As the head season rumbles on, the Fours Head of the River presents the first test for crew boats on the Championship Course this season. With fifteen school and university crews on the roster, the open academic quads provide ample opportunity for these scullers to make their mark on the competition.
Reading University Boat Club
With five crews entered into this event alone, Reading University Boat Club descends on the Tideway in force this weekend. It goes without saying that this sculling squad possesses incredible depth, as demonstrated time and again at events throughout the country. Looking down the crew lists, many of these names were also present in the four quads that raced in the A Final of the intermediate quads at BUCS regatta, including those from the gold and bronze medal-winning crews. Standout performers include Harrison Green, who recently placed as the fourth fastest U23 athlete at Scullers Head, and Will Buckingham, who came in sixth. RUBC filled out a reasonable proportion of the top U23 athletes, so it’ll certainly be interesting to see how these crews fare against one another, as well as their competition, down the track this weekend.
St Paul’s School
A name that sticks out on any start order is that of St Paul’s School, and this weekend is no different. With this top outfit electing to race here instead of the Junior Fours Head, they’ll undoubtedly be looking to make a mark on the competition. A demonstration of the strength and depth of Bobby Thatcher’s squad, this crew formed half of the lineup that put out a commanding performance at Head of the Charles last month, clinching gold in the Men’s Youth Eights for a second consecutive year. Prior to this, Edward Ludgate and Jonathan Miles had both secured victory in their respective categories at Sculler’s Head: Ludgate by six seconds in the Junior 17 division, and Miles in the Junior 18 sculls by 15 seconds, also finishing seventh overall. The sculling prowess on display in this crew, as well as their unbeatable knowledge of the Tideway, suggests to me that, despite their age, this crew may well make it ot the top of the rankings this weekend.
Nottingham University Boat Club
Another university club with a strong rowing reputation comes in the form of Nottingham University Boat Club. Last time that the Fours Head ran in 2022, NUBC put all three of their quads in the top five of this category, with the ‘A’ and ‘B’ boats placing second and third, separated by just half a second. Looking to replicate this performance, a debut lineup contains athletes successful in their own right, including James Ryder, who won gold in the lightweight pair at BUCS Regatta, and Nathaniel Dawson, who was part of the crew that came away with gold at Nottingham Autumn Head last month, and previously also won the championship lightweight double at BUCS. With what appears to be a relatively fresh lineup, it’ll be exciting to see how close Nottingham can get to replicating historical success.
University of Surrey Boat Club
Another university crew yet to stamp their mark on the head season, the crew from the University of Surrey Boat Club will be looking to climb the ranks in this category. Surrey is a club that regularly tops the charts at BUCS, so to see them measured against the likes of Reading, Nottingham, and Loughborough at this early point will indicate their early-season speed. Featuring the likes of Charlie Sinnot, who narrowly missed out on a medal in the championship lightweight single at BUCS Regatta in May, before later claiming bronze in the intermediate lightweight quad alongside Will Burns. Appearing to contain up-and-coming athletes from last year’s beginner categories, too, it’ll be exciting to see what this crew can pull out of the bag on the Tideway on Saturday.
Notable Mentions
The crew from Westminster School joins St Paul’s in electing to race a day later at Fours Head, rather than alongside their junior counterparts in the dedicated event – a chance to test their mettle against senior crews. Two entries from Loughborough Students Rowing speak volumes to the depth of their squads right now, especially ahead of the BUCS season. Portsmouth, Cardiff, Liverpool, and Royal Holloway round out the draw and will be looking to establish themselves among one another as an early-season test in crew boats.
Prediction
With Reading University‘s top scullers entered into the championship quads, I think that this category could be wide open for the likes of St Paul’s School to take the win. With the quality of their sculling already demonstrated this season, if this crew can bring the same cohesion that they display in the eight to the quad, they could be a formidable force on their home water. I’d imagine that Reading University ‘C’ will take silver, and Reading University ‘J’ the bronze, but I’d like to see Nottingham and Surrey Universities put themselves in the mix with bigger names too.
