Beginner events at BUCS provide an opportunity for those new to the sport to race against those of a similar experience level to them. We always see strong numbers in these events evidenced by the fact that there is a whole day of the event given over to their racing. For many clubs, this season is the first opportunity they have had since before the pandemic to run a beginner programme, so it will be interesting to see how they have gone about this. Given the fact that BUCS Head is still quite early in the season, it will likely be the very first time that some of these athletes will ever have raced. This makes predicting speed virtually impossible, so this preview will look more at the clubs who have entered rather than the individual names.
Imperial College London BC
Imperial College are another club who being in a vast number of novice athletes and teach them how to row. At Quintin Head, they had three full novice eights alone, which shows the extent of their recruitment. IC is another club who demonstrated the strength of their beginner programme at BUCS Regatta, where they won Beginner Eights, and took bronze and fifth in the Coxed Four. The fact that they have already had some race experience this year will also bode well for these guys as they look to produce a good result on the Tyne.
Manchester University BC
Manchester are a club who are well established on the beginner scene at BUCS events. Their BUCS Regatta produced a silver in the Beginner Coxed Four and fourth in the eight. Again, they seem to have to have some race experience already from the South Yorkshire Head. These guys will want to get themselves in amongst the action this weekend.
Durham University BC
As with their women, Durham’s beginners will set the pace at the head of the division, and on paper will be one of the favourites given the way their development squad is run. With proper coaching and facilities available – something that cannot be said for many competing in this event – Durham will rightly be aiming for the win here.
Prediction
This category should be a good one to watch, and it will be interesting to see who prevails. Avoiding mistakes and having as clean a race as possible will be the number one priority for these crews, especially given the challenges they could face on the Tyne. A prediction is almost impossible to justify, but if I had to pick a top three, I would back Durham to win, with Imperial and Manchester behind.
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