For most of these crews it’ll be their first time competing at a national level. Whilst some might have had their first race, others will be jumping in the deep end as northbound travel will have them encountering some of the most renowned novice programs in the country.
BUCS Head, for most of these crews, will be akin to the rain clouds parting and the sun appearing. Gone are the long winter days of rowing in fours and emerging is a feeling that can only be found in a boat that discovers its rhythm for the first time. It’s a celebration of newfound commitment and all that those who persevere in your learnings have endured to get to this point.
Sweep Events
In the novice sweep events whoever tends to have the fastest crew in the 8+ doubles their success in the 4+. This was particularly evident at last season’s BUCS Head where Surrey and Queen’s claimed the top spots respectively. Having entered both disciplines again, it’ll be interesting to see if the story is any different this season. It would be absurd to not think of these two crews as the favourites for these events. Having the experience of forming a winning crew in such a short space of time, they have the blueprint for another season of success. If there were to be an outsider, however, it would have to be Imperial College BC who claimed the third spot themselves behind the aforementioned crews. With a pedigree that most novice programs envy, they fought their way to success at Marlow International Regatta in the summer of 2022 and, despite a difficult season last year, Imperial will be looking to compete for medals this weekend. The University of York BC are another club that have a reputation at this point for being at the sharp end of the novice scene. Making the A-final at BUCS Regatta last season with Surrey and Queen’s before winning at Marlow themselves, York are making a habit of finding the silverware year on year.
Sculling Events
There’s only one sculling event for beginners at BUCS Head and that’s the quadruple sculls. As with the sweep events last season, there were two names that recurred as the season progressed, Liverpool University BC and Queen’s University BC. Finishing ahead of the Irish crew, Liverpool took a narrow victory on the Tyne, something that was overturned by 40 seconds by the summer when the crews encountered each other at the BUCS Regatta. On both occasions, Queen’s took silver and this time they’ll want gold. Given that there is an absence of any notable competition, this race should be easier to predict than the sweep event. If there were to be another crew in the mix for a medal it should be Leeds University BC. Though they have no particular history of success, Leeds continue to return and compete to a reasonable level. Building season upon season might be the key if they are to finally grasp a medal this weekend.
Prediction
Like last year, the sweep events will be tight. Surrey could continue their success and claim victory once more but Queen’s will be desperate to stop them and, if anyone is to beat Surrey, it will be them. Third place could go anywhere; there are so many unknowns in novice rowing that it becomes difficult to predict its intricacies. The sculling could see Queen’s take another gold as they’ll be the slight favourites over Liverpool. Rounding off the top three, Leeds will get themselves a BUCS medal.
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