Ask any rower what the highlight of the racing season is and the answer is likely to vary. Some may say, Henley Royal, Henley Women’s, or even Head of the River. Whilst all these races are impressive events in and of themselves, only one event truly showcases the singular strength of British university rowing.
That is, of course, BUCS Regatta.
The pinnacle of the season for some, and a useful bellwether for others, BUCS Regatta is the national championship for any university or college in the sport of rowing in Britain. This is what all those hard winter miles were for, all those early mornings, when one feels lungs burning and legs beginning to buckle and someone knows they have more to give.
Next to the eights, the Men’s Championship Coxed Four is one of the most entertaining events, given its small entry size and the quality of its field. Given that the difference between a medal and fourth place was 0.8 of a second last year, it should be a very close battle.
Imperial College BC
Imperial has slowly but surely moved back to the quality of rowing that saw them win the Men’s Victor Ludorum in 2014. With a good showing at HORR, with the first eight finishing 19th and the second eight 50th, one wonders whether the Black, Blue and Silver have it within them to put together not just another solid BUCS, but a BUCS where they can break back in the top half of university rowing clubs again.
Arguably the personification of these marginal gains has been the performance of the Men’s Championship Coxed Four which has moved from sixth in 2021, to fourth in 2022, where they were on the wrong side of a battle for a bronze medal with Edinburgh. Imperial won the event at BUCS Head in November, beating out nearest rivals Bristol by nearly twenty seconds, no small feat considering the gains in quality that Bristol has made over the past few years. Head racing and side-by-side are obviously completely different kettles of fish but this demonstrates Imperial’s natural speed and stamina. IC should be in the mix for medals, and I would think that all things being well, this should be the year where they finally crack the top three at BUCS. One to watch for sure.
Edinburgh University BC
The Baby Blue Army has been in imperious form for the past two years. A first VL for the men at BUCS 2022 was followed by a good summer of racing at HRR and GB vests for Cameron Kemp and Dale Flockhart. This season has seen some solid performances at BUCS Head, where the men finished fifth overall in the Mens VL, and HORR where Edinburgh cracked the top twenty yet again, finishing 16th.
Medals don’t just give themselves based on name recognition, however, and Edinburgh will know that to separate themselves in this small field, they will have to drive themselves hard. Having snagged a bronze medal from Imperial last time around, Edinburgh’s current crew is a mixture of GB trialists and old dependables, with Oliver Holmes (world record holder on the RP3) joining up with fellow trialist Andrew Stoker with Harry Guy at a stroke and GB Junior World representative Henry Pooley bringing up the rear at the bow.
With Edinburgh crews of the past having a history of starting badly and as a result giving more work than necessary, power and speed of the start are essential if this crew is to not only medal but win. The watts are there, the quality is there, and all we need now is a result. If they can pull it off, Edinburgh should medal.
Oxford Brookes University BC
The ominous cloud that hangs over any competitor in a championship rowing event, Oxford Brookes has developed a well-deserved reputation as being a medal factory. Year after year, Brookes recruit man mountains seemingly at will, and year after year they perform. A course record by the first eight at HORR that had stood for over three decades, followed by superb performances by the other Brookes boats, with three in the top four and six boats in the top twenty, meant by far the most successful HORR performance in OBUBC history.
Putting aside the depth of talent that Brookes have at their disposal, its clear that their path to the Men’s Championship Coxed Four will be no cake walk. The gap in quality between the top university crews is arguably smaller than it is has ever been, as despite their brilliance, Brookes will be all too aware that the spectres of Edinburgh, Imperial UL and others are snapping at their heels, ready to pounce should the Maroon machine falter.
Given previous experience, I would comfortably stake a great deal on Brookes winning a medal is this event, short of the sky falling inwards. In terms of them winning gold, there will certainly be a strong fight from the rest of the field, and although it’s not a foregone conclusion, one would expect Brookes to win gold.
Durham University BC
There was a time, not too long ago, when Durham were as dominant in British domestic rowing as Oxford Brookes are now. From 2004-2013 (before the introduction of the seperate Men’s and Women’s VL), Durham won every single VL at BUCS Regatta. After a period of dominance as acute and astounding as this, it was perhaps inevitable that Durham would struggle to achieve these lofty heights again.
The current crop of men who row in Paltinate purple might just be able to.
A dominant performance at BUCS Head saw the club collect the Women’s, Men’s and Overall VL for the first time in 11 years was followed by a typically strong HORR performance, with two eights in the top twenty, with the third eight just missing out. Despite their dominance, Durham will be haunted by the last year’s boat, who eventually finished seventh, despite finishing second in the time trial. Durham have all the tools to make a legitimate bid for a medal of any colour, and given the season they’ve had, one would suspect it would either be silver or gold.
University of London BC
University of London BC, referred to more generally as UL, have enjoyed a solid season thus far. Sucess at the top end for GB trialists including solid results for Tom Cross in the pair with Durham’s Levin Graf (sixth in the C final) and Joe Middleton (fifth in the D final and the eighth ranked U23). An eighth place finish by the first eight at HORR (all three UL crews ranked inside the top 40) gave a solid end to the head season and UL will now look to build into a summer racing season of which BUCS regatta will be a starting point. A silver medal in last year’s events, during which they came within two seconds of dethroning Oxford Brookes will give UL hope that they can do the same again this year. UL tends to peak later in the year, so it will be interesting to see if the current crop can win back some BUCS glory that shows signs that it is returning to the purple fortress.
Prediction
Oxford Brookes should at the very least win a silver if not a gold, and based on the strength of this season alone one would suspect the latter. In terms of the other medals, Durham and Edinburgh seem the most likely candidates to take silver and bronze provided Brookes do not slip up. Imperial and UL may be dark horses for a medal as well, and given Imperial’s record in the four this season, one would think they have a more than even chance at a medal. UL have always been fairly consistent in the coxless four at BUCS, and with the right crew and circumstances, they could be in with a chance of a medal here as well.
We shall wait and see.
BUCS Images credit: Drew Smith
Drew Smith Photography
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