After a full season now almost under their belts, uninterrupted by Covid and mostly left alone by bad weather, these beginners are coming into this regatta on good footing. This category is not only a chance for the rowers to show off how far they have come but also a chance to see which university has nailed their novice programme. A highly competitive category, with 31 entries, it will no doubt give us some exciting and close racing.
Surrey University BC
Worthy of first mention on this list, Surrey topped the table at BUCS Head. This is perhaps surprising to those not in the crew as Surrey has achieved mixed results in the past. This year however, they seem to be on the up, with a strong women’s beginner quad and a podium-topping women’s beginner four at BUCS Head. Such results are indicative of the talent in this crop of novices and the strength of the Surrey programme. They will definitely be the front runners as the crews line up for the time trial.
Queen’s University Belfast BC
Next up is Queen’s; they came 15 seconds behind Surrey at BUCS Head and won the Women’s Beginner Quad with much of the same crew straight from the eight. In terms of evenly matched boats, Surrey and Queen’s are right up there. Coming off the back of an Easter training camp in Spain, the Queen’s crew will have been doing all the prep possible to make sure they can reduce the deficit.
Edinburgh University BC
For whatever reason, the Edinburgh eight in this category at BUCS Head pulled out, meaning we never got to see how they stacked up against the field. It would be a mistake, however, to write them off prematurely. They were the decisive winners in this category last year, so clearly have a development programme that is tried and tested. Beyond that, Edinburgh have cultivated a reputation on the student circuit that means if their name appears on the roster, you’d be foolish to disregard them.
Imperial College London BC
A traditionally successful university, especially in the eight and coxed four, Imperial’s beginner crew came third at BUCS Head by nine seconds. They know what it takes to mix it with the best, but will they be able to climb those last few steps up the podium? As a squad, Imperial certainly have the talent and resources to create very competitive boats and this eight is in no way an exception to that rule. With an extra few months training under their belt I expect this eight to be one to watch.
Prediction
There are a lot of unknowns in a beginner category such as this; often the only thing we can look at is the results from BUCS Head, or tentatively, earlier in the season. It’s also hard to know who has improved and if the crews have stayed together. The other angle to look at this with, however, is how exciting that makes these beginner categories. It’s very easy to shake up the top three with a few months extra training. With that being said, the other crews to watch out for are the fourth placing at BUCS Head crew Durham, the eight from Liverpool and the crew from Leeds.
As I have to make a prediction, I think that first and second will be split between Surrey and Queen’s, with the order too close to call. After that, any of the aforementioned crews are strong enough to get a medal with the rest of the field following close behind.
BUCS Images credit: Drew Smith
Drew Smith Photography
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