Once again, we find ourselves just a few days away from the great race that is the Fours Head of the River. With Pairs Head done and dusted, these crews have had time to learn from what went well and what needed improvement to gain the speed, certainty, and oomph to make this race as fast-paced and exciting as it always tends to be. I would say that there are four particular crews to look out for over this 6.8km challenge from Chiswick through Hammersmith Bridge.
University of London Boat Club (UL)
As was the case last year, if you see only one crew entered by UL, alarm bells should be ringing. After a vast amount of seat racing and training, this will likely be one of the strongest crews in the category and one of the strongest fours that the club can field. Kai and Harvey Adeyemi recently attended Boston GBRT trials in their pair as a fully U21 crew, suggesting that they should be able to both provide and maintain sufficient power in this head race as a successful double act. Likewise, Sam Dunlop performed well, placing 21st with his UL partner Christopher Fry. Last but not least, Kai Kelly came 11th in the U23 open category at Scullers Head this September. With such a recent show of strength, it is clear that there will be questions about how to successfully challenge this UL crew, as they appear to be a tough nut to crack for the other crews. Great things should be expected from such an accomplished crew.
Imperial College Boat Club
Joining Oxford University as the club fielding the most boats at three entries, Imperial College Boat Club are lining up to have a similarly great crack at success here. The leading four, in particular, have a highly accomplished list of athletes. The crew appears to be led by club captain Henry Barham, who recently attended the Boston GBRT trials with Imperial teammate Kit Gordon Brown, finishing eighth overall and third in the U23 category. This suggests that Henry should be a terrific addition to the crew and will be in top form. With two fellow executive members of the club, Will Groom (kit secretary and men’s welfare officer) and Tom Poweller (alumni officer), it is likely that their ‘A’ crew experience that little bit of extra camaraderie and desire to push themselves as hard as they can to represent their club well. Looking to bring a competitive edge to their fellow London crews, and with one of their top crews already having achieved a good deal of success this year, I believe we can expect a valiant effort from the club as a whole.
Oxford University Boat Club
In a tale as old as time itself, Oxford University Boat Club prepares to take to racing on the Tideway once again, with a connection stronger than most to this particular course. With their new coaching team from last year putting their plans into action, plus the numerous trials and gruelling training that will take place behind the scenes, these boats have the potential to put on an incredible show. With training for the Boat Race having already begun, the men in these coxless fours will likely have one eye on putting forward as strong a performance as possible, especially with the likes of Old Pauline and Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup winner, Ben Atkinson, fired up by last year’s Lightweight Boat Race defeat. Joined by lightweight crewmates Will Reilly and Seb Harker (another Tideway-born and bred OP), as well as the likes of Northeastern graduate Evan Albers, Oxford could be one to watch across the board and will be looking to take a win in this category.
Liverpool University Boat Club
With two gold medals already under their belt from Dee Autumn Head and Runcorn Autumn Head, this crew, consisting of Roddy Carter, Zac Morgan, Ben Whiting and Oliver Wisbey, have already proven they are more than capable of putting on a terrific performance to represent Liverpool University Boat Club. Those paying close attention will notice that this is the fourth consecutive year they have entered this race, and perhaps all their previous races and training are part of a long-term plan to improve performance in this specific race, as well as in general. Therefore, I would imagine they will put in a very concentrated effort against some of the more accomplished university clubs in the category.
Predictions
For first place, it looks likely that the University of London Boat Club have a very good chance of taking gold. However, I would argue that Oxford University Boat Club, with its strong connection to the course and an eye on the Boat Race, will be the chief challenger for the victory or, at the very least, battle it out for second with Imperial College Boat Club. I then feel that Liverpool University Boat Club will likely contest for third place.
