page_title: University rowing (UK)
section_title: BUCS 4s and 8s Head
hierarchical_section_title: University rowing (UK) / BUCS / BUCS 4s and 8s Head
caption_attribution_description: 2003 Regatta in England
context_page_description: University rowing in the United Kingdom began when it was introduced to Oxford in the late 18th century. The first known race at a university took place at Oxford in 1815 between Brasenose and Jesus and the first inter-university boat race, between Oxford and Cambridge, was rowed on 10 June 1829.
  Today, many universities have a rowing club and at some collegiate universities—Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, and London—each college has its own club as well as a main university club. In contrast to the Oxford/Cambridge/Durham colleges, London colleges are members of British Universities and Colleges Sport in their own right, and thus compete in inter-university competitions. In Scotland, the rowing clubs of Glasgow University and Edinburgh University initiated an annual race in 1877, making this competition the second oldest in the United Kingdom. Competitive university rowing in Northern Ireland began in the 1930s with the formation of Queen's University Belfast Boat Club in 1931, whose first inter-varsity races were a triangular tournament against Glasgow and UCD in 1934–35 and who entered the Wylie Cup from 1937 to 1938. The Welsh Boat Race began in 2006.
context_section_description: This is a 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) head race which has been run in February or March since 2003 (originally as the BUSA Championship Head). The event grew rapidly, becoming the largest university heads race in the world by 2007, despite the small boats being split into a separate head (see above) after the 2006 event. It was held on the River Trent in Nottingham until 2009, when the decision was made to move the event to the River Nene in Peterborough, and to split the competition into 2 separate days, with Beginners racing over a shorter 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) course on one day, and Seniors racing on the longer course on the other. However, due to inclement weather, the event was cancelled. The event was again held in Peterborough in 2010, 2011 and 2012, and was due to be held there in 2013. However, due to flooding, the event was moved to Boston that year, with Newcastle topping the medal table.
  The 2014 event was cancelled due to bad weather, It was held in Boston again in 2015, with racing on Saturday only for the intermediate and championship crews. Newcastle topped the medal table and won the men's Victor Ludorum while Durham, who were second in the medal table, took the women's Victor Ludorum and the overall Victor Ludorum.
  In 2015, BUCS sought a new host for a three-year period (2016–2018). The event subsequently moved to the Tyne, hosted by Tyne United Rowing Club, Tyne Amateur Rowing Club and Newcastle University Boat Club in 2016. Newcastle won both the overall and men's Victor Ludorum, with Edinburgh winning the women's Victor Ludorm. The first day of the 2017 event, also on the Tyne, had to be cancelled due to poor weather, but the second day (for senior crews) went ahead, with London topping the medal table and taking the Victor Ludorum. The 2018 event saw separate men's and women's Victor Ludorum awards, with London taking the women's prize and Newcastle taking the men's. From 2019, the event was to be held for three years on the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal, hosted by the University of Bristol, Hartpury University Centre and Gloucester Rowing Club. Newcastle took the Men's and Overall Victor Ludorum in 2019, with Edinburgh taking the Women's. However, it reverted to the Tyne in 2020 after only one year. The 2020 event was shortened due to bad weather, with only the intermediate and championship races taking place. Newcastle University topped the medal table with ten medals, four gold, as well as winning the men's, women's and overall Victor Ludorum.
caption: The start of a race at BUCS Regatta
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