The Schools' Head of the River Race (SHORR) is the UK's largest school-age processional (head rowing) race and is organised by

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

for crews aged between 14 and 18 years old. It is held in Spring, the end of the head race season. The race forms a leg of the national kudos of winning a rowing 'triple' in which occasionally an undefeated Junior Eight (J18 8+ or WJ18 8+) wins this race, the National Schools Regatta, and either the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup at

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a Rowing (sport), rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It diffe ...

or the Peabody Cup at Henley Women's Regatta.

Course

The race is held annually on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, on a course from Chiswick Bridge in

Mortlake Mortlake is a suburban district of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes, London, Barnes. Historically it was part of Surrey and until 1965 was in the Municipal Borough of Barnes ...

to Westminster School Boat Club flagpole in Putney. It is rowed with the tide and is in the opposite direction to The Boat Race.

Race format

History

When the race was first held in 1946 the course was shorter than at present, from above Hammersmith Bridge to the current finishing post, a distance of approximately 1.75 miles. The course was lengthened in 1988 with a start from Duke's Meadow, a mile further upstream, and again in 2000 when the start was moved to Chiswick Bridge, resulting in a course almost the length of the full Boat Race After the course was lengthened, the Schools' Head continued to offer a shorter course (from London Corinthian Sailing Club above Hammersmith Bridge) for smaller boats, such as J15 4s, J15 B 8's, and Maiden 4s; however, in 2009 this was changed by C.D. Riches, the event's manager.

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

have won the race a total of 14 times, followed by Emanuel School with 11 wins (including a remarkable eight in nine years from 1962-1970), St Paul's with 10 and Hampton School with 9. In addition to these, the headship in 2000 was shared in an unprecedented three-way tie between Hampton, St Paul's and Canford School. In the Junior Women's category, Lady Eleanor Holles School has the most wins with 12. Bad weather has occasionally disrupted the race. Indeed, in its very first year almost half the starting crews capsized due to the adverse conditions. The race was cancelled in 2001 due to dangerous conditions, reduced to its original length in 2008 as a result of strong winds disrupting the marshalling area and even more severely shortened in 2017, retaining the usual start line but finishing at the bandstand shortly after Barnes bridge. In addition, in 2020 the race was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions on 'non-essential' contact and in 2021, as a result of the ongoing pandemic, a 'virtual' Schools' Head event was run with crews submitting GPS recordings on their home stretches of water.

Current format

The race was initially a smaller event for Championship men's crews, with only 14 competing in its first year. However, numbers have grown significantly over time and additional categories of boats have been added. For example, in 2012, the J4- and WJ4- events were introduced and in 2013 the Mix 4x event was introduced to the race. Women's events were first included in 1982. Although participation was relatively limited at first, with only eight 4s in the first year and no 8s until 1983, the number of entrants has grown substantially over time as a result of the increased popularity of schoolgirl rowing, with over 125 women's crews competing in 2023. The race is now the largest head race of the winter season by junior crews attracting around 300 crews each year. Composite crews, drawn from more than one club or school, are not permitted. All categories race the same course.

Records

The current record holders for the events are:

Men's events

Women's events

Mixed events

Winners of all categories when last held

Previous J18 eights winners

Previous J18 Women eights winners

Notes and references

;Notes ;References

External links

Official Website
{{rowing Mortlake, London Rowing on the River Thames Head races Water sports in London Westminster School Scholastic rowing in the United Kingdom