The regatta returned to the Barwon which was both in flood and impacted by strong winds. Wesley however went onto win for the sixth successive time from Scotch College in the final.
Geelong Grammar finished only one foot behind Scotch in the heat with Melbourne Grammar 2 lengths further back.
This was the year Xavier College joined the competition. In the centenary history of the Xavier Colleg Rowing Lift her home to Victory, lads, author Michael Lefebvre records that the inexperienced Xavier crew suffered sickness throughout training and the final crew only rowed together for the last two days before the race.
He goes on to describe the heat race where the crew were defeated by the eventual winning crew from Wesley.
Xavier got away badly and were a length behind after the first fifty yards. The crew then settled down to some good rowing but Wesley were too strong and after three quarters of a mile had increased their lead by another length. Despite the efforts of the Xavier stroke to lift his crew, they were unable to make uo any ground on Wesley and lost by two and a half lengths.
Head of the River
Time: NTT
Margin: 1 1/2 lengths
1st Wesley College - Bow: J D Newham, 2: D P Greenham, 3: G A Richards, 4: R V Boynton, 5: C C Halkyard, 6: N S Walker, 7: G J Dawes, Str: F A H Boynton, Cox: F C Wittmann, Cch: Charles Donald
2nd Scotch College - Bow: John Gray, 2: Howard C Morrison, 3: George G Anderson, 4: Samuel P Lyttle, 5: Arthur D Robertson, 6: Alexander M Robertson, 7: Charles W B Littlejohn, Str: William G Davies, Cox: Alexander E Morrison, Cch: Alexander B Sloan
Other crews competing:
Geelong Grammar - Bow: A G Bagot, 2: A F S Dobson, 3: J E Roe, 4: K Lines, 5: J J Gatenby, 6: A B Hearn, 7: G H Patterson, Str: C P Cooke, Cox: R Featherstonhaugh, Cch: A F Garrard
Melbourne Grammar - Bow: A F Jolley, 2: A Jackson, 3: P J R St Ele, 4: C L Baillieu, 5: S J Gardiner, 6: A G Stephenson, 7: H D Luxton, Str: G Ross-Soden, Cox: C F Cresswell
Xavier College - Bow: Ray Connell, 2: Gordon Kirby, 3: Nerbert Forrect, 4: Dan Fitzgerald, 5: James Dougherty, 6: Franz Slaweski, 7: Gus de Bavay, Str: Francis McCooey, Cox: Jack Rowan, Cchs: Jim Beeching Jnr
Known heat results:
E1: 1st SC, 2nd GGS, 3rd MGS, Margins: 2 feet and 2 lengths
E2: 1st WC, 2nd XC, Margin 2 1/2 lengths
1906 Wesley Crew
1906 Xavier Crew
Back row: R Connell, D Fitzgerald, J Dougherty, F Slaweksi
Centre row: G Kirby, F McCooey, J Beeching, G de Bavay, H Forrest
Seated: J Rowan
Photo reproduced from "Lift her home to victory", lads, a centenary history of Xavier College Rowing by Michael Lefebvre