The return of BUCS Regatta marks the beginning of the most exciting time of year, when the cold, hard winter slog is behind us and we can enjoy warmer weather and (arguably) a more enjoyable type of training and racing.
Although the Men’s Intermediate Single does not represent the highest tier of the boat class, it is still a breeding ground for talent and those who perform well in this event have every chance of proceeding to championship level in subsequent years.
With so many entries, this preview cannot cover all of them. There will no doubt, be a few diamonds in the rough that go unmentioned but that is the beauty of the intermediate level events, where athletes from lesser-known clubs can rise to compete at the sharp end.
Felix Rummel (Manchester University BC)
The singular sculler from Manchester University BC, Felix Rummel, is a veteran of this event, having competed in it for the last couple of years, most recently placing fifth in the A Final in 2022. He will presumably be coming towards the end of his time as a student soon and as such will be hungry to win some silverware which has so far evaded him in the Men’s Intermediate Single.
Jacob Parrington (Reading University BC)
One of six scullers entered from Reading University BC, Jacob Parrington seems to be the pick of them, having been part of the unit that took silver in the Men’s Intermediate Quad last year. The club as a whole has performed very strongly so far this season, particularly at Fours Head and BUCS Head, and they’ll be looking to dominate this event. However, last year they failed to get a single sculler into the A final, so that will be the first challenge to overcome this time around.
Orlando Morley & Thomas Marsh (Cambridge University BC)
These two athletes were both part of the victorious Goldie crew from 2023, and it’s fascinating to see them competing at BUCS in singles. Morley and Marsh will have spent little time in their singles over the course of the season, so whatever training they have put together since the Boat Race will be incredibly valuable to narrow the gap to those who have been sculling throughout the year.
Fergus Bryce & James McDaid (Queen’s University, Belfast BC)
If last year’s results are anything to go by, when Queen’s athletes took both gold and silver in this event, then the next crop of scullers coming through the ranks can be counted on to compete at the highest level. The top athletes from Queen’s did not travel to BUCS Head this year, so they are untested against the clubs from this side of the Irish Sea, but on reputation alone, I expect the likes of Bryce and McDaid to be right up there.
Prediction
This is but a sample of those that will compete for the Men’s Intermediate Single this weekend. I’m going out on a limb and will put my money on Fergus Bryce from Queen’s to take gold, with Rummel from Manchester and Parrington from Reading behind.
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