After the organising committee suggested it was likely there would not be sufficient entries to run this category, it’s exciting to see the senior academic quads receive as many entries as the senior academic fours. With the cancellation of Scullers Head, the Fours Head of the River Race will be the first race of the season on the championship course and the first opportunity for universities to make their mark at the start of the season.
Durham University Boat Club
First off in the senior academic quads is Durham University Boat Club. Durham has shown a strong position in university sculling over the past year, placing third in both the BUCS Head and BUCS Regatta championship quads. However, none of this medal-winning crew will be appearing in the crew this weekend. Durham showed their depth in sculling with two crews present in the A-final of the intermediate quad at BUCS Regatta, one of which won a silver medal. Locally, Durham won the quads category at Tyne United Small Boats Head, although with a time slower than their clubmates in the coxed four, it seems they will need to have found more speed over the past month to be competitive on the Tideway.
Reading University Boat Club
With one crew entering the championship quad category, these crews will likely be Reading University Boat Club’s second, third, and fourth crews. Regardless, Reading looks set to top this category. Three of their top crew recently competed at GB Trials, where Zara Povey was the fastest U23 sculler, Izzy Lancaster was seventh, and Shannon Whelehan was 23rd. These three athletes featured in Reading’s entry to The Princess Grace Challenge Cup, which made them the only UK university crew to qualify for the event. They also won a silver medal at BUCS Regatta in the championship quads. With solid performances in crew boats and individually at GB Trials, Reading will be looking to win this event.
Nottingham University Boat Club
The last time Fours Head ran in 2022, Nottingham University Boat Club placed second and third in the academic quads, showing an impressive depth in their squad. With three crews entering this year, Nottingham again displays its strength in sculling. At BUCS Head last year, Nottingham placed fourth in the championship quads. Featured in this year’s crew is Katie Kearsey, who has previously competed for England at The Home International Regatta 2023 in the coxless four and eight, winning a gold and silver medal, respectively. This highlights her strength as an athlete, but how this transfers to sculling remains to be seen. After their success at Fours Head 2022, Nottingham will look to repeat this.
Queen’s University Belfast Ladies Boat Club
Despite often travelling over during regatta season, it is rarer for Queen’s University Belfast Ladies Boat Club to make the trip to compete at Fours Head. Their quad performed well last season, making the Semifinal of The Chairman’s Trophy at Henley Women’s Regatta and placing sixth at The Metropolitan Regatta. This season, Queen’s were the fastest quad at Lagan Autumn Head. Despite being an event with a small entry, this indicates they have made good progress early in the season. After a good season in the quad last year, Queens have shown to be very competitive in this boat class.
Predictions
Despite likely being a second crew or perhaps a top crew of academic eligible athletes, I expect Reading University Boat Club to take the win. Their success in the quad last season and the strength of individual athletes demonstrated at GB trials sets them up well to win, and I expect by a large margin. I expect to see Queen’s University Belfast and Nottingham University following them.
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