BUCS Regatta 2024 – Saturday Review

BUCS Regatta began today with a bang, with sixteen events running in their entirety. Highlights of the day include a barnstormer in the women’s beginner eight, a photo finish in women’s championship pairs and complete domination by Oxford Brookes in both men’s eights events.

Open Championship Lightweight Single

JRN Prediction: Queen’s Belfast, Nottingham, Bath

Actual Result: Queen’s Belfast, Nottingham, Bath

The first event of the day was a comfortable victory for Ciaran Purdy of Queen’s University Belfast, who comfortably lead from start to finish in the final. With only three entries into the championship field, they raced alongside the intermediates, but the quality of Lucas Salmon and Jack Norton kept it as a one-two-three for the Championship athletes.

Open Intermediate Lightweight Single

JRN Prediction: None

Actual Result: St Andrews, Nottingham Trent, Aberdeen

With the three championship entrants taking spots in the A-Final, the medallists were decided entirely based on the time trial. Less than two seconds separated third and fourth in the time trial but they were unable to battle it out side-by-side with Campbell Wheeler profiting as he won bronze for the furthest-travelling program. At the front of the field was Aidan Graham of St Andrews, who challenged the top championship athletes across the event, with Jerry Owen of Nottingham Trent split between the two Scots.

Women’s Beginner Single

JRN Prediction: None

Actual Result: Edinburgh A, Nottingham, Edinburgh D

It looks to be another year where the University of Edinburgh will dominate the women’s beginner rowing scene. There were four baby-blue athletes in the A-Final in this event and it was Katie Robertson who came off best of all, winning a tight battle against Nottingham’s Ella Weeks. Edinburgh’s Mille Drury won bronze ahead of Louise Brooks of Leeds.

Women’s Intermediate Pair

JRN Prediction: None

Actual Result: Newcastle, Durham, Edinburgh

This one was a tight battle between local rivals Newcastle and Durham. Despite their issues with steering, the Blue Star combination of Saskia Ward and Scarlette Rijkse came out on top of their neighbours. In third place was another northern crew as Edinburgh squeezed out Cambridge for the bronze medal in a tightly fought field.

Women’s Championship Pair

JRN Prediction: Durham A, Cambridge, Durham B

Actual Result: Durham B, Imperial, Cambridge

It was a close battle all day between Imperial and Durham, but a late sprint allowed Durham to win it on the surge by less than one tenth of a second. Durham, having made it through the repechage, got the better of Imperial and Cambridge who had engaged them in a tight tussle from the top of the course. The Blue Boat athletes settled for third, around a length down as they crossed the line.

Open Intermediate Single

JRN Prediction: Queen’s B, Reading A, Queen’s A

Actual Result: Reading C, Nottingham, Oxford Brookes

This was not one to be easily predicted, as both of our picks for the top two would miss out on the A-Final. Instead, of the 84 scullers who raced in the time trial, it was Ryne Robson of Reading University who claimed an early lead and then managed it down the length of the course. A late surge into the medals from Teddy Sherman of Oxford Brookes almost gained him silver but Dylan Jones of Nottingham pulled out the margin on home water.

Open Championship Single

JRN Prediction: Reading A, Reading B, Edinburgh

Actual Result: Reading A, Reading B, Hartpury

Matt Long has continued his remarkable run in the single so far this season as the trials winner from Reading University added the championship single to his growing repertoire, claiming victory by several lengths against a stacked field. Josh Matthews of Edinburgh was the fastest in the repechage but would have to settle for fourth behind Josh Lyon, who won his second silver in this event in as many years, and Elliot Donovan-Davies, the sixth-former from Hartpury College, who pushed the Edinburgh athlete down to the pecking order in the final sprint.

Women’s Beginner Eight

JRN Prediction: Queen’s Belfast

Actual Result: Surrey, Durham, Queen’s Belfast

Down the course, it was a tight battle between Queen’s Belfast, Durham and Surrey as they traded positions at all of the intermediate markers but, in the final sprint, it was Surrey who won by four seats over Durham who in turn had a four-seat advantage over Queen’s. These three programs have elevated themselves in recent years as some of the best places in the country to learn to row and to produce such close racing in the big boats is massively impressive for all three.

Women’s Championship Lightweight Double

JRN Prediction: Surrey, Cambridge, Queen’s Belfast

Actual Result: Birmingham, Queen’s Belfast, Surrey

A comfortable victory here for Birmingham in a final with a largely spread field containing little drama. Queen’s Belfast were confident in their second place, with Surrey rounding out the podium, forcing home favourites Nottingham into fourth. 

Open Championship Lightweight Coxless Four

JRN Prediction: Newcastle, Surrey, Oxford

Actual Result: Newcastle, Surrey, Oxford

In this four-boat field, Surrey and Newcastle made this a race between the two of them. Split by four lanes on the water, it would be just over a length as they crossed the line with Newcastle claiming gold. The Surrey crew, however, was drawn back into a race for silver. They would win this battle, around half a length ahead of the dark blues of Oxford who put up a strong sprint in the closing stages

Open Beginner Coxed Four

JRN Prediction: None

Actual Result: Surrey, Edinburgh, Queen’s Belfast

Surrey’s strength in the beginner crews carried over to the men here as they boated two crews in the A-Final of this category. Their first crew out-muscled the opposition to win gold with open water ahead of Edinburgh. The more exciting race was for bronze as Queen’s Belfast emerged through Cambridge and Glasgow for the medal in the second half of the race.

Open Beginner Quad

JRN Prediction: None

Actual Result: Queen’s Belfast, Exeter, Strathclyde

Meanwhile on the sculling side, it was Queen’s Belfast who were the class of the beginner field, taking the victory by two lengths over an Exeter crew who were also mightily impressive. In the bronze medal position, well back on the top two crews, was Strathclyde ahead of the Nottingham Trent B crew. The field was rounded out by some additional crews from Queen’s and Nottingham Trent.

Women’s Intermediate Quad

JRN Prediction: Bath, Queen’s Belfast, Birmingham

Actual Result: Newcastle, Durham, Reading

This event was another battle of the northeast, with Newcastle overcoming Durham in the final by 2.7 seconds over the line. This Newcastle crew did not have a brilliant time trial as they finished behind their own B’ ‘crew, but saved enough in the tank to come from lane two to clinch the gold. The north-eastern battle drew them away from the rest of the field as the Reading crew claimed bronze, almost ten seconds back on Durham, around a length ahead of De Montfort who will be massively proud of their performance, finishing ahead of the Newcastle and Durham crew respectively. 

Women’s Championship Quad

JRN Prediction: Cambridge, Reading, Newcastle

Actual Result: Newcastle, Reading, Durham

It was a great day for Newcastle in the quads as they would double up to win gold in the premier division too. This was an impressive showing as they led from post to post in the final after winning the time trial, avoiding a repechage. In second was Reading University, the winners of that repechage, who kept Newcastle honest but never looked particularly likely to overhaul their advantage. In bronze, Durham pushed past Edinburgh in the final sprint, with Bath and Nottingham rounding out a tight field.

Open Intermediate Eight

JRN Prediction: Oxford Brookes A, Cambridge, Newcastle

Actual Result: Oxford Brookes B, Oxford Brookes A, Oxford Brookes C

An upset in the men’s eights! However, this provides no solace to the remainder of men’s university rowing. There will be changes in seats for the Oxford Brookes camp but they displayed that they are near enough unbeatable in men’s eights as crews ranked third, fourth and fifth in their table beat second and first crews from around the country. The Newcastle second eight was the next-best in fourth ahead of Durham and the University of London. In the B-Final it was Edinburgh’s second eight ahead of the sixth boat in the Brookes stable. In tenth overall, the University of Glasgow was the fastest first eight in the category.

Open Championship Eight

JRN Prediction: Oxford Brookes A, Oxford Brookes B, London

Actual Result: Oxford Brookes A, Oxford Brookes B, Durham

It was more of the same in championship eights; Wallingford seems unstoppable right now as Oxford Brookes were runaway victors in Nottingham with their two eights head and shoulders above the rest, achieving a one-two finish for the first time in three years. For the second year in succession, the other medallist in this event was Durham as they won bronze, a length ahead of the University of London. Durham recovered from a poorer showing at the Head of the River to peak for BUCS Regatta and come third here. In fifth place was Edinburgh, who were lucky to make the final, only beating Bristol in their repechage by a couple of feet. Rounding out the field in the A-Final was Newcastle who will be disappointed with that showing after such a promising winter. In addition to Bristol, Imperial College and Nottingham missed out on the A-Final; they will be looking to build speed in the coming weeks in the hope of a better Henley Royal Regatta campaign.

Provisional Victor Ludorum Standings (after Saturday’s Racing)

***Provisional and based off JRN data***

Women’s Events

1. Durham, 166
2. Edinburgh, 111
3. Reading, 80

Open Events

1. Oxford Brookes, 160
2. Newcastle, 144
3. Durham, 128

Overall

1. Durham, 294
2. Edinburgh, 199
3. Oxford Brookes, 160

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