Whilst the yellow flag looms over the waters of the Thames, over 300 crews are preparing for one of the most highly anticipated events in women’s rowing. With the majority of larger programmes entering boats in the Senior and Open categories, the door is open for smaller programmes to shine in this year’s Challenge Academic Eights, and with over fifty entries, the outcomes of this event are excitingly unpredictable.
Liverpool University Boat Club (A)
First up, assuming this is the same crew that raced BUCS Head, Liverpool University Boat Club could be in with a chance of finishing towards the top end of the table after the crew secured a respectable 12th place finish in the Intermediate Eights at BUCS. Liverpool University have previous successes at WeHORR working in their favour too, taking home a confident win in this category only two years ago; no doubt they will be eager to reclaim their title this weekend.
Cardiff University Rowing Club
Last year’s category winners, Cardiff University Rowing Club return to try and take back their champion title with two entries from the squad. Little is known about the crews entered or their recent performances, and with no entry at BUCS Head to pin them against the other university crews, it will be interesting to see if they can pull out a win again with the tough competition.
University College (Durham) Boat Club
Assuming this is the same crew who recently raced both Tyne and Rutherford Heads, then the team from University College (Durham) may be set to make a statement. If these crews are the same, then they are going into WeHORR with a 3rd place finish in their eight at Rutherford Head – which was the fastest of all the Durham colleges – as well as a fifth-place finish at Tyne Head. With many of those Durham colleges in this same event, their chances look good.
Southampton University Boat Club
The two entries from Southampton University Boat Club could be set to climb the order after their ninth-place finish last year. Whilst they finished just outside of the top-100 finishers at last year’s event, recent results could suggest this time they could settle higher up the table. With a win and a fourth-place finish in the Women’s Club Eights at Hammersmith Head, Southampton University has shown potential already on these waters, but with no entry into BUCS Head, there’s not a lot of information to predict where these crews could fall amongst the other crews that populate the category.
Notable Mentions
Other teams worth mentioning include Leeds University Boat Club who finished 16th at BUCS Head and produced the seventh fastest crew in this category last year; potentially also Birmingham University following their recent performances at events such as BUCS Head coupled with a fifth-place finish in this event last year. Finally, an intriguing composite from Edinburgh University Boat Club and Oriel College Boat Club could be one to watch. With Edinburgh’s top three boats occupying the senior categories, this crew’s performances could be a testament to the squad’s depth and the combination with Oriel College may prove to be an interesting one.
Prediction
Due to very limited information available about the crews in this event, it is very difficult to predict who is likely to come out on top, especially with the number of college crews who we haven’t seen much of at the larger events. However, I would expect a strong performance from Cardiff University, or a possible resurgence from Liverpool University pursuing the previously-held title once again.
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