It’s hard to believe that BUCS Regatta is already upon us; it feels like just yesterday we were watching Britain’s best university eights charge down the Championship Course at the Head of the River. Nonetheless, the regatta season is certainly well underway the weather is warmer, the racing is shorter, and the intensity is ratcheting up as the national university rowing scene prepares to make its annual pilgrimage to Nottingham.
The Open Championship Coxless Fours promises to be an interesting one this year. It will be raced on the Friday, a day before the Champ Eights take to the water, which has left us with some very notable absences compared to last year’s contest. 2024 winners, Cambridge, are not sending any crews this year, but more crucially, perennial top performers, Oxford Brookes, will not be fielding any small boats for their Championship squad. They will only be racing in the eights, on the Saturday, limited perhaps by logistical issues as the club continues to navigate through a tumultuous season.
This leaves the Championship Coxless Four in an interesting and unprecedented position – wide open due to the absence of Brookes, and acting more as a proving ground – a chance to strike first blood – before the ‘main event’ of the eights on Saturday. This should lead to some very fierce racing. As ever, I’ll preview the main players in this event, before offering a finish order prediction.
Durham University Boat Club
The Palatinate have a whopping six fours entered here, and I think will be very strong at the top end. Durham Univeristy Boat Club have developed a reputation as perennial medal contenders at BUCS, and their recent track record suggests they’ll be right in the mix again this weekend. An early statement was made at BUCS Head, where Durham took home the gold in the Championship Eight ahead of Northern rivals Newcastle and Edinburgh, though their performance at HORR – 19th overall, and behind student eights from Cambridge, Brookes, UL, Newcastle and Edinburgh – was a little lacking. That being said, a strong performance from Will Morgan-Jones and Charlie Warren in the most recent iteration of the GBRT Trials at Caversham, where the pair came home as the fastest U23 combination – and second in the B-final – will certainly buoy Durham’s hopes looking ahead to regatta racing. These guys are always strong in smaller boats, and I think with such depth in this category, Durham look poised for a podium finish – if not the outright win.
University of Edinburgh Boat Club
There’s only one entry from Edinburgh University Boat Club here, under Drew Mackinnon – three seat of the first VIII that took 15th at HORR, ahead of Newcastle and Durham, earning them the Scott Skirving Trophy for the fastest academic crew outside the Thames Valley. I reckon this will be half of their current Championship Eight, and how they do on Friday will depend on which half of the eight this is; though saying that, I think Edinburgh’s strength this year is more in its depth than its top end, so I could imagine there’s not a massive speed difference between Edinburgh’s first and second fours. Clearly, Edinburgh have hit a good stride in the eight so far this season, and I reckon if they’re going to make a statement this weekend, it will be in the bigger boat – I expect a decent shift from this four, but generally for a more subdued performance ahead of the real test on Saturday.
Imperial College Boat Club
Imperial College Boat Club is clinging to the top end of British university rowing pretty admirably. I had largely written them off this season, with a lot of the great talent that they had nurtured over the past few years having moved on, and the current squad seeming a bit weaker on paper. However, they surprised me with a decent result at HORR – 23rd overall, but only three seconds behind Durham in 19th, and ahead of a resurgent Bristol crew. I think Imperial will mean business this weekend. Last year was a painful one for the Championship squad, well off-the-pace in the eights, leaving them eliminated from the competition. They will be eager to get back into the mix, and a strong performance in the fours will give them the boost that they need – I can see these guys making an outside play for the A-final, at the very least.
University of London Boat Club
University of London Boat Club’s sole entry is under David Wallace, stroke of the first VIII that performed pretty admirably at HORR to take 11th, and in the process, the Thames Valley Trophy. I think it’s reasonable to assume this is a top combination from UL, and if so, I think these guys may well be favourites here. Head Coach Antony Smith is running a tight ship at the moment, producing some great performances out of a UL squad that, at least on paper, doesn’t really possess any superstar talent (though granted, a number of very solid performers, like old Pauline Joe Middleton, and the imperviously technical George Lauchlan). This is a squad that is rowing very well at the moment, and are historically very strong at BUCS Regatta – I think this four is certainly one to watch on Friday.
Newcastle University Boat Club
Two entries here from Newcastle University Boat Club, which seem to be the two halves of their first VIII. There’s no shortage of talent at Blue Star at the moment, though it hasn’t as yet been translated into consistent speed, and the Newcastle boys will have been disappointed to finish 16th at HORR, behind UL and Edinburgh. Head Coach Angelo Savarino‘s notoriously relentless program certainly produces tenacious athletes, and I think either of these boats – one helmed by the highly experienced Ben Brockway, the other by ex-Abingdonian Chris Fry – could do very well here, with a strong possibility of a podium finish.
University of Nottingham Boat Club
University of Nottingham Boat Club admirably plugs away at the Championship level, pitting itself against the best of British university rowing year on year. This looks to be a four comprised of members of their first VIII from HORR that placed 63rd, or 16th among academic crews. I don’t think these guys will have the speed to mix with the top end of this event, but with some decent results from the squad at BUCS Head, including a bronze in the Championship Lightweight Coxless Four, I think Nottingham will certainly be eyeing a spot in the coveted A-final.
Predictions
A tricky one to predict, without a clear front-runner. I think I’m going to go with University of London Boat Club in first, with Newcastle University Boat Club‘s top boat second and Durham Univeristy Boat Club‘s top boat third – though it really is all to play for up and down this category.
Good luck to all crews.
Five Man
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