Now in the full throws of head season, for many of the univeristy clubs this will be the opportunity that they’ve been waiting for to show off their hard winter’s work. The Open University category will see six crews battle it out for the crowning glory of the Tideway head season for this tumultuous year.
Cambridge University Boat Club
Just three weeks out from the Boat Race, this weekend’s race will be a crucial test for Paddy Ryan’s Cambridge University Boat Club women, and they’ll be looking to finish on top. This is likely to be their blue boat crew, and they’ll be glad to be back in a university field having recently faced tough fixtures against Thames Rowing Club, Oxford Brookes University Boat Club, and the Dutch National development team. We haven’t seen them race against other universities in this context yet, and I hope to see a polished race from this crew given that they’re working toward the pinnacle of their season.
Durham University Boat Club
Durham University Boat Club came out on top in the University Championship Eights on the Tyne at BUCS Head recently, a performance that I imagine they’ll be looking to replicate this week on the Tideway for the Women’s Head of the River Race. With Cambridge also thrown into the mix, Durham will be bringing their A-game and looking to build into this weekend with the formidable strength that they’ve demonstrated so far this academic year, to again come out on top as one of the top UK University rowing clubs.
Newcastle University Boat Club
With two eights in this open university category, Newcastle University Boat Club will be looking to build on their BUCS Head performance. Their ‘A’ boat is likely to be similar to their silver medal Championship Eights crew from BUCS, while the ‘B’ crew took bronze in Intermediate Eights the same weekend. I hope to see that these crews have built on some of the lessons learned from BUCS, and starting with a clean slate, on a different stretch of river, they’ll be looking to avenge their loss to Durham from BUCS and reinstate their status as one of the top women’s university rowing programmes.
Imperial College Boat Club
Imperial College Boat Club placed fourth in the Championship Eights on the Tyne two weeks ago, so will certainly be looking for a rematch on their home stretch of water. With knowledge of Tideway conditions, most notably from their coxes, I hope to see them play this to their advantage and try to bump up the ranks in the category for the Women’s Eights Head. Amongst the likes of Durham and Cambridge, this could be a tough ask, but I hope to see a strong row from Imperial’s top women.
Edinburgh University Boat Club
With their ‘A’ crew placed in Senior Eights, this Edinburgh University Boat Club‘s ‘B’ crew is potentially slightly different from those featured at BUCS Head. They took gold in Intermediate Eights, but with a time that would have placed them fifth in the Championship category. I hope to see that win drive them forward to step on and make a challenge on the Tideway this weekend, and hope that the conditions play in their favour for a solid row.
Predictions
This is a tough one to call, and I’m excited to see how the racing unfolds this weekend. With lineups yet to be announced, and Cambridge University Boat Club added to the mix of crews that we saw at BUCS Head returning here, my gut feeling is that Durham University Boat Club will again be taking the win, but it’ll likely be a close race with Cambridge. With the lack of Edinburgh University Boat Club‘s ‘A’ crew in this category, I expect Imperial College Boat Club to take third, closely challenged by Newcastle University Boat Club, although the top three spots are wide open and up for grabs by any of these crews.
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