The women’s championship coxless fours at BUCS Regatta promises to be an exhilarating showcase of top university women’s rowing talent in the UK. With a significant increase in entries compared to last year, competition is expected to be fierce, especially with the Town Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta open for the taking later in the season.
University of London Boat Club
After their win last year, by a massive 14-second margin, the University of London Boat Club (ULBC) is returning to race championship coxless fours with two entries at this year’s regatta. Their ‘A’ boat is composed of athletes from their fourth place Women’s Eights Head of the River crew. This makes for an incredibly strong crew with the likes of Jessica Martin, the fastest British U23 bowsider, and Anna Scott, Yale rowing alumna and US U23, in the line-up. They are joined by BUCS championship eight silver medallists, Selena Jones and Iona Dixon. This year’s competition will present more of a challenge than last year however, the ULBC women have consistently shown up to BUCS regatta ready for phenomenal racing.
Oxford Brookes University Boat Club
At last year’s regatta, the Oxford Brookes University Boat Club (OBUBC) coaching team prioritised returning to training over racing any events on BUCS Monday, meaning that the OBUBC women did not race this event in 2023. However, with three strong entries, this year appears to be a different story. With 100% substitutions permitted, it is hard to say what the exact line-ups of each crew will look like. But, with Henley Women’s Regatta and Henley Royal Regatta champions throughout the entry lists, there is no doubt that these crews will have their eyes on dethroning the University of London Boat Club as champions in this event.
Cambridge University Boat Club
The women of Cambridge University Boat Club have already made clear their intention to regain their title as women’s Victor Ludorum trophy holders, so will have their sights set on those coveted BUCS points. Monday will be the culmination of a big weekend of racing for England rowing team captain, Gemma King, who is racing six championship events throughout the regatta, doubling up on each day. This means accumulated fatigue may be a concern with this event being at the tail end of the regatta, however their extensive Boat Race training will likely negate this.
Oxford University Boat Club
Perhaps hoping to get one over on the light blues, the Oxford University Boat Club are also set to race this event. The line-up looks to feature double Wargrave Challenge Cup champion Annie Sharp along with former Ivy League athletes Annie Anezakis and Tessa Haining. Following their loss at this year’s Boat Race, there is no doubt this crew will be hungry for a good result.
Imperial College Boat Club
In this boat class, the Imperial College London squad claimed a win at last season’s Henley Women’s Regatta. Half of this winning crew, Loren Boles and Orla Johnson, are set to race again this weekend. They are joined by the exceptional Elizabeth Witt, who also won at Henley Women’s Regatta last season and made it to the final of Henley Royal Regatta in the Hambleden Pairs Challenge Cup. Their experience and track record put them in a good position to be in the mix for a medal.
Newcastle University Boat Club
Following the Blue Star’s recent success at British Rowing trials, the Newcastle University Boat Club (NUBC) women are another entry in this event stacked with under-23 talent. This line-up looks set to feature Holly Youd and Harriet Taylor who came away from Final Trials in the third and sixth-placed U23 pairs respectively. In this event last year, NUBC came away in fifth place- so it will be exciting to see if they can step up from last year’s performance.
Predictions
Overall, this event is set to have some of the tightest racing of the regatta, with all podium positions highly contested. The Oxford Brookes University Boat Club women spending another day racing instead of training is a strong sign they have their sights set on winning this championship title. Additionally, the fact they have entered three strong crews into this event could suggest they have intentions of clinching more than one medal. The rest of the field is incredibly strong, but I expect the University of London Boat Club and Cambridge University Boat Club to battle it out down the two-kilometre course for silver and bronze.
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