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Craig Dobson looks at QPR's decision to sack Neil Warnock and replace him with Mark Hughes
James Tompkinson reviews an excellent pre-season victory for the York City Knights against Yorkshire rivals Leeds Rhinos
This article is written by William Lawrence
The Roses boat race has been scheduled a week early to avoid conflicts with other competitions, which also means that rowing will be the inaugural event for the first time since 1965. Lancaster have played up the event massively and large crowds are expected to watch the crews race down the thousand meter stretch on Sunday.
The event to win remains, as always, the men's senior eights. The current standing is at 17-17 wins each for the cross-Pennines rivals. Both York and Lancaster crews raced at Men’s Head of River in London during March, with Lancaster finishing several places ahead of York's crew, whose performance was decidedly lack-luster.
Lancaster's highest place finish this year has been at Chester Head Race, coming second in a relatively uncompetitive field. York's eight likewise finished second in the senior four category at Head of the Trent in February, though against considerably stiffer opposition, losing only to Oxford-Brookes University, one of the best institutions for rowing in the country.
The last two years have shown mixed results for the men's senior eights. 2006 saw the Henley qualifying crew – many of whom have now gone on to row at a semi-professional level- dominate Lancaster. Last year's sprint to Lendal bridge unfortunately saw York suffer a narrow defeat.
A recent change in the York crew sees two athletes making their top eight debuts. Fresher Ben Coverdale has been placed at the significant position of stroke for Roses, having not raced at the position for the university previously. The senior coach at the club, Sean Potter, has justified this change, claiming: “This guy is really, really good”. Second year Pat Jennings is making his debut, moving up from the second senior boat.
Both teams of athletes will be training hard over the coming weeks in preparation for Henley Royal Regatta in week ten, and Roses will be a good measure of this progress.
To find out how York fares find out live this Sunday on the Yorker from 9:30 am.
Is Mr Savage really 10kg more than Mr Moore? That cannot be right!
The eight has an average weight of 74.75kg. I hear Lancaster are closer to 95kg...York might be in for a creaming.
Er, I think you've got that backward #2. From those stats York have a considerable advantage over Lancaster...
I live with the captain for the Oxford Academicals and there is definitely an upper limit on the weight allowed in the boat there. (I distinctly remember her complaining about it after Easter when the average weight was 5kg above what it should have been...)
Apparantly York have put their 'big men' in the 4, whether thats turns out to be the right call, we'll just have to see.
Although there may be a huge difference in weight between the crews, this isn't the oxbridge boat race, this is 1000m. York's lighter crew should get off the start quicker and then try and hold off lancaster. It will be tough though.
I actually love you Chris. You have to know, or at least say you know, about anything and everything, even if you don't! The fact that post 2 was probably left by a rower is lost on you! How many times have you rowed? Lol, keep it up though, its amusing and occasionally you make a great point.
I think post 2 has a point, even if I don't like to admit it...weight doesn't just mean that the rowers in Lancaster will be faties. The likelyhood is that to be that weight they will have to be bloody tall. Longer levers...etc.
Over 1k...beef and height will make a serious difference. Here comes the pain train....
@#5, in that case, I find it confusing that the Oxford rowers aim to keep their weight down...
I may have never actually rowed (I was told they didn't want to train me because I'd have just gone back to York as I was getting good and probably rowed against Oxford 
) My opinion is based on some form of anecdotal evidence (living with the women's captain and one of the cox's for the Academicals) so it's not just completely random.
I'll be down at the head of the Isis tomorrow watching City Bumps, so I'm not completely ignorant of rowing...
And yes, I do have an opinion on everything. It's one of my Marmite points
"And yes, I do have an opinion on everything. It's one of my Marmite points "
Ahh well said, I'll remember that description of it for myself 
Not sure about Olly Ward at 4, arguably the most overrated rower in UYBC history.
Lord James of Rusholme will be turning in his grave!
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