At this time of year, the coxed four is seldom a focus for many programmes. With club sweep athletes with their focus firmly set on the Head of the River and Schools’ Head having dumped the category, this category at the Head of the Trent has a wide range of entries from across the region.
Bedford Modern School BC
Bedford Modern School has the only coxed four in this division given the Band 1 designation, indicating the crew probably has more rowing successes under their belt than the other crews. The established school programme has had more recent success on the girls side, but the men are certainly putting up a good showing. Top 20 finishes at National Schools’ in both the eight and the J16 eight and had two male athletes at Early IDs in the autumn.
In the crew boats this season they have been largely middle of the pack, finishing 13th at Fours Head and a share of tenth in the eights at Bedford Fours and Eights Head. They seem overall to have more success with just the four male athletes – having raced only two pairs at Hampton Head – and will hoping to continue that here.
Peterborough City RC
A World Class Start Centre, Peterborough City RC’s crew could come from any of a number of squads that train out of their boat house. It could be the Start squad or perhaps their talented juniors. But my best guess is that this will be the same senior crew as at their home race Head of the Nene, that comfortably won the event. They have also performed well at the Ely Head Race as the only coxless four entered into the event. They will want to make the most of this good run of form and be towards the top of their category on Sunday.
Leeds RC
In contrast to many of the other boats in the event, much of Leeds RC’s racing has been in the North of England making trips to many of the events hosted in Newcastle on the Tyne. The 16th placed coxed four at Rutherford in December turned to second in the smaller field at February’s Tyne Head on the same stretch which, in a much narrower field, won them the Band 2 event. They will be looking to repeat that performance on their first trip south of Waterloo Lake.
Oundle School BC
Oundle School is typically better known for their competitive mathematics than their competitive rowing but will boat both a quadruple scull and a coxed four with their men’s squad on the Trent this Sunday. They are an unknown quality long term having not entered any crews into National Schools’ Regatta last summer. Nor have they had much well-matched competition through this head season. Dominant winners at the Ely Head Race in the four but were well off the pace at Newark Head and the Peterborough Head of the Nene in the Eight and Four respectively. They will hope they can replicate the former results rather than the latter on Sunday.
Leeds University BC
Only one week off the back of BUCS Head, the Leeds University BC will want to make a splash against a more local competition. With a female-dominated entry there it is unclear who will make up the entry of this boat, as they had no men’s coxed fours racing on the Tyne in Championship, Intermediate or Beginner. The results in Newcastle were mixed with the one Intermediate men’s entry finishing 18th of 26 entries in the quad, but with four sweep events entered on the Trent, this may be an entirely different entry, adding additional uncertainty to the potential outcomes for this crew.
Predictions
As the only band one entry, at least the CRI system thinks that Bedford Modern should be the class of this field and I am inclined to agree, if only due to the pair of trialists they likely have on board. For the band two entries the predictions, due to the lack off like-for-like racing so far this season things are difficult, but I would expect it to be between Leeds RC and Peterborough City for the Band Two title and both will want to be a challenge with the Juniors for overall coxed four supremacy.
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