Student crews across the country are heading to the Tyne for the season’s first university showdown. With a lack of racing thus far, this will be the first opportunity for clubs to see how they stack up against one another. There are a range of universities represented in the entries for this event. However, the fight for the win will likely be between the northern high-performance centres.
Newcastle University Boat Club
With a home-water advantage, the Newcastle University Boat Club (NUBC) women will be gearing up to go for the win in this event. This season’s women’s coxless four has already had a win at Rutherford Head- with the next placing crew (Edinburgh) nearly seven seconds behind them. There is no doubt that with the full support of the Blue Star, NUBC will be aiming for an improvement on last year’s second-place finish and are serious contenders in the event.
Durham University Boat Club
Another of the northern high-performance centres, Durham University Boat Club (DUBC), will be vying for more BUCS medals to add to their collection. The Durham women had a phenomenal last season, with their championship coxless four reaching the final of Henley Women’s Regatta. In preparation for this weekend, the DUBC coxless four had a run down the course at Tyne Head. Although they were the fastest in the event, with only one other entry that result doesn’t show us much on its own.
Edinburgh University Boat Club
After winning the championship coxless fours last season, Edinburgh University Boat Club (EUBC) will try to retain their title next weekend. The Edinburgh programme is going from strength to strength, with great performances at BUCS, Henley Women’s Regatta and Henley Royal Regatta last season. However, their gap behind NUBC at Rutherford Head suggests they may be shy of the pace needed to retain their title this weekend.
Predictions
The fight to win championship coxless fours looks to be between local rivals – Newcastle and Durham. Newcastle’s early season speed, as shown at Rutherford Head, paired with the immense support from racing on their home turf, means I would place them as slight favourites.
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