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After a lull in the racing season over Christmas and a string of cancelled races due to persistent rain and flooding across the UK, racing is set to return to the mighty Tyne for BUCS Head. The intermediate eights are a great opportunity for the big northern universities to battle it out with their second eights, whilst also giving smaller programs a chance to shine.
With little racing to base predictions on, Rutherford Head, the last Tyne head race, will serve as the key point of reference, especially for the big three northern rowing programs of Durham, Edinburgh and Newcastle.
Edinburgh University Boat Club
As the lowest-ranked of the university second eights at Rutherford Head, Edinburgh will be looking to make up ground against their northern rivals and defend their title, which they won by just 0.4 seconds last year. The top end of the squad is in a good place after their impressive appearance in the final of the Prince Albert Challenge Cup last summer at Henley Royal Regatta. In addition, their first eight came second at Rutherford Head, so they will be hoping that result filters down and puts them firmly in medal contention.
Durham University Boat Club
Undoubtedly the favourites to take the gold medal in this event, the Durham squad seems to be above the rest this season after dominant performances at Rutherford Head with their first and second eights placing first and third overall despite 20-second time penalties for both crews. Notably, their second eight beat all their Northern rivals’ first eights before the time penalties. Durham has a strong tendency to pick up a large number of medals at BUCS Head, and their recent training camp in Banyoles should strengthen their campaign to overturn their silver medal from last year. Their third eight should also not be discounted after beating both the Edinburgh and Newcastle second eights at Rutherford Head.
Newcastle University Boat Club
The Newcastle second eight came second at Rutherford out of the northern trio of second eights, and last year took a bronze medal in this event, so they will have their sights set on securing another medal. The top Newcastle pair of Gwilym Johnson and Edward Ridley took an impressive second place at the GB trials back in November, so hopefully this top-end speed can be shown all the way down to their second eight, and they can put in a strong performance.
University of Bristol Boat Club
Seemingly the premier sweep program in the southwest, and the only south westerly club to make the trip to Newcastle, Bristol has cemented itself as a strong and consistent championship contender. Their fourth-place finishes in both the championship and intermediate eights last year will provide the fuel to start their season on a strong footing. I hope to see their intermediate eight compete again in the fight for a medal.
Imperial College Boat Club
Imperial is on a steady return after a difficult period, including the loss of their GB high-performance status. However, they do have more racing under their belts than some of their competitors, having won the academic coxless fours at Fours Head and placing second and fifth in the eights at Teddington Head back in November. After not being able to start last year due to a collision with Bath whilst warming up, Imperial will be keen to make this trip worthwhile and be in contention for a medal.
Queen’s University Belfast Boat Club
Queen’s Belfast make the trip to Newcastle from Ireland as they always do, and this year, they have three eights entered into the intermediate category. Two years ago, Queen’s won a silver medal in this category, and the listed stroke man, Ronan Gibbon, suggests that the top eight could pose a serious threat to the medals once again. Gibbon is a multiple BUCS medallist and a 2024 Henley Royal Regatta semifinalist in The Prince of Wales Challenge Cup, so if the rest of the crew are up to this standard, I believe this could be a fast eight.
Predictions
I suspect that this will be a fight between mostly lower-ranked boats in a showdown of depth from the big programs, excluding the likes of the University of London and Oxford Brookes. However, it will be exciting to see which other programs emerge. I expect clubs such as Birmingham, Nottingham and Sheffield to be pushing for the rest of the top ten spots.
My prediction for the medals:
1. Durham
2. Queen’s
3. Durham B
And I expect Bristol and Imperial to round out the top five.
