Queen Mother's Cup for Championship Eights
Winners: St Paul's School
A convincing win in the time trial by 13 seconds, and with no times published Shiplake might've been given false hope that they were in reach of the Gold Medal on Saturday, however a dominant performance in their semi-final made it seem as if these boys were out for a paddle, not a 2km race. With a favoured lane and the infamous Dorney winds present, Bobby's Thatcher boys stormed to victory with a clear margin of 15 seconds between 1st and 2nd. Although a credible win, this crew arrived at the time-trial start line considerably late and started last after all the wash on the lake had gone, which some would say is tactical whilst some would argue this isn't in the spirit of rowing. On further investigation, most would be comforted to know that despite how it might look, their lateness to the start was in fact an accident. Happens to the best of us! Never the less, Paul's seem favourite by a recognisable margin to win the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup at Henley Regatta which would subsequently complete the Triple (SHoRR, NSR and HRR), as well as the less known 'Quadruple' which also includes the win at Head of the Charles Regatta.

Elsenham Cup for School Second Eights
Winners: Eton College
After rumoured mixed crews at Schools Head we were unsure of how much speed Eton's 2nd 8 would lose, however they showed dominance in this event with a 5 second time-trial win and final respectively. Behind them was a respectable Hampton 8 who showed the pedigree that the Hampton programme has the ability to produce but has struggled more recently. After Colin Greenway's crew crossed the line, Bobby Thatcher highlighted the depth in his squad which has accredited to his speedy 1st 8, with a bronze medal. At Henley in the Temple, we are most excited to see if this Eton crew, and others, can qualify and if so how will they hold up compared to university crews.
Ben