British University Championships 2017 - The BUCs Double

BUCs Head Medalists 2017

BUCs Regatta Medalists 2017

By the end of BUCs 2016, the club had come away with one A final race and no medals. The season picked up upon our return to Scotland with some wins at Castle Semple Regatta and GRC Regatta before the major successes of last season came at front at HWR and HRR. Previous years at BUCs regatta had merited one or two breakaway crews who placed into an A final, that all changed at BUCs regatta 2017!

BUCs 2017 was transformational both in terms of our results and our ambitions for the remainder of the season. It has been a target for the club this season to transform our standing at BUCs and the results of the weekend certainly did not disappoint. Saturday

"The end of day 1 rounded off with Alex Chisholm coming through in 3rd place in the A final of the MInt1x, it was a hard fought group with entries from: Nottingham Trent, Queens Belfast, Sheffield, Bath and Scottish rivals Glasgow. Congratulations to Alex on a hard fought race and a great result - the first bronze medal for St Andrews at BUCs Regatta! We had a number of crews out across the day including: WInt2-, WC2-, MInt1x, WClwt2x, MB4+ and WInt4x.

The WInt2- had a strong time trial, qualifying for the C final. They held strongly of the start, looking comfortably settled in 3rd place through the first 500 but slipped back to take 5th as they crossed they line in a competitive race.The WC2- had similar success in their morning time trail, qualifying for the semi finals later in the morning. The semi was a very competitive race, with a thrilling finish in which St Andrews edged Edinburgh by 0.4 seconds by missed on an A final place by a canvas to Newcastle University. There was no B final in the afternoon due to a lack of numbers but it was a well fought performance for the girls, they are a crew to watch throughout the rest of this season.

The WInt4x was made up of 4 novice rowers who stormed through their time trail amongst competitive senior quads. They went on to place 2nd in the D final this afternoon, a superb performance from our novice girls!It was less fortunate racing for the MB4+ and WCLwt2x, both crews did not make it out of the time trial stage amongst competitive crews. The WClwt2x was just one place away from the semi finals but return later this weekend in the quad."

Sunday

"The end of day 2 rounded off with the MInt4+ coming through the line with a commanding 4 second lead over Newcastle in the B final. It was a day of tough competition for the boys, they began on the water by placing 5th in the time trail, just 4 seconds behind the leading crew from Newcastle. The semi final was another tough race, with the line up consisting of: Newcastle, Imperial, London, Swansea and Birmingham. The boys lead through the 500 mark before Newcastle slipped into 1st through the 1000 mark. By 1500 Imperial had moved and the boys took 4th as they crossed the line just 0.3 seconds behind. The boys had been pushing for the A final and it showed in the B final, they led straight off the start and held a commanding lead for the entire race, crossing the line in 1st.

It was a similarly successful day for the WBeg4x who also took 5th in their time trial. The semi final was a close run race between Loughborough and Durham in first and second with clear water before the girls crossed the line but it was another 17 seconds before their closest competitor came through, a crew from Worcester Uni. The final was a very competitive line up with crews from: Edinburgh, Loughborough, Durham, De Montfort and Glasgow. The girls looked to be on course for medalling as they cruised through 500 and 1000 but strong moves from De Montfort and Edinburgh left them ahead of Scottish rivals Glasgow in 5th place.

The WBeg4+ placed 16th in their morning time trial before racing the C final this afternoon, it was a strong row from the girls but they ended in 5th amongst competitive crews from: Glasgow, Exeter, Swansea, Warwick and Bath. The MInt2x placed 11th in their time trail this morning before a 4th place semi-final finish just 2 seconds away from qualifying for an A final.

The WInt8+ entered the time trial with a differing line up from previous competitions. The time trial merited a 14th place finish, just 1.3 seconds outside of qualifying for an A/B final. The C final was commanded by St Andrews straight from the start with a 2 second gap having opened up by the 500 meter mark. The girls maintained their lead throughout, crossing the line comfortably clear of the closest crew."

Monday

It was an afternoon of A finals to round off our weekend at BUCs. Both the WChamp4+ and the WBeg8+ took to the water this afternoon to contest the big names of British University rowing. The WChamp4+ started the day with 5th in the time trial before securing an A final place in a strongly contested semi-final with crews from: Newcastle, Exeter, Durham and Aberdeen. The A final shaped up to be a very competitive affair with: Brookes, Cambridge and UL joining the pack of qualifiers from the other semi-final. The girls lead through 500, a major upset to the expected race pattern. Slipping into 3rd through the 1000 mark, the girls looked to be within medal contention. Strong moves in the following 1000 from Newcastle and Cambridge proved difficult to withstand and the girls crossed the line in 5th. The crew is one to watch throughout the rest of this season, they’ve proven themselves as a force to be reckoned with at the top of female British University Rowing.

It was not just our Senior Women that enjoyed A finals this afternoon, as the novice women’s 8 took to the water with a spot in the top final. A strong showing in the time trial this morning left the women in 7th position, contesting the semi-final but with a place in the A final being no guarantee. A hard fought semi-final amongst: Edinburgh, Bristol, Birmingham, Exeter and Queens left the girls in 2nd place just 3.5 seconds behind Edinburgh. The A final was a mix of the large and well-established novice programmes that have dominated these events over the last few years. The girls held with the main pack through to the 1000 before slipping back as the other crews made aggressive moves. The girls ended this race in 5th, a massive achievement for themselves and St Andrews - we are not known nationally for consistently fielding competitive novice crews but the tide has begun to turn.

The MInt4x held their own throughout the day, securing 11th in the time trial before moving to a close run semi-final in which an A final position was missed by just less than a second. The boys did not contest the B final despite easy qualification. The WChampLwt4x took 12 in the time trial, very nearly catching Bath University. They qualified for a competitive semi-final and placed 6th.

The WInt4+ and our two MInt2- crews all qualified for minor finals after competitive time trial events. The WInt4+ moved on to comfortable win their final. The two MInt2- placed 2nd in the C and E finals respectively.

BUCs Regatta 2017 has undoubtably been the most successful the club has ever had. A medal for Alex in the intermediate single marks another first for the club, adding to the medal achieved at BUCs head earlier this season. The rowers, athletes and coaches here at St Andrews have a quiet determination and drive which allows the club to cruise through difficulty and adversity. The attitude is bringing the results the club has worked so hard for, it is an enormously exciting time to be a part of rowing at St Andrews University. Once again, a huge thanks goes out to Iain, Ben, Josh for the coaching support that has achieved these results.