Get ready for an exhilarating showcase of talent and determination as the Metropolitan Regatta 2023 gears up to host the highly anticipated Open Academic Eights category. As rowing enthusiasts from across the nation gather at the iconic Dorney Lake, the stage is set for an unforgettable battle of power, technique, and teamwork. This is certainly a key event in the run up to Henley Royal Regatta, with the big clubs already eyeing up the Temple Challenge Cup.
A club that needs no introduction, Oxford Brookes have entered three eights into the academic eights category. With their top three boats entered at championship level, these crews will be ranked fourth to sixth. In other words, they’ll actually be students rather than Olympic pathway athletes. Their fourth eight is impressively stroked by Richard Hawes, a former Walton rower, only in his first year at Brookes.
A club which has improved significantly in the last few years, the University of Bristol have entered two eights into this category. With a recent sixth-place in Championship Eights at BUCS Regatta, Bristol seem to have some good speed.
So far, Imperial College seem to be having a decent season. Fourth place at BUCS is a strong result, and their top pair came second in the U23 pool at February trials. They were nine seconds off Durham at BUCS, so will be aiming to close this gap.
Arguably one of the fastest student men’s eights right now, Durham University are fresh from a second place finish at BUCS, behind a pretty fast Brookes crew. This bodes well for another great Henley campaign, after making the semi-finals last year.
Interestingly, the Isis BC crew entered appears to be a lightweight crew. Stroked by Zac Abel, the South African, it will certainly be interesting to see how they stack up against the heavies.
Always sending fast crews over to the UK around Henley time, University College Dublin have entered one crew into open academic eights. They sent two men’s fours to HRR last year, one in the Prince Albert, and one in the Visitors. Unfortunately, both were knocked out against Washington and Cambridge, respectively. They are normally fast, so expect this eight to be fairly rapid.
Overall, I predict a win for Durham. A bit of a dark horse pick, but they’ve been steadily improving their eights game for the last few years. Also, they’re up against the 4V from Brookes, so should do alright. Last year they were only a length off Washington in the Temple semi-finals, and a solid second place at BUCS head means they’ve kept their speed. I expect Brookes to be pretty close though, taking second and third place.
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