Tyne Head 2025 – Preview

In the penultimate head race on the River Tyne this season, Tyne Head is self-proclaimed as the ‘ideal tune-up for the Tideway’. Attracting a host of local clubs and some from further afield, it will serve as a dress rehearsal for BUCS Head a fortnight later or as valuable preparation for the Heads of the River on the Thames later in the season.

Women’s Eights

Dominated by university and college crews, the women’s eights will lead up the Tyne, kicking off the day’s racing. With the concurrent GB Trials meaning most top athletes are absent, new combinations will be formed to create the fastest possible crews with the rowers available.

After a stellar performance at Tyne United Head, where they won the women’s eights by 14 seconds, Durham University Boat Club will look to take another step forward as they build towards BUCS Head in a fortnight. With only three athletes down from their first eight, Durham should be able to carry this momentum forward. Tyne Head presents an excellent opportunity for some of their second eight to step up and gain valuable rowing experience at the top level.

Despite being outnumbered by student crews, Tyne Amateur Rowing Club (TARC) hopes their home water advantage and decades of experience will provide them with a competitive edge. Having placed fourth at Tyne United Head and second at Tyne Head in 2024, TARC is hungry for a win. With their 2023 Provincial Pennant win at Women’s Eights Head of the River Race in mind, they will be pushing hard to take the top spot.

Edinburgh University Boat Club’s first eight last raced on the Tyne at Rutherford Head, where they secured second place. A 13-second gap between themselves and the winners, Newcastle University Boat Club, has motivated them throughout their winter training as they prepare for the major races ahead. At BUCS Head 2024, Edinburgh achieved an impressive feat, winning bronze in the women’s championship eights and gold in the intermediate and beginner categories. With competition tightening year-on-year, they will push to go further and secure a clean sweep of gold in 2025.

Worthy of mention, the University of York Boat Club is the highest-represented club in the category, fielding four eights across bands one to three. With previous experience on the Tyne, including a win in the Band two women’s quads at Rutherford Head and second and third-place finishes in the quad and coxed four, York will be hoping that their race on the Tyne so close to BUCS Head will give them a competitive edge. Their goal is to dominate the Intermediate and Beginner categories, making their trip north worthwhile.

Men’s Eights

Another category dominated by students, the men’s eights, will see an armada of university and college crews making their way up the Tyne alongside a few club crews.

Durham University Boat Club (DUBC) has a large contingent of athletes attending GB Trials this weekend, meaning their second eight will be their top representation on the Tyne. Like their first eight, DUBC’s second eight fell short against local rivals Edinburgh and Newcastle at Rutherford Head. However, with these clubs absent, DUBC may have the opportunity to claim victory and gain momentum ahead of BUCS Head.

Tyne Amateur Rowing Club (TARC) performed well to place fourth overall and first among the club crews in the men’s eights at Rutherford Head. With the faster crews absent from this weekend’s racing, Saturday presents their chance to shine. Having defeated DUBC’s second eight by 21 seconds in November, TARC, positioned between DUBC crews, will be looking to play their cards right to force an overtake and cross the line first in their club’s race.

At Rutherford Head, Leeds Rowing Club impressively placed 15th overall, ahead of many crews from Durham University colleges. With a smaller field this weekend, Leeds could push for a top-five finish. They will be closely followed by Hatfield College Boat Club, who will be aiming to top the college crews’ table ahead of the likes of St John’s and Van Mildert.

Men’s Coxless Quads

Dominating the open coxless quads at Tyne United Head with a commanding 28-second victory, the composite crew from Durham Amateur Rowing Club, Hexham Rowing Club, and Tyne Amateur Rowing Club has been unstoppable this season. Proving that age is no barrier to success, they delivered another standout performance at Durham Small Boats Head last weekend, outpacing numerous school and club crews to claim the Masters CDEGH coxless quads title.

Northumbria University Boat Club entered two quads at Rutherford Head, and their top-performing crew is set to race again this weekend. Club President Ollie Tompkins will aim to lead his crew and club to victory as they build momentum towards BUCS Head in two weeks.

While less is known about the crews from Talkin Tarn Amateur Rowing Club and Tyne Amateur Rowing Club, both are household names at rowing races across the North East of England. I expect both crews to be experts at navigating the challenges presented by the Tyne, using their deft steering to manage the tide and conditions, which will allow them to compete strongly against their potentially younger opponents.

Women’s Coxless Quads

The women’s coxless quads is a small category, with three university crews vying for the title. At BUCS Head in 2024, a mere 0.9 seconds separated the crews from Northumbria University Boat Club and York St John University Boat Club, suggesting that we should expect some very close results this Saturday. I suspect that Northumbria’s home water advantage will give them the edge when it comes to balancing the equation of the stream, the tide and the wind to find the fastest line possible.

Meanwhile, the novices from Newcastle University Boat Club will be racing for only the second time, gearing up for the beginner’s events on the Sunday of BUCS Head. Although they lack the experience of their rivals at Tyne Head, this race will serve as a valuable dress rehearsal, allowing them to refine their skills as they prepare to take on top novice crews in just two weeks.

Predictions

With Durham University Boat Club rumoured to be absent this weekend, Tyne Amateur Rowing Club has a strong chance of a clean sweep of the eights categories. While the stakes of a local head race are relatively low, the crews’ performances this weekend will set the tone for the coming weeks, which entail the biggest races of the season so far: BUCS Head, Women’s Head of the River Race and Head of the River Race. As such, clubs will be keen to get it right before crunch time.

The Durham Amateur, Hexham and Tyne Amateur composite men’s quad are yet to concede in 2025, and I believe their greatest challenge comes from Northumbria University Boat Club. The toss-up between wisdom and youth will be intriguing, but with conditions forecast to be favourable, youth might have the upper hand.

Although York St John University will be tough competition, I think that Northumbria University Boat Club have proved themselves to be competitive with other top crews in the past, and there is no reason why they can’t do this again. Coupled with their home water advantage, I believe that Northumbria has a strong shot at victory in both the women’s and men’s quads—an impressive and respectable achievement for a smaller programme.

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