Bristol University Head consistently attracts entries from many of the top clubs in the country, and this year is no different. Across the men’s entries, we have crews from high-flying clubs such as Leander, Exeter and Hartpury. With all this talent and squad depth, this race already has the makings of something special, but who will come out on top on this challenging course?
Open Eights
As one of the highest performing clubs in the country, Leander will be looking to assert themselves and dominate their respective events. With three eights entered, the podium places look to be an internal battle between the crews. On home waters, the University of Bristol will be looking to defend it in all the categories in which they have entries. In the men’s eights, they will be leading the pack with three Leander crews chasing them down, but with their knowledge of the course, UBBC will be hoping to capitalise on this and try to push ahead of the competition. As a club that has been on the rise for several years now, Bristol achieved many strong results last season: their Prince Albert Challenge Cup coxed four reached the semifinals of Henley Royal Regatta, losing to the eventual winners UL. This season, the men’s squad has already seen mega performances from young talent; the fresher pair of Abdelrahman Farag and Antoni Robinski finished as the fifth fastest U23s at the November Trials. With results like this, Bristol are looking to become one of the top rowing programmes in the country and show that they deserve to compete in the upper echelons of UK student rowing.
After qualifying their Prince Albert Challenge Cup coxed four at Henley Royal Regatta last year, the University of Warwick are looking to carry that momentum on and progress even further this season. A total of six entries into the open eights across long and short course shows real promise for the depth of the open side at Warwick this year, and they could certainly be ones to watch. The University of Bath are another club racing on their home stretch, and again will be looking to carry forward momentum building form last season. After pre-qualifying for the Temple Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta, and fielding three eights at Wallingford Head just last weekend, BUBC will be looking to test themselves against local rival and post competitive times on the day.
Open Quads
Leander Club also have three quads entered this weekend, and following on from their success at the Fours Head in November, they will be the ones everyone else is chasing, no doubt. With many of the Leander athletes aiming for GB representation next summer, this race could be crucial for their progression. It will be exciting to see where their crews finish compared to one another and how this shapes up selection for them going forward. The most likely to challenge those in cerise for the win looks to be the Performance Development Academy athletes from Hartpury University & College, and the University of Bath. Hartpury are leading out the charge ahead of three Leander crews, while Bath follow on from the second Hartpury boat. Combined with the three Leander crews, this field of the top six looks to be well stacked, and could certainly make for some tasty racing down the twists and turns of the Avon. It looks as though Bath may be the most likely to challenge Leander for the podium spots given the quality of their PDA scullers in recent years, but having not made an appearance at Fours Head, it could be all to play for.
Open Coxed & Coxless Fours
Another club with a large field of entries is Exeter University, and they look to top the ranks in both the coxed and coxless fours this weekend. As a club that has performed well in recent years, they will want to use this trip to the River Avon as a platform to build on. After pre-qualifying their Temple Challenge Cup eight for Henley Royal Regatta last year, Exeter, like many other clubs, wants to prove that they can and will be one of the top programmes in the country. I feel that Exeter could be in for an exciting season, with as many men’s entries as they have; it shows real squad depth, which is crucial for success.
Making the short trip across the border, Cardiff University will also be looking to put on a strong performance at this event, and are most likely to challenge Exeter. Cardiff will aim to progress over the winter season and build speed in preparation for regatta season next year, and it will be exciting to see how all their different crews perform and place in a stacked field of entries.
Prediction
Bristol University Head again looks set to be an exciting day of racing across all categories. In the men’s entries, the competition seems fast and fierce, with a host of clubs and unis battling it out over the course. Ultimately, though, Leander looks set to claim victory in both the quads and eights. The real competition will be for the non-podium places, then. Bristol will be looking to defend their home stretch as best as they can, while other clubs will be looking to cause an upset, while Exeter University look set to claim the coxed and coxless fours.
