After a long season of head races, summer regattas are finally here, and with it the Metropolitan Regatta. This weekend will see athletes facing off down the classic 2km course at Dorney Lake, making for good preparation before Henley Women’s and Henley Royal Regatta later this summer. The Women’s Championship Doubles event is very popular this year, made up of entries from some of the biggest names in both club and university rowing from around the UK.
Leander Club
As per usual, Leander have been continuing their success in the rowing scene, both at home and internationally. After placing first in WEHoRR earlier this year, they went on to take gold in the women’s U23 quad at Wedau Regatta more recently. Given the club’s history and these recent achievements, this double is likely to be one to keep an eye on this Saturday.
Leander Club / Birmingham University BC
Only entered for the Saturday, it looks as though Rebecca Wilde is making up the Leander half of this crew. Given her performance at April GB trials, where she came third in the B-Final of the women’s singles, she will undoubtedly make for a strong doubles partner. If we assume the other half of this crew to be made up of fellow trialist Kathryn Mole, who came second in the same final, this double will be one to be reckoned with.
Durham University BC
Durham has had a strong start to their regatta season, winning the Victor Ludorum trophy at BUCS Regatta. As well as this, they put in a strong performance in the women’s championship doubles event at BUCS, taking the silver medal. In light of this result, they seem prepped and ready for a strong performance on the Sunday of the Met Regatta.
Edinburgh University BC / Newcastle University BC
A composite of two of the stronger UK university rowing programs, this double is almost definitely going to be one to look out for. It looks as though Hannah Supple and Rachel Bradley will be racing together, and, considering their performances at April GB trials, where they were second and fourth fastest U23 rowers in the single respectively, they will no doubt make for an incredibly strong doubles partnership.
Reading University BC
Reading have always proven themselves to have a strong sculling programme. This continued to be the case at BUCS Regatta, where they placed first in the Women’s Championship Double, and third in the Women’s Championship Quads event. Having demonstrated their calibre in this discipline, it will be interesting to see how they perform against external clubs this Saturday, instead of the student-athlete competition they faced at BUCS.
Prediction
Overall, there is an unsurprisingly strong field entered into the Women’s Championship Doubles category. While both days will be exciting, I expect there to be a battle for top spot on Saturday between Leander, the Leander/Birmingham composite, and the Edinburgh/Newcastle composite, whereas Sunday is looking more favourable for the Edinburgh/Newcastle crew.
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