Two kilometres, side by side racing, time trials and finals; summer is here. The weather may not be showing that at the minute but as we all learned last year, sun cream is still needed. So far this season, the intermediate lightweight quad category hasn’t experienced the same level of precedent compared to others, meaning this race will set the record spinning heading into the summer season.
Queen’s University Belfast Boat Club
Queen’s University Belfast placed second at BUCS Head earlier this year, putting them at the top of the pack in this particular line up and undoubtedly hungry to turn the silver medal into a gold. Queen’s has also shown their promise in the lightweight field overall with a second place in the championship lightweight coxless four at BUCS Head. Therefore, with changes possible, this crew and squad as a whole has the experience and potential to medal again.
Surrey University Boat Club
Last year at BUCS Regatta, Surrey placed second in this event. In 2024 at BUCS Head, they finished third. However, they were nearly 30 seconds off of Queen’s in second and will now be looking to close the gap over the shorter distance. Similarly to Queen’s, Surrey had a championship lightweight coxless four place first at BUCS Head, showing the depth of the squad.
Nottingham University Boat Club
Similarly, at BUCS Regatta last year, Nottingham finished third, rounding out the medal table. This season, they placed fourth at BUCS Head with less than ten seconds separating them from third, suggesting there will be a close fight between the two crews. Like the two previously-mentioned crews, Nottingham also had a championship lightweight coxless four that finished third at BUCS Head, reaffirming the strong cohort they possess.
Cambridge University Boat Club
Cambridge finished fifth at BUCS Regatta last year and will as a result no doubt be looking to push forward in the fight for a place on the medal table. This crew also has the possibility of containing athletes from the Lightweight Boat Race crews who will have made a transition from sweep to sculling in a short space of time.
Predictions
The medal table will likely contain Queen’s, Surrey and Nottingham, with the order still very much undecided. However, Cambridge will be putting up a fight for one of those top spots, with the unknown other contenders of Glasgow and Swansea joining the fight, and ultimately vying for a place on the medal table ahead of the summer season.
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