With Sunday’s racing cancelled, all eyes will be on Saturday as we head back to the Tyne for another year of the British Universities and Colleges Sport 4&8s Head. The 5,000m course will provide excellent race experience, in potentially challenging conditions, for the Women’s Eights Head of the River Race in two weeks.
University of Edinburgh
This time last year, the University of Edinburgh second crew claimed the win in this category, with their third eight also placing sixth. Since then, they also had a very strong summer of racing, with their ‘B’ boat making it to the semifinal of The Island Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta 2024, the furthest of all the ‘B’ boats. This season, at Rutherford Head 2024, they finished fourth in the women’s eight category, placing them second out of the second eights, just behind Newcastle University. This weekend will provide a chance to regain the top spot with what is expected to be some very tight racing.
Durham University
Durham University placed second in this event last year, just missing out on the win. This was followed by a very successful Henley Royal Regatta 2024 campaign, with their second eight qualifying into The Island Challenge Cup, but unfortunately being knocked out in the first round. The Durham women’s eights also didn’t race at Rutherford Head before Christmas, so their current standings in this year’s cohort of Northern Universities is yet to be seen. Saturday’s racing will be crucial for them to prove their speed within this group ahead of the Women’s Eights Head of the River.
Newcastle University
Another contender for the win this weekend is Newcastle University. Last year, they finished third, seventh, and eighth, highlighting the impressive depth of their squad. However, this didn’t carry through into Henley Royal Regatta, with their ‘B’ failing to qualify for The Island Challenge Cup, placing as the second-fastest non-qualifier. More recently, at Rutherford Head 2024, they finished third in the women’s eights category, placing them first out of the second eights, and putting them into a very confident position heading into the race on Saturday.
University of Glasgow
The first of the top-ranked eights in this category, the University of Glasgow finished fourth in this event last year and continued to keep pace with the previously mentioned crews. This resulted in placing as the fifth fastest non-qualifier in The Island Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta last year. This trend continued into this season, and at Rutherford Head, they finished fifth in the women’s eights, which translated to third out of their competition in this event. They remain a very strong crew to watch out for this weekend and will be looking to further cement their place at the top of the pack.
University of Bristol
The first non-Northern university getting a mention in this event is the University of Bristol. They didn’t attend this event in 2024 but did have a very successful season, making it through to the second round of racing in The Island Challenge Cup at HRR. This, it must be said, is further than other previously mentioned crews managed in the same event, therefore placing Bristol at the top of my underdog watch list this weekend.
Notable Mentions
Some notable mentions for this event are Queens University Belfast who always travel across for this event and placed ninth last year, and the University of St. Andrews who round off the top ten. Also missing from this event is the University of Exeter who placed fifth in 2024, suggesting we will have to wait until the Women’s Eights Head of the River to truly see how each of these university crews are shaping up as we head into the summer season.
Prediction
Based on both last season and more recent events, I think the fight for the top spot will ultimately come down to the University of Edinburgh and Newcastle University.
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