With normalcy returning to the rowing circuit, it’s great to see beginner and novice categories returning to racing in full force, with a large contingency of dedicated and talented athletes. The Women’s Beginner Eight category is set to be a race full of excitement, with crews being pretty evenly matched in speed and skill. Although information about crews is rather sparse, University of Bristol Boat Club Head in December 2021 provided great insight into a few clubs to watch for this category.
University of Birmingham BC
Birmingham beginners and novices have had an incredibly successful start to the season, having won UBBC Head in December. But Birmingham seems to only improve, securing a first-place finish at Worcester Head of the River in February. It’s clear that Birmingham are serious contenders for winning this division, having continually improved over the course of the season, with BUCS potentially being the pinnacle of their performance this far.
Durham University BC
Going off first in the division, this crew from Durham University will have an edge on their competitors having experienced the Tyne before, something which will be more important in the beginner categories than any others. Durham run a competitive development squad, as such this crew will be filled with proper athletes, the only question is how well can they translate their athleticism onto the water with what time they have had on the water.
Edinburgh University BC
Edinburgh’s success in the beginner categories at BUCS is nothing new. Given their performance at BUCS Regatta 2021, it would be foolish to overlook them as serious competitors in this division. Having won the Women’s Beginner 1 Eight by 37 seconds over the next crew, it’s clear that making novice rowers into competitive athletes is something that they excel out.
Prediction
With information on beginner rowing being scarce as a response to the pandemic, it’s hard to predict exactly how the race will pan out, but BUCS Head certainly promises to be a tight race that will demand gritty determinism from every crew on the water.
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