Oxford Brookes, Men’s Student Eight
No matter how hard you try, you cannot escape the inevitability of Brookes. They’re a titan, an immovable object of massive force and unrelenting consistency. This year’s victory in the Temple Challenge Cup was their sixth in nine years and underlined their status as the undisputed powerhouse in student men’s rowing (more on their women later). Having triumphed at BUCS Regatta in not only the eight but also the coxed and coxless fours, their Temple eight went on to comfortably secure victory at Henley after a series of impressive displays at Metropolitan, Duisberg and Marlow Regattas.
Cedol Dafydd and Jamie Gare, Bath University, Men’s Student Double
A crew that perhaps flew a little under the radar – doubles rarely draw the eye in the same way an eight or quad will – but this talented duo from the centre of excellence that Bath has become in recent years had a brilliant season. After finishing second at BUCS Regatta in open doubles, they went on a sculling spree which culminated in wins at Metropolitan, Marlow, Duisberg and Holland Beker. At Henley Royal Regatta, they were beaten by the senior British double. Not bad for a pair of students.
Oxford Brookes, Women’s Student Eight
The rise of Brookes’ women’s squad has been meteoric. They have gone from scrapping around with UL, Durham, Newcastle and Edinburgh to being the fastest female contingent in the UK by a considerable margin. Their top crew were completely dominant throughout the summer racing season, taking overall victories at BUCS Regatta, Metropolitan Regatta, Henley Women’s Regatta (in the championship and student categories) before claiming back the Island Challenge Cup. A lot has been made of Brookes’ men and their incredible achievements but this year their women matched them every step of the way.
Elizabeth Witt and Emily Lindberg, Imperial College BC & University of London BC, Women’s Student Pair
This crew might be stretching the definition of ‘crew of the year’ but their late-season exploits deserve substantial plaudits. As talented athletes in their own right – Witt won Championship Pairs at BUCS Regatta whilst Lindberg is a former U23 international – they came together in February to finish ninth at Great Britain trials before starting to really motor in the summer. They won Championship Pairs at Henley Women’s Regatta before reaching the final of Hambleden Pairs Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta, an event typically dominated by crews of a national calibre, including a stunning victory over future U23 silver medalists from the Netherlands. With Lindberg calling time on her rowing career after this season, it seems apt to go out in a blaze of such esteemed glory.
Edinburgh University, Women’s Student Coxed Four
The whole Edinburgh women’s beginner squad deserve a shout-out as does coach Michael Hughes, but the top crew were imperious in their first competitive year of racing. They dominated BUCS Regatta before defeating all-comers in the Frank V Harry Cup for Development Coxed Fours at Henley Women’s Regatta. Perhaps more impressively, they had two boats in the semi-final, who were perhaps a little unfortunate to face each other at that stage in proceedings. A superb season for this contingent and another example of the impressive production line of talent that the baby blue of Edinburgh seem to produce with almost unerring regularity.
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