Shiplake shine bright at a shortened 2025 National Schools’ Regatta

In a stunning 15-minute period, Shiplake College took both the open and girls’ championship eight titles in an unprecedented moment for the event after Sunday’s racing was cancelled due to inclement weather forecasts

After the committee opted to cancel Sunday’s racing in light of a predicted forecast of strong crosswinds, the 2025 National Schools’ Regatta served up two days of scintillating racing across various categories.

The defining moment came midway through Saturday afternoon, as Shiplake College won the open and girls’ championship eights back to back. Despite coming into both races as underdogs, two breathtaking performances delivered the ultimate junior prizes for Dave Currie’s programme and left the door open to further surprise in the run-in towards Henley Royal Regatta.

Credit: Ed Evans / JRN

“It’s a fantastic achievement for Shiplake College to make National Schools’ Regatta history by winning both championship eight categories,” commented Currie, Director of Rowing. “This success results from immense ambition and relentless hard work from all the athletes and the coaching team. It’s incredibly rewarding to see Shiplake’s vision for rowing truly fulfilled.”

In both categories, Shiplake won both the time trial and the A-final in decisive fashion, triumphing by six seconds in both races. Headington School and St Paul’s School – who won these events at the Schools’ Head of the River in March – now have some work to do to catch the runaway Shiplake train.

Elsewhere, the Windsor Boys School reaffirmed their status as the country’s premier schoolboy sculling programme by winning the open championship quads. With the largest entry of any club – 32 boats in total – the club picked up three golds across two days of racing, including the open quads, championship coxed fours and junior 15 second coxed quads.

Credit: Ed Evans / JRN

Commenting on a fourth successive victory in the open championship quads, Mark Wilkinson (Director of Rowing) said: “This was an outstanding performance to win championship quads. They coped very well, using their training to back themselves. A special shout-out to Joe Wellington, who won his third championship quad gold at the National Schools’ Regatta. I think this is the first time this has happened.”

Credit: Ed Evans / JRN

On the girl’s side, the Tideway Scullers School followed up on their win at the National Schools’ Regatta with a mature and confident row to claim the Sherriff’s Cup for girls’ championship quads. Lead coach Rhona MacCallum commented: “The girls raced brilliantly in the final today, improving on their time trial performance to produce the first girls’ championship quad win for the club. I also want to say a huge thanks to coach Helen Taylor, who has supported the crew for the last two months.”

Kingston Grammar School had a fantastic weekend, collecting three gold medals in the girls’ junior 15 coxed fours, girls’ junior 16 coxed fours and girls’ championship coxed fours, whilst the open and girls’ championship single titles were claimed by Scarlett Palmer of Chester le Street Amateur Rowing Club and Elias Tejpaul of the American School In London respectively.

Due to the cancellation of racing on the Sunday, several categories did not get the chance to take to the water, but the return to Nottingham’s National Watersports Centre – for the first time in a decade – felt like a positive start to a new era for this storied event. With surprises at the top, all eyes will now turn to the Henley Women’s and Royal Regatta and the chance to win a coveted ‘red box’ on the most famous stretch of rowing-related water in the world.