BUCS Regatta 2019

On Friday the 3rd of May, all four of SURC’s squads travelled up to Nottingham for the British Universities and Colleges Regatta 2019. With racing beginning on Saturday, and finishing on the Monday, BUCS Regatta is one of the biggest events in the university rowing calendar. In total, the club entered eighteen boats into races across the bank-holiday weekend.

The Novice Women entered three races, with one boat Beginner 4+’s, one in Beginner 4x’s and one in Beginner 8+’s. They achieved 5th in the E final, 6th in the B final and 6th in the D final respectively. A fantastic effort from the girls across the board.

The Novice Men also had three entries, in the same three boat categories. Their 4+ came an impressive 1st in the D final, whilst the 4x came 6th in the C final. The 8+ also qualified for the C final, coming 5th.

The Senior Women had a remarkable weekend, with entries in the same three boat classes, but this time Intermediate. Despite their best efforts, the 4x unfortunately didn’t manage to make a final. However, the 4+ managed to qualify for the D final and finished in 2nd place. Their best result from the weekend was in the 8+ which came 2nd in the C final – beating Cardiff’s Senior Women’s 8+ to settle old scores from Varsity!

The Senior Men entered nine boats into five different boat classes over the BUCS weekend. Jack Gibson, the Senior Men’s Captain, achieved the 9th fastest time in the Lightweight Champion 1x. Ewan Mortlock and Aidan Thompson raced in the Inter 1x, but due to the weather their finals did not take place. The same two also raced together in the Inter 2x, qualifying for the E final. Ethan Baker and Charles Kirk also entered this category but were unfortunately eliminated. The 4+ were also unfortunate in that they did not manage to make their way into a final either, however, it must be noted the Inter 4+’s is one of the most hotly contested categories at the regatta. The 8+ that beat Cardiff’s Senior Men at varsity a few weeks prior also entered, achieving 4th place in the E final. Last to race were the two quads. The second quad, who were put together at the very last minute, ended up 5th in the D final, whilst the top quad came 3rd in the B final, after narrowly missing out on the A final.