Crews Announced for First Women’s Tideway Trial VIIIs

For the first time ever tomorrow, the two squads for The Newton Women’s Boat Race will compete in Trial VIIIs on the Championship Course in London.

This is another step on the journey in moving to the Tideway in 2015. Moreover, it will be a valuable learning experience, as well as a key selection test for this year’s triallists.

The OUWBC Trial VIIIs will take to the water first, and they have named their crews after two female historical icons, Boudicca and Cleopatra. Boudicca sees returning Blues, President Maxie Scheske and Anastasia Chitty, combine in stern pair for another season – they were the stern pair of the 2013 victorious Oxford crew – within an international line-up that features oarswomen from the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and Great Britain. The sole returning Blue in Cleopatra, Harriet Keane, is joined by Osiris 2013 winner Hannah Ledbury, and experienced Canadian international Elizabeth Fenje.

For their Trial, Cambridge has taken inspiration from Monty Python with Nudge Nudge set to take on Wink Wink. Nudge Nudge will be coxed by President Esther Momcilovic, and features fellow returning Blue, Holly Game. They are an almost entirely British crew, apart from Valentina Futoryanova who has dual Russian and British nationality. Wink Wink contains two returning Blues, Melissa Wilson and Caroline Reid, and again has a mainly British makeup, except for American Sara Lackner.

Full crew lists for the two Trial VIIIs are as follows:

OXFORD TRIAL VIIIs

BOUDICCA

Bow: Merel Lefferts
2: Dora Amos
3: Clare Jamison
4: Hannah Roberts
5: Nadine Graedel Iberg
6: Lauren Kedar
7: Maxie Scheske
Stroke: Anastasia Chitty
Cox: Erin Wysocki-Jones

CLEOPATRA

Bow: Liz Fenje
2: Chloe Farrar
3: Isabelle Evans
4: Hannah Ledbury
5: Harriet Keane
6: Elo Luik
7: Amber de Vere
Stroke: Laura Savarese
Cox: Olivia Cleary

CAMBRIDGE TRIAL VIIIs

NUDGE NUDGE

Bow: Lottie Meggitt
2: Anouska Bartlett
3: Hannah Evans
4: Catherine Foot
5: Valentina Futoryanova
6: Kate Ashley
7: Izzy Vyvyan
Stroke: Holly Game
Cox: Esther Momcilovic

WINK WINK

Bow: Ella Barnard
2: Sarah Crowther
3: Hannah Roberts
4: Sara Lackner
5: Caroline Reid
6: Fiona Macklin
7: Jilly Tovey
Stroke: Melissa Wilson
Cox: Priya Crosby

OUWBC will race at 12.45 and CUWBC at 14.00. For live updates throughout both Trials, please follow @theboatrace on Twitter. The race reports for both Trials will be posted on the website later the same day.