The biggest race of the winter season, the Head of the River Race will be run over the Championship Course for the first time since 2019. The 6.8km course from Mortlake to Putney is a true test of all aspects of a crew, fitness, cohesion and technique in all the conditions that the Tideway can present. Crucially in an eight on this stretch, the role of the cox in particular and taking the fastest line can make a significant difference between a good result and a poor result. The Bernard Churcher Trophy is the competition for University crews and this article will be focussed on the big names for the pennant.
This pennant consists of all of the main suspects on the university scene, although it must be noted that for some of these clubs, their first eights will be racing in the open event due to the stringent eligibility rules that apply to this academic event.
Oxford Brookes University BC
This season sees Brookes going through a period of change in the club, following the departure of the majority of the top end of their squad from last year into the national setup at Caversham. This does not mean they are any less of a fearsome name as in years past, a fact demonstrated by the sheer number of boats they are able to field (four race in the academic event alone). They have been doing a lot of racing in eights on the Tideway starting with a strong set of results at Quintin Head where they took the first and second fastest times of the day, even in spite of having time penalties applied. More recently Brookes have been sparring with Oxford and Cambridge on the Tideway in fixtures over the full course, where both crews produced strong results in their pieces against the provisional Blue Boat and reserve line ups. All of this bodes very well for a club who more than know what it takes to win, and they will start as one of the favourites for this pennant.
University of London BC
A club under the new leadership of Antony Smith following the departure of Hugo Gulliver, UL are somewhat of an unknown quantity thus far this season, having not done a huge amount of racing this season. However, as current holders of the Prince Albert Challenge Cup at Henley, and semi-finalists in the Temple, UL are bound to be a strong contender at the front of this field. The only racing they have done in the eight this year was at Hammersmith Head, where they clocked the fastest raw time, before receiving a penalty which dropped them into third spot, with the second eight finishing 14th. UL were one of the clubs caught up in the post-race disqualifications over substitutes, however, their times bode well for their potential speed at the Head. Considering both the local knowledge they have as a result of being a Tideway based club, along with a Head Coach who learnt his trade at St Paul’s, UL will be a name to watch for at the sharp end of this event.
Imperial College London BC
Another Tideway based club, Imperial will be looking to put down a strong marker here. Beaten finalists in the Temple Challenge Cup at Henley, IC have a strong pedigree in boating consistently fast crews. In terms of looking at their form so far this season, they seem to be on a positive upward trend. After an indifferent start at Quintin Head, and a tough set of fixtures against Oxford University, IC came back with a vengeance at BUCS Head. They took bronze and gold in Championship and Intermediate Coxed Fours respectively, and then took silver in Championship Eights in the afternoon division. Again, a club with Tideway knowledge, they should be well placed to produce a decent result once again.
Durham University BC
A club that are on the up under the leadership of Rob Dauncey, Durham are showing speed in the eights that identify themselves as ones to watch for the university pennant. At Tyne New Year Head, they had the measure of Newcastle, and then at BUCS Head, they made a statement with gold in both Championship and Intermediate Eights. This shows both impressive speed and depth of talent within the Durham squad this year, and they will want to back up these results with another strong day on the Tideway, and it must be said they look well placed to do just that.
Edinburgh University BC
Making the long trip from north of the border, Edinburgh will be looking to cement their place as contenders for big things coming into the summer months. Under the experienced hand of Colin Williamson, with Lewis McCue alongside, Edinburgh have shown decent form so far this season and will want to continue this. They took the headship at the rearranged Rutherford Head, and then finished fourth in both Championship and Intermediate Eights at BUCS Head. They were a fair margin off the pace in both events, but silver in both Championship Coxed and Coxless Fours at the same event suggest their fundamental boat moving skills are very good. This should translate well into the bigger boat on the challenging conditions that the Tideway can throw up, particularly as they spend more time in the boat. A big name on the university scene and it will be interesting to see how they go here.
Newcastle University BC
Another name that needs little introduction, Newcastle makes the trip down from the Tyne with a point to prove. With James Rudkin racing in the top Newcastle crew, the crew entered into this event is the club’s second eight this season. In terms of from for this season, a mixture of second eight and non-trialist athletes finished second to Edinburgh at Rutherford Head, and then at BUCS Head they finished seventh in Intermediate Eights behind the Newcastle lightweight eight. This is a crew who are starting to gain speed as they start to come together as a unit, it will be interesting to see how they stack up over the long Tideway course. Newcastle boats are renowned for their physiology as a result of their tough training programme, so they will look to use this to their advantage to produce a good result in this event.
Prediction
The top end of this event should be really close with small margins making big differences, even over such a long course. It is hard to look past Brookes for the pennant though, their know how, combined with the experience they have gained from their racing so far this winter being crucial. Behind them there will be a real dogfight. Imperial and UL will both look to make the most of being on familiar territory, but Durham, Edinburgh and Newcastle all have the potential and desire to produce a strong result. With all that said, my top five for this event is:
- Oxford Brookes University
- Imperial College
- Durham University
- University of London
- Edinburgh University
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