For many a university rower, BUCS Regatta marks the pinnacle event in their season, and this year will be no exception. Ever an exciting and perhaps unpredictable category is the women’s championship lightweight double, and the sixteen total entries supplied this year demonstrate that the best of the best in women’s university lightweight rowing are all taking to the stage for what will undoubtedly be some nail-biting side-by-side racing.
University of Cambridge
While Cambridge offer three entries – the most entries by any one university in this category – the one pairing that stands the highest chance of taking the gold is that of Tokyo Olympian and recent Women’s Boat Race winner, Imogen Grant, and former Harvard Lightweight-turned CUBC Lightweight Boat Race winner, Brigid Kennedy. At this point in the season, Grant and Kennedy need no introduction as individuals, with Grant standing as the favourite for GB Women’s Lightweight selection once again this season. I have no doubt that this decision for Grant and Kennedy to double up at BUCS will allow their unrivalled sculling calibre to shine through once more. With other Lightweight Boat Race winners also found in the other two Cambridge boats racing here, the podium could well be awash with light blue, though it is likely that their competitors from further afield may have something to say about that.
University of Surrey
With two entries, the University of Surrey lightweight women’s squad is certainly continuing its upward trajectory on the university scene this season. Having collected silver in this very event back in 2021, the stellar Surrey siblings Sacha and Leonie Kennedy are back again for another stab at the gold. Sacha also picked up a win in the Academic Women’s Lightweight Singles at Henley Women’s Regatta last year, so this pairing is certainly one to watch and will be the most likely to give Cambridge’s Grant and Kennedy a real race to the line. Whether their performance will be enough to steal the top spot remains uncertain. However, regardless of the colour, I would be surprised not to see them achieve a medal this year.
University of Reading
Given the highly successful existing reputation of the women’s lightweight programme at Reading, it may be surprising to some to see only one entry supplied here in the double. Nevertheless, Lauren Maddison, who constitutes half of this double alongside decorated teammate Lara Brittain, is a force to be reckoned with, having achieved second fastest U23 women’s lightweight sculler at the final instalment of GB Trials in Caversham this month. Moreover, a win for both athletes in the Women’s Lightweight Quad at BUCS Head back in February will undoubtedly give this crew a confidence boost as they take to the water alongside some familiar rivals in Surrey and Queen’s Belfast. I have no doubt that this Maddison-Brittain combination will render the medal contest all the more interesting, and they are certainly favourites for a podium finish.
Prediction
Based on the aforementioned national, international, and Olympic track records of Imogen Grant and her partner Brigid Kennedy, it would be difficult not to uphold that this Cambridge double will take gold on the day. That said, I imagine the rest of the pack will not go down without a fight, particularly the Reading and Surrey boats highlighted above, who will likely make strong cases for the remaining two places on the podium. With entries also from strong crews hailing from Bath, De Montfort, Durham, Edinburgh, Exeter, Newcastle, Queen’s Belfast, and Oxford, the competition for silver and bronze could well be blown wide open on the day in this populous category.
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