The Beginner Academic Pennant is awarded to the highest placed university or school crew whose crew members started rowing after 1st March 2021. For many of the crews entered this will be the largest event they’ve entered, with one of the joys of WEHoRR being that novices get the same event as some of the top rowers in the country. Especially for the beginner eights, the ability to handle the Tideway and whatever conditions it throws up could be crucial and mean the results could well include some surprises. That being said, here is a run-down of some of the crews expected to be competitive for the Beginner Academic Pennant.
St Paul’s Girls’ School BC
One of the crews who won’t have raced BUCS but are nevertheless among the favourites in this category are St Paul’s Girls’ School. They were victorious here in 2022 and will be hoping to defend that title this year. With most schools focusing only on the junior categories, this marks another opportunity for St Paul’s to fly the flag for schoolgirl rowing up against some of the top university development programmes in the country.
Liverpool University BC
Liverpool University BC’s beginner eight put together a brilliant race to take second place in the beginner eights at BUCS Head. They’ll be hoping to build on that performance and put in another top three performance on the Tideway, which should then stand them in good stead going into the regatta season.
Edinburgh University BC
Edinburgh University BC put in a great performance at BUCS Head to take top spot in the Women’s Beginner Eights event, which stands them in good stead heading into WEHoRR. They’ll prove tough competition for St Paul’s and look so far this season to have been the best of the beginner university crews by some margin.
Others
University of Surrey were second last year to St Paul’s, but were outside the top ten at BUCS in the beginner event, so will want to put in a stronger performance at WEHoRR. Birmingham University BC took a surprise bronze medal at BUCS, which will have fuelled their belief that they can be among the top crews in this category at WEHoRR.
Prediction
Edinburgh University have historically had a great development programme, and this year has been no exception with some brilliant results from their novice women. St Paul’s knowledge of the Tideway might prove decisive, while the unpredictable nature of the event means there’s plenty of opportunity for crews outside of these two favourites to put a winning row together.
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