The Intermediate events at BUCS always yield a vast entry from a wide range of clubs. For some of the heavy hitters on the university scene it is an event that showcases the depth of their squad. For others, these events are the focus of their season. With such a small entry into the Championship Pairs event, this intermediate category could have a very competitive top end, however, it could also lead to bigger gaps in terms of the speed of crews.
Durham University Boat Club
With a massive entry of 5 crews in this event, Durham are looking to cement the consensus that they are a club heading back in the right direction after a few relatively lean years from a club with the history that they do. Durham have been having a decent year so far this year in the bigger boats, with wins in both the Championship and Intermediate Eights at BUCS Head. This was backed up with a decent set of results at Head of the River as well, so Durham clearly have the depth to produce quick crews across the squad. It will be interesting to see how these results translate across the smaller boat which requires much more boat feel and technical precision, but Durham will be looking for as many of these boats in the fight for the medals as possible.
Edinburgh University Boat Club
Edinburgh have two pairs entered for the intermediate event this year, and both will bring the trademark technical precision that Edinburgh crews bring to their racing. In terms of trying to make an assessment on their form, the first of these boats is under the name of Henry Pooley who won this particular event last year, so knows the standard needed to compete at this level. Whilst it is hard to find any information on the second pair, a club with the pedigree of Edinburgh will no doubt be fast and looking to get into the fight at the front of this field.
Newcastle University Boat Club
Newcastle brings two crews to this event, with both being drawn from the second eight. This is a crew that has had its struggles initially this season but has been finding its feet since the Head of the River at the end of March. Given the emphasis that Newcastle put into maximising the performance of their bigger boats, the very top end of this event may be just out of reach for both of these crews, but the familiarity that comes from all working in the same crew, combined with the strength of the programme at Newcastle, both of these pairs ought to be competitive.
Bristol University Boat Club
A club making their first appearance at a BUCS Regatta since 2019 after being forced to miss last year’s event after an outbreak of COVID, Bristol also brings two pairs to this event. They come under the names of the Davies twins, who were both part of a breakthrough Coxed Four last year for Bristol that made it to the semi finals at Henley. With experience in pairs at trials under their belts, and the rapid development of the programme at Bristol, both crews will be looking to keep that momentum building with a strong performance.
Nottingham University Boat Club
Racing on their home water, Nottingham are one of the top university programmes outside of British Rowing’s High Performance Programme Network. This crew is under the name of George Wright, who was part of Nottingham’s Championship Eight and Four from BUCS Head, where both boats produced credible results in what were two tough fields. Given their familiarity with the lake and with home support, this boat will want to at least make the A final and ruffle some of the feathers of the crews already discussed.
Predictions
As is often the case in small boat events at BUCS, it is quite hard to know exactly how crews will perform as their focus will likely have been elsewhere. The fact that this event is also on the final day of the regatta means that fitness also plays a big part of how well a crew can perform, even in a boat class such as the pair. In terms of trying to predict a winner, I would choose Henry Pooley’s Edinburgh pair to take the top spot, with two Durham’s pairs featuring on the rest of the podium. However, this is based on not a great deal of form so this is likely to be proven wrong.
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