Cambridge University men have entered a line-up close to their victorious 2025 Boat Race crew into the Grand Challenge Cup, the premier event for men’s eights, at Henley Royal Regatta.
They will be facing national eights from the Netherlands, Australia and the home crew from Great Britain. The Light Blues recorded the seventh fastest time in history in this year’s Boat Race despite the blustery conditions.
Friday will see the fight for the Grand Challenge Cup commence, with the Light Blues facing the Netherlands. Ollie Boyne again takes the cox’s seat, and in front of him will be Douwe de Graaf (stroke), George Bourne, Tom Ford, Simon Hatcher, James Robson, Tom Macky, Noam Mouelle, Luca Ferraro (bow).
The Cambridge women have kept their Blue Boat line-up together and will contest the inaugural Bridge Challenge Plate, for intermediate women’s eights. Jack Nicholas (cox), Samantha Morton Van Eybergen (stroke), Tash Morrice, Claire Collins, Carys Earl, Annie Wertheimer, Sophia Hahn, Gemma King, Katy Hempson (bow).
Cambridge open their Bridge campaign on Thursday, against Oxford Brookes ‘B’.
Claire Collins is also racing in the Hambledon Challenge for pairs, with a former team mate from New York Athletic Club. They will take on Gammond and Borrows from Upper Thames Rowing Club.
Two other Light Blue pairs will contest this event. 2025 Blondie rower Mia Freischem joins lightweight Arden Berlinger to face Jurkovic and Jurkovic from the Croatian Rowing Federation in the first round, on Friday. Light Blues Carina Graf and Ellie Sillar will face Witt and Perry from Leander Club.
A similar crew to the winning Cambridge Reserve Crew, Goldie, will race in the Temple Challenge Cup, for student eights. They start their campaign on Wednesday against Durham University ‘B’. Cox: Isabella Fiske Harrison (cox), Luke Beever (stroke), Matt Edge, Brett Taylor, Tom Connor, Matt Morgan, Connor Attridge, Joe Travis, Sean Hayes (bow).
The Dark Blues have two strong fours in the Visitors’ Challenge Cup, for intermediate men’s coxless fours. The ‘A’ crew is Nick Rusher (bow), Nico Kohl, Tassilo von Müller, Felix Rawlinson (stroke). They have a bye through the first round so will open their account on Friday and will face the winner of Thames RC ‘A’ and Leander Club & Tideway Scullers’ School.
The Oxford University ‘B’ crew in the Visitors’ had to fight through qualifying, and has 2025 Blue Tom Sharrock at bow, with Paolo Cicuta, Tom Rigney, and fellow Blue James Doran at stroke. They are drawn against Cambridge ’99 and Elizabethan BC on Thursday.
The Island Challenge Cup, for women’s student eights, will have two Dark Blue women’s crews, with the top crew featuring three of the Oxford Blue Boat. Oxford University ‘A’ will have 2025 Blue Daniel Orton in the cox’s seat, then in front of him: Sarah Polson (stroke), Sierra Sparks, Sarah Marshall, Alexia Lowe, Tessa Haining, Lilli Freischem, Catherine King, Amelia Mills (bow). They are drawn against University of Surrey in the first round on Wednesday.
Oxford University ‘B’ has a mixture of 2025 Reserve Crew rowers: Georgia Douglas (cox), Sian Dennett (stroke), Imogen Boxall, Milly Troup, Hattie Cooper, Indigo Buckler, Hermione Warr, Olivia Ramsay, Charlotte Wheatley (bow). The ‘B’ crew races Edinburgh University ‘A’ in Wednesday’s opening round.
Oxford University will also race the Prince Albert Challenge Cup for men’s student coxed fours, where they will face University of London in the first round. The crew line-up is Jess Ward (cox), Ben Atkinson (stroke), Will Reilly, Seb Harker and Dylan John (bow).
Follow our social feeds throughout this week where we will be recapping the Boat Race crews as they take on the rest of the world at Henley Royal Regatta.