The Schools’ Head of the River returned to the Tideway in its full racing format for the first time since 2018, bringing it with the full spectrum of British weather fronts and racing emotions. WinTech were once again heavily represented across the board, with numerous clubs and schools opting to race one of the most significant events of the year in our shells. 

There is no better place to start than the astonishing performance of The Windsor Boys School in the Championship Quad Category. Their top boat, racing in a WinTech Cobra, romped home to claim the title by a staggering 32 seconds over the 4-and-a-half-mile reverse championship course. Demonstrating the depth of the program, all four of their crews finished in the top ten boats, with their second crew coming home in third (half a second behind Leander A), their ‘D’ crew finishing seventh and their ‘C’ crew rounding out the fleet in tenth.

Mark Wilkinson, Director of Rowing at The Windsor Boys School, said:

“The boys have trained well through the winter with not a lot of racing so it was great to get out there. They raced really well and expressed themselves with real commitment and determination to execute what we have been working on – they were great today. Some really good results but that came from a consistent application. Onwards we go though!”

Continuing the theme of Championship boys quads, Claires Court had a great row in their WinTech International to finish sixth overall. This program is developing under the close eye of former pupil Alex Richardson and you can read more about their plans for success very soon in one of our upcoming Club Spotlight articles.

On the girl’s side, our highest finishing sculling crew were Claires Court (who are clearly building a significant program for both junior boys and girls). Racing in a WinTech International, they finished fifth overall but were less than 20 seconds back on overall winners, Shiplake College.

It was also a very special day for The Tideway Scullers School Girls Championship Eight, who finished ninth in their category. They competed in a King Racing Shell, one of the first of our sister brand to reach UK shores and after the sensational success of their women’s squad at the WEHORR on Saturday, they will surely be gearing up for a big summer. They also placed 4th in the School/Junior Girls 2nd Eights event in their WinTech Racing Cobra 8+.

It was also great to see Mossbourne Academy Win the School First J15 8+ under coach Tom Wilkinson in their brand new WinTech Racing International 8+. Rowing is an important part of the culture of the Mossbourne Federation where they offer talented sports pupils the opportunity to transition from their current school to Mossbourne Community Academy at the start of the Year 9 if they demonstrate an exceptional aptitude for the sport of rowing and they wish to pursue this path.

The Schools’ Head is one of the few races on the domestic calendar to offer mixed events and we were delighted to provide boats for the top three crews, in Hinksey Sculling School, Newark Rowing Club and Durham School respectively. Although there was over 30 seconds separating first from third, it was great to see WinTech shells competing in innovative new categories and coming out on top.

After several years off the water, it was wonderful to once again watch junior crews take to the Tideway in pursuit of glory. WinTech & King are proud to support so many fantastic clubs and schools and look forward to watching these programs develop.

Looking to build a successful fleet?

Come and join #TeamWinTech today! Our value goes beyond that of just a great product for a great price. Our sales advisors can help you put together an equipment buying strategy with finance and leasing options  to help work your budget harder and smarter.

GET IN TOUCH TO TRY A BOAT

VIEW OUR RANGE