Oxford and Cambridge today unveiled the line-ups they intend to contest this year’s Boat Race, sponsored by Xchanging, and due to take place on April 7th, at 4.30pm.

The announcement came at a ceremony in London during which Cambridge President Tom James, representing last year’s losers, challenged Oxford President, Robin Ejsmond-Frey, to a re-match in a tradition dating back to 1829.

Seasoned observers have already portrayed Cambridge as “heavy on-paper” favourites even though Oxford have won two of the last three encounters. Cambridge Head Coach Duncan Holland will be able to draw upon the experience of returning Blues such as GB Olympians Kieran West, a PhD student, and James, an engineering undergraduate, as well as reigning world champions Thorsten Engelmann and Sebastian Schulte of Germany.

Meanwhile Sean Bowden, the Head Coach at Oxford, has only one returning Blue - in Ejsmond Frey, a theology undergraduate - but can rely on the considerable international experience of Ante Kusurin, a Croatian masters student, alongside Michal Plotkowiak a biomedical engineering student who, barring injury and illness on April 7th, should become the first Pole to contest The Race.

Bowden, who has selected Londoner Nick Brodie to cox the Blue Boat despite dropping him just four weeks out from last year’s Race, also has some American fire-power in law student and US world championships team member William “Brodie” Buckland as well as world junior level rower Adam Kosmicki.

Cambridge, meanwhile, will be coxed by Russ Glenn, upgraded after two run-outs with Goldie, the reserve crew. Remarkably, Glenn was also selected to box for Cambridge in this year’s Varsity match. The PhD student in Cambridge’s Oriental Studies department has juggled double training loads with his studies in the lead-up to both events this year.

Oxford coach Sean Bowden has, in his own words, “had plenty to do” this year in shaping a new crew from fresh beginnings. His enthusiasm for the project is still strong, though, after 12 previous races. “The need to develop relationships with the athletes, to teach and to work with such motivated and positive individuals is one of the most enjoyable aspects of my job”, he said recently.

Holland, meanwhile, sees The Boat Race, raced over a gruelling four and a quarter-mile course from Putney to Mortlake on a tidal stretch of the Thames, as the epitome of sportsmanship: “I particularly like working at club level where there are still the qualities of sportsmanship and team-work which underline where I’ve come from”, he said. 2: And, having tasted debut defeat last year in a Race undertaken in wild and windy conditions, Holland is wary of predictions: “That’s the whole thing. Sport is a series of contests which are uncertain by their nature. I’m confident that we will perform well, but is that enough to win? We’ll see”.

Race sponsors Xchanging, a business services processing company, also sees the contest as one in which each crew, according to David Andrews, Chief Executive Officer, “needs to draw on fitness, tenacity and teamwork to gain any precious advantage of their opponents that they can”.

“Each crew must also be prepared for all the uncertainty that the elements may throw at them. It is truly the best crew on the day that overcomes all these pressures. Xchanging considers itself privileged to be able to support this tough international sporting event as it strives for similar success in the business world”, he said.

Race organisers, led by Chairman Giles Vardey and London Representative, Howard Jacobs, are hoping for better weather conditions than the squally winds which battered the two eights a year ago. They would also relish the kind of close finishes which The Race enjoyed in 2002 and 2003 - with Oxford winning by just one foot in the latter year.

This year’s Race will be broadcast live on ITV Sport, who achieved an audience of over 7 million in 2006, and LBC and will be available live in the USA for the first time through a deal brokered with ESPN. Fans of The Race will also be able to receive text updates, news and background through their mobile phone.

250,000 spectators traditionally line the banks of the Thames to enjoy this iconic event which is one of the Capital’s best “free shows”.

For further information contact: Caroline Searle or Bryn Vaile in the Boat Race Press Office on (01225) 383518 OR admin@matchtight.co.uk OR 07831 755351.

www.theboatrace.org

CREW LISTS:

CAMBRIDGE

BLUE BOAT

Kristopher McDaniel —St Edmund’s

Dan O’Shaughnessy —St Edmund’s

Peter Champion —St Edmund’s

Jacob (Jake) Cornelius —Emmanuel

Tom James —Trinity Hall

Kieran West —Pembroke

Sebastian Schulte —Gonville & Caius

Thorsten Engelmann —St Edmund’s

Russell Glenn —Darwin

GOLDIE

Alastair MacLeod —St Catharine’s

Doug Perrin —Trinity Hall

Colin Scott —Trinity Hall

Tobias Garnett —Trinity

Oliver de Groot —Gonville & Caius

Johannes Kromdijk —Clare College

Don Wyper —St Edmund’s

David Billings —Gonville & Caius

Rebecca Dowbiggin —Emmanuel

OXFORD

BLUE BOAT

Michal Plotkowiak —Brasenose

Adam Kosmicki —Oriel

Andrew Wright —St Edmund Hall

Magnus Fleming —Worcester

Robin Ejsmond-Frey —Oriel

William ’Brodie’ Buckland —Jesus

Terence Kooyker —Keble

Ante Kusurin —St Catherine’s

Nicholas Brodie —St Catherine’s

ISIS

Paul Kelly —Wolfson

George Hilton —New

Anthony Mullin —St Catherine’s

Matthew Brown —Keble

Nicholas Marriott —University

Lucas Dalglish —Keble

Richard Chambers —Kellogg

David Knezevic —Balliol

Philip Clausen-Thue —Oriel

Both crews listed: Bow, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Stroke, Cox with athlete name and college