Previews
Oxford University vs Oxford University Brookes ‘A’
Breaking the form book, it was the University of Oxford who struck first blood in the battle of Oxford. They were leading by a foot at the end of the island, shocking their cross-town rivals from Oxford Brookes and while the pendulum swung back, it was most certainly not decisive. The burgundy crew had only half of a length at Fawley and failed to break clear water at any point. Beyond the barrier, the Brookes crew remained in control but this was not the dominant performance we have come to expect. Finally reaching a length’s lead by Remenham Farm, the dark blue crew held onto their coattails with a final margin of half a length. This will be a worrying outcome for Hugo Gulliver’s crew for whom a successful campaign likely required a far more significant victory over their rivals, while the Oxford crew can be proud as they exit the Island Challenge Cup
Newcastle University vs Durham University ‘A’
The south may have Oxford vs Cambridge, the western US may have Cal vs Washington, but in the north of England there’s only one show in town: Newcastle versus Durham. Robbed of the boat race of the north this year, the Henley Royal Regatta stewards treated us to another chapter in this rivalry on the biggest course of all.
A rematch of the same round last year, but it was a very different story. The blue star jumped out to an early lead with a three-quarter length advantage by the quarter-mile but Durham weren’t backing down easily, rowing back into the race. They drew level at Remenham Farm but struggled to push through and there was nothing between the two crews all the way to the enclosures. Newcastle finally played their hand through Stewards and moved back out into the lead claiming a famous victory by a length.
Previews
Oxford Brookes University ‘A’ vs Cambridge University
There is a quiet murmur slowly building in the boat tents and the press box: Oxford Brookes might just be beatable. They were pushed hard by their University of Oxford crew to only a half-length victory with constant pressure from behind. Forty minutes later, Cambridge University announced themselves as a major contender for the Island Challenge Cup. Having never won a round in a women’s eight at Henley Royal Regatta before picking up their second in as many days with a phenomenal victory over the University of Virginia. They quickly taking control of the race and being able to drop their speed before they crossed the line – still posting the same time as Brookes at the Fawley marker and having defeated Oxford rather comfortably in March’s boat race. This could be a final a day early, with both crews having eyes focused squarely on picking up a set of red boxes on late Sunday afternoon.
Newcastle University vs University of London ‘A‘
In years gone by, Newcastle and the University of London were undoubtedly the places to be when rowing as a student in the UK. This completes an eclectic mix of British rowing institutions competing this year in the semi finals of the Island Challenge Cup. The blue star, making the long trek down from the north east, have performed brilliantly on this stretch this year, reaching the semi finals of the championship eights at Henley Women’s Regatta and hanging with the a top Leander Remenham eight for some distance. This week, strong victories against Rhode Island and A.S.R Nereus followed by an instant classic against Durham have demonstrated they are not ones to be trifled with. More locally, the University of London boat skipped Henley Women’s to race at Marlow and were untroubled against Boston University and the second Edinburgh eight, so they have kept their cards close to their chest. UL had the edge at BUCS Regatta, but two months later, Newcastle will back themselves in this one.
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