Cover image: AllMarkOne
As women’s rowing across the country gears up for the Women’s Eights Head of the River Race in March, all eyes will turn to the 5000m stretch of the River Tyne this weekend, for the British University and Colleges Sport Head. A notoriously difficult stretch of the river to race, BUCS Head will give students across the country a chance to prove what they’re capable of among their peers.
Edinburgh University Boat Club
Having put down an impressive performance this time last year, finishing third by only 3.5 seconds, Edinburgh will no doubt be feeling the pressure for a repeat performance. At Rutherford Head earlier in the season, Edinburgh’s second eight placed fourth in Band 1, outpacing lots of first eights from other universities and declaring them the fastest women’s second eight of the day. With the bulk of winter training behind us, this weekend will provide Edinburgh with a chance to continue their show of dominance in this category.
Durham University Boat Club
Finishing fourth this time last year will put Durham in a confident mindset as this weekend approaches. A big name in British university rowing, DUBC will be sure to put down some strong performances on their home stretch of river. Looking to challenge Edinburgh for one of the top spots, a fierce rematch seems on the cards. At Rutherford Head, Durham’s second eight were four seconds slower than Edinburgh, and this weekend’s performance will be crucial for them to prove themselves ahead of the Women’s Eights Head of the River Race. The depth of this squad continues to be excellent year after year, as evidenced by their third and fourth eights also being entered into this category.
Newcastle University Boat Club
No stranger to the often tumultuous conditions of the Tyne, Newcastle’s second eight will be heading off second this year, in front of Edinburgh. Having lost to Edinburgh by just over 40 seconds at Rutherford, setting off in front of them this weekend should provide Newcastle with a bit of extra fire as they storm down the course. Having won the women’s Victor Ludorum last year, Newcastle promises to deliver some quality racing this weekend. Demonstrating the squad depth often seen at the top end of student racing, Newcastle’s third eight will be setting off five boats after their second eight, looking to prove themselves against not only other second eights, but also the first eights entered into the intermediate category.
Glasgow University Boat Club
At Rutherford Head 2025, Glasgow won the Band 2 women’s eights, showing an impressive upward momentum from their 12th-place finish at BUCS Head last year. Heading off the line ninth this weekend, Glasgow are right in the mix for a top ten finish this year. In front of Queen’s University Belfast, and only a few crews behind clubs such as Newcastle and St Andrews, Glasgow are definitely in the right place to use the crews around them to step on from last year’s performance.
University of St Andrews Boat Club
Having been a podium wildcard in the past, St Andrews has the potential to climb the rankings this year. With a strong finish of fifth place last year, less than 30 seconds behind the winners, St Andrews will be looking to close that margin this year. Absent from some of the earlier races this year, it’s hard to predict where their eight will end up, but after a strong summer season and with their 2025 squad being the largest in recent years, it seems likely that they’ll be gunning for a top-five finish once again this year.
University of Bristol Boat Club
It is hard to guess where the Bristol eight will end up in the mix of the more northern universities, having not made the trek to Newcastle to race at Rutherford Head pre-Christmas. Not to be underestimated, Bristol have come off the back of some strong seasons of rowing performance. Finishing first at BUCS Head last year and then continuing on to come 74th at the Women’s Eights Head of the River Race, they will be feeling the pressure. With a boat full of seasoned athletes amongst fresh, eager faces, it will be interesting to see if Bristol can dominate the racing for a second year in a row. However, this will be a tough ask, as, following last year’s win, their first boat has been moved up to the championship category, leaving their second eight with the daunting task of defending their title.
Notable Mentions
It is important not to underestimate the depth of this category. With 33 entries, a wildcard is always possible in the top five crews. With athletes graduating each summer and fresh faces joining teams across the country, all crews have the possibility to build on the momentum gained pre-summer. Notably missing from the eights this weekend due to a decision to race elsewhere is Bath University Boat Club, who finished sixth last year. Rounding off last year’s top ten were the University of Surrey Boat Club in seventh and Lancaster University Boat Club in tenth. It will be interesting to see if either of these clubs, or indeed anyone else, can push up the rankings this year.
Predictions
It’s hard to see how anyone other than Edinburgh or Durham will finish first. Consistently high-performing squads with impressive depth from top to bottom, I think these two crews will fight it out for first place this weekend. Third place seems a little more open, with crews such as Newcastle, Glasgow and St Andrews likely to be in contention. With many clubs having more than one eight entered in this category, I expect that Durham could finish with two crews high up in the rankings. It’ll be exciting to see how crews place across the 5km stretch of river, providing feedback for any last-minute improvements ahead of the Women’s Eights Head of the River Race in March.
