BUCS Head: Pre-Race Report

Over the weekend RUMSBC will be heading on one of its few excursions away from the familiarity of the Thames to show that we can indeed hold our own against the big boys and girls of university teams from far and wide, and get in one last race to practice ahead of UH Head! On Saturday, the Novices will take on a 3000m stretch of the river Tyne, before the Seniors face a hefty 5000m test of endurance on Sunday. Best of luck to all competitors, let's make this a preview of the success we'll achieve at UH Head.

Men's Novices

​Men's Novice VIII
Cox: Hannah Hickingbotham
Stroke: Luca Richards
7: Alex Bloom
6: Zak Mansell
5: Joe Catling
4: Will Shorrocks
3: Dom Atraszkiewicz
2: Chris Anetekhai
Bow: Swopnil Lamchane Gurung

​"The march to the North will be a stern test for the novice men. Preparation has been going well and can build on their medal-winning ways at Winter Sprints with a strong showing in the Toon. Battling similar chilly and choppy conditions in less than apt garments (sorry) they are well seasoned for the challenge of the Tyne. This is their last chance to get big miles in with UH Head merely a week later." - Matt Kinsella, Men's Novice Captain 17/18

Women's Novices

​Women's Novice VIII Boat A
Cox: Kelly Wyatt
Stroke: Hannah Roberts
7: Annalise Munro
6: Melissa Nelson
5: Laura Dan
4: Ceyda Oral
3: Alex Robinson
2: Yemi Talabi
Bow: Fiona Chegwidden

​Women's Novice VIII Boat B
​Cox: Greg Gibson
Stroke: Eve Kerins
7: Maddie Sanz
6: Gracie Sutton
5: Alisa Rasch
4: Federica Ezennia
3: Sophie McWilliam
2: Radhika Kumar
Bow: Nicola Skajaa (C)

​"This is it, we’re coming up to the final few races of the year, but this is our first ever Head race. The girls have put in so much effort this term and are excited to show off their endurance and technique in Newcastle. With an intense training tour under our belts and lots of water miles and race pieces behind us we are ready to give it our all at BUCS Head. It’s not long before our final showdown at UH head so it’ll be great to see how we do under race conditions and channeling the adrenaline that goes with it!" - Nicola Skajaa, Women's Novice Captain 17/18

Senior Men

Men's Second VIII
​
Cox: Holly Joyce
Stroke: Martin Furlepa
7: Ben Southgate
6: Jack Illingworth
5: Ben Wardner
4: Jack Merritt
3: Matt Kinsella
2: Adam Jones
Bow: Ollie Marwood
​
"M2 are excited to travel to Newcastle and compete at national university level. Keen to compete with other 2nds crews and looking to surprise as many university first eights as possible. They’ve been digging deep in training sessions and holding off M1 more and more. They’ll be looking to be hot of there tails when the results come in! With the United hospitals head race just a week after BUCS head these boys will be looking to send a message to there fellow medical school competitors!" - Jamie Glenister, Men's Captain 17/18

Men's First VIII
​
Cox: Julia Negreskul
Stroke: Freddie Dewey
7: Will Wilson
6: Sam Gunning
5: Alex Lane
4: Connor Price
3: Luke Martin
2: Louis Robertson
Bow: Jamie Glenister (C)

"We roll into the last race before UH Head eager to show what speed we’ve found since Quintin. A lot of work has been put in with the help of Richard Clarke and William McCaughran. This boat found a lot of speed over training tour weekend in maidstone and the boys of M1 will be well rested for the trip to Newcastle ready to punch well above their weight looking to take down as many university first eights as they can!" - Jamie Glenister, Men's Captain 17/18

​Senior Women

​Women's Second VIII
​
Cox: Chris 'Beans' Jackson
Stroke: Fernanda Fenn Torrente
7: Claire Shadwell
6: Millie Walker
5: Abi Powell
4: Rosa Mobayen
3: Anna Shadwell
2: Asha Dave
Bow: Georgie Stagg

​Women's First VIII

Cox: Preena Patel
Stroke: Livi Drewett
7: Nadia Eden
6: Eimear McKavanagh
5: Mattie Williams
4: Jenny Budden
3: Jen Whitehead
2: Libi Hawkes (C)
Bow: Tintin Larsson

​"The women’s squad is psyched to swap Tideway for Tyne this weekend as we grapple with the Northern winds and take on BUCS Head. As a UH Head dress rehearsal, this is quite the race and both crews are ready to show what they’re made of. We have put in many a mile of snow and rain driven training, and now is the time to see how it’s paying off!" - Libi Hawkes, Women's Captain 17/18