A key event for scoping out the depth of a team’s squad, the Band 2 Eights is always an exciting and unpredictable race for these crews and their supporters alike. University teams dominate the entry pool this year with multiple crews from local teams Newcastle University BC and Durham University BC, as well as Edinburgh University BC. With this being Band 2, there’s no way to be certain how the makeup of these crews will turn out, as the clubs will each be prioritising different categories. Therefore, it’s going to be a matter of waiting until race day to see how this collection of crews matches up, but all the more excitement for those following their progress!
Newcastle University Boat Club
First up, and no strangers to these waters are Newcastle University Boat Club, who are fielding two crews in this event. While not much is known about who is making up these crews, NUBCs consistent record of producing incredible strength and depth across their squads makes it easy to assume these two crews are likely to be front runners. With gold medals from the Women’s Intermediate Eights event at BUCS Head last year and respectable placements at Women’s Eights Head of the River, NUBC clearly remain a force to be reckoned with not only at the top level, but across their whole squad’s entries.
Edinburgh University Boat Club
Also vying for that top position are last year’s runners-up Edinburgh University Boat Club, sending two crews into this band to face their northern rivals again. EUBC has gone from strength to strength in the past few years, including last seasons with a second-place finish behind NUBC in the Women’s Intermediate Eights event at BUCS Head and all three of their crews within the top 150 at WEHORR. After slipping down to third place on the BUCS Regatta Victor Ludorum leaderboard, following their triumphant double-win the previous year, EUBC will be keen to reclaim that top spot amongst their fierce competition.
Durham University Boat Club
Following their domination of the university circuit last season, taking home both the Women’s and Overall Victor Ludorums at BUCS Regatta, DUBC is taking to their home stretch on the Tyne again in the hopes of taking home yet another win, this time trying their luck in a new band category. With a top-three finish in the Women’s Intermediate Eights event at BUCS Head earlier this year, DUBC will be hoping to continue their successes this season and with home advantage on their side, there is not a lot to stand in their way.
York University Boat Club
York University BC are also ones to watch, and while the club haven’t been noted as one of the highest performing teams within the circuit in recent years, the women’s squad had one of the club’s best seasons on record earlier this year. From strong performances at BUCS Regatta earlier this year, with their Beginner and Intermediate Eights making the B and C finals, respectively; along with qualifying in the time trial of the Aspirational Academic Eights at Henley Women’s Regatta, there is definitely some potential for YUBC to be strong contenders within this category.
There are certainly some honorable mentions needed for some of the other top contenders in this category such as Molesey Boat Club, whose GBRT High Performance Centre has consistently produced strong results over the seasons, as well as the crew from Glasgow University Boat Club who achieved a third-place position in this event last year. Other crews include Nottingham RC and Leeds University Boat Club.
Predictions
With many races in this head season having been cancelled already, there’s not many results to help predict the outcome of this event but it’s safe to say the programmes these entries are coming from all have their strengths so it still could be anyone’s race. If I had to pin a winner, I’d place my bets on Edinburgh University or Newcastle University due to their experience on these waters, but I’m excited to see what York University and Molesey BC crews are able to bring to this event after the seasons they’ve had recently.
With no appearance from last year’s event winners Tyne Amateur Rowing Club, will Edinburgh University finally take that top spot? Will the university crews dominate, or will the club crews steal the show? The Tyne’s conditions are sure to put these crews to the test and it’s shaping up to be an interesting battle to see who can get their bow ball over the line to end the year as champions.
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