost magnetic-like attraction. Their victory was not only the second in a row but was done with panache, winning by nearly 20 seconds over Shiplake College.

“It was a good race by the team today with four wins out of five boats,” commented Ryan Demaine, Director of Rowing. “I am proud of the team after a tough winter on and off the water due to flooding. The rowers have been fantastic in supporting each other and keeping the group motivated. We look forward to the summer as we switch to side-by-side racing.”

Headington School – winners of Girls’ championship 8+. Photo: Lauren Hazel/JRN

The Windsor Boys’ School returned to the top of the pile in the Championship Quads for the first time in three years. They ran out winners here by 16 seconds over Leander Club.

“It has been a winter of minimal water time, but it has been great to get out there racing today at the Schools’ Head of the River,” said Mark Wilkinson, Director of Rowing. “Travelling to Amsterdam [for the Heineken Roeivierkamp] last week helped build some race toughness, and the quad executed their race really well today, which is pleasing at this stage. Meanwhile, the J16 eights raced really well – they don’t do a lot of sweep, but it was important to taste the Tideway and ensure our excellent coxes had a platform, too. Coming away with the gold was great.”

The Windsor Boys’ School – winners of Championship 4x. (Photo: Ed Evans/JRN.)

On the girls’ side, Tideway Scullers School built on the junior title they won at the Women’s Eights Head of the River Race to take the top prize in the girls’ quads. This programme continues to defy expectations, and these four athletes – who powered the eight to victory two weekends ago – will now head into the summer with huge excitement. Marlow were second, whilst Maidenhead RC placed third.

This is a fantastic end to winter training for a very driven group of young women,” said Rhona MacCallum, head coach of the Tideway Scullers School junior women’s squad. “It is the first Championship girls’ quad win at this event for the club, but it has been years in the making and represents a whole squad effort.”

After another winter disrupted by cancellations, many will have relished the opportunity to show their steel on a flat and fine Tideway course.

Pennant winners

Pennant	Winner	Time
Championship 8+	St Paul’s School	16:33.0
School 1st 8+	Hampton School B	17:13.9
School/Junior 2nd 8+	Eton Coll A	17:25.9
Championship J16 8+	St Paul’s School A	17:18.8
Championship 4x	Windsor Boys’ A	17:40.1
Sch/Jun 3rd 8+	Radley College	18:04.7
School 1st J16 8+	Windsor Boys’ A	18:09.7
Championship J15 8+	St Paul’s School A	18:20.0
Girls’ Championship 8+	Headington School A	18:29.8
School/Junior 2nd J16 8+	St Paul’s School A	18:15.9
Girls’ School 1st 8+	Kingston Grammar	19:29.5
Girls’ Sch/Jun 2nd 8+	Headington School A	19:22.0
School 1st J15 8+	I.S.I.S “E. Stein” Gavirate, A (ITA)	18:59.0
Girls’ Championship J16 8+	Surbiton High A	19:43.8
Girls’ Championship 4x	Tideway Scullers Sch	19:16.9
School/Junior 2nd J15 8+	St Paul’s School B	19:30.1
Girls’ Championship J15 8+	Headington School A	20:24.6
Girls’ School J16 8+	Godolphin & Latymer	19:57.1
Mx School 8+	Canford School A	19:29.7
Girls’ Sch/Junior 3rd 8+	Surbiton High	21:40.8
Girls’ 2nd J16 8+	Surbiton High B	21:01.4
School/Jun 3rd J15 8+	Hampton School A	19:55.0
Girls’ School J15 8+	Wimbledon High	20:44.1
Girls’ 2nd J15 8+	Headington School A	21:14.0
Girls’ 3rd J15 8+	St Paul’s Girls C	22:32

Full results