BUCS often throws up some rogue results. It’s an opportunity for trials validation or redemption depending how some athletes got on a couple of weeks ago. It also presents the opportunity for some lesser-known names leave an impression on high calibre field. At last year’s event, Oxford University’s Martin Barasko and Augustin Wambersie painted Nottingham dark blue as they stormed to victory. This year, the Men’s Championship Pair field is slimmed down with just five crews racing at the National Watersports Centre.
Four of this year’s field, Imperial, Durham, Edinburgh and Cambridge were finalists last year. IC will look to improve on their silver and Edinburgh hoping to leapfrog from bronze to gold.
Edinburgh’s James Doran returns for another crack at this event. It’s likely he’ll be paired up with Matthew Morgan. The two of them won the D Final of Final Trials. They’ll be hard pushed all the way by Durham who kept switching bowballs with Edinburgh all the way down the course at Caversham until they ultimately placed just under a second behind the Scots.
It’s always good to welcome the Oxbridge crews and this year Cambridge are entering en masse. They’ve entering the vast majority of events so they’ll be serious VL contenders. This pair on the other hand, doesn’t feature athletes from the Blue Boat or Goldie so it’s perhaps stars of the future. They will be hard pushed to get gold or silver.
Wrapping up this field are Newcastle and Imperial. Never ones to miss a champ event. I expect these two crews to be in the hunt for a bronze medal
My predictions – Edinburgh, Durham, IC
BUCS Images credit: Drew Smith
Drew Smith Photography
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