Olympians, World Champions and Undergraduates team-up for the first big race of The Boat Race season
Both Oxford and Cambridge put in strong performances this weekend, as weather conditions gave crews the opportunity to give their best performance. It was the first opportunity to compare the strength and depth in the Oxford and Cambridge teams. Racing against the best crews in the UK, Cambridge and Oxford Women finished second in their top categories with Cambridge men second in open Championship Coxed Fours and sixth in Coxless Fours.
The decision whether to place top athletes in coxed or coxless boats is very much a personal call for the coaches and will be a decision based on a number of factors; steering knowledge and experience of rowers on the Tideway, equipment available and coxing opportunities for coxes. Cambridge women had 4 crews racing made up of 2 coxless and 2 coxed fours Oxford entered 5 crews, 3 coxed and 2 coxless fours.
In Championship Coxless Fours, Cambridge’s crew contained three 2020 Olympians; Imogen Grant, Kiwis Ruby Tew, Gold and Silver Medallist Grace Prendergast and President Bronya Sykes put in a very strong performance to come second to Leander Club, with Oxford a minute behind, two seconds ahead of the next Cambridge crew.
In the Women’s Championship Coxed Fours, Oxford’s crew with Canadian Tokyo Olympian Gabrielle Smith, US World Bronze Medallist Erin Reelick, President and GB U23 World Champion Amelia Standing, GB World Bronze Medallist and multiple winning Blue, Anastasia Posner, coxed by undergraduate Emily Twinn, were an impressive second to Leander Club. The coxed four was some way ahead of the rest of the pack, 30 seconds ahead of their Oxford team mates who placed 3rd who were in turn 4 seconds ahead of 4th placed Cambridge. Cambridge and Oxford were further placed 7th and 9th in this division.
Oxford Women placed 2nd in Women’s Academic Coxless Fours behind Imperial College London.
Cambridge men entered five crews, 4 coxed crews and 1 coxless crew. The Open Championship Coxless Four Cambridge steered by Ollie Parish were placed 6th behind Leander Club and Oxford Brookes. The Championship Coxed Four saw Cambridge made up of GB Tokyo Olympic Bronze Medallists Tom George and Ollie Wynne-Griffith teamed up with former Cal Berkeley George Finlayson and undergraduate Luca Ferraro place 2nd. This crew were 30 seconds ahead of their next Cambridge crew who were 40 seconds ahead of the following Cambridge crew.
A good first test for the crews, … next up The Presidents’ Challenge where Oxford will challenge Cambridge to race next April. This historically important occasion officially starts The Boat Race season …
Cambridge Men's Crews
*Crew lists correct at time of publishing
Open Championship 4+
PLACED SECOND
Oliver Wynne-Griffith Str Peterhouse
George Finlayson 3 Peterhouse
Tom George 2 Peterhouse
Luca Ferraro Bow King's College
Charlie Marcus Cox Trinity College
Open Championship 4+
PLACED THIRD
Simon Schurch Str St. Edmund's College
Reef Boericke 3 Gonville and Caius College
James Bernard 2 St Edmund's College
Hugo Durward Bow Sidney Sussex College
Oli Boyne Cox Downing College
Open Championship 4+
PLACED NINTH
Cameron Spiers Str Downing College
Henry Evans 3 St Edmund's College
Tom Lynch 2 Hughes Hall College
Toby Satterthwaite Bow Peterhouse College
Zac Mee Cox Trinity College
Open Championship 4-
PLACED SIXTH
James Hunter Str St. Catharine's College
Seb Benzecry 3 Jesus College
Tom Marsh 2 St. John's College
Ollie Parish Bow Peterhouse
Open Championship 4+
PLACED FOURTH
Ed Townsend Str Downing
George Hawkswell 3 Gonville and Caius College
Dan Toy 2 Gonville and Caius College
Peter Stevens Bow Queens' College
Jasper Parish Cox Clare College
Cambridge Women's Crews
*Crew lists correct at time of publishing
Women's Championship 4-
PLACED SECOND
Ruby Tew Str Queens' College
Bronya Sykes 3 Gonville and Caius College
Grace Prendergast 2 Queens' College
Imogen Grant Bow Trinity College
Women's Championship 4-
PLACED SEVENTH
Alex Riddell-Webster Str Murray Edwards College
Jo Matthews 3 St. John's College
Elena von Mueller 2 Jesus College
Gemma King Bow St John's College
Women's Championship 4+
PLACED FOURTH
Caoimhe Dempsey Str Newnham College
Paige Badenhorst 3 Magdalene College
Jenna Armstrong 2 Jesus College
Adriana Perez Rotondo Bow Newnham College
Dylan Whitaker Cox King's College Women's Championship 4+
PLACED SEVENTH
Vera Kunz Str Gonville and Caius College
Clare Hole 3 St Catharine's College
Millie Hopkins 2 Newnham College
Carina Graf Bow Emmanuel College
Leila Uddin Cox Magdalene College Oxford Women's Crews
*Crew lists correct at time of publishing
Women's Championship 4+
PLACED SECOND
Amelia Standing Str St Anne's College
Erin Reelick 3 New College
Gabrielle Smith 2 Regent's Park College
Anastasia Posner Bow Pembroke College
Emily Twinn Cox St Edmund's College Women's Championship 4+
PLACED THIRD
Annie Anezakis Str Lady Margaret Hall College
Julia Lindsay 3 St Cross College
Olivia Farrar 2 Wolfson College
Christine Cavallo Bow St. Anne's College
Charlotte Grayson Cox Wadham College Women's Championship 4-
PLACED SIXTH
Anja Zehfuss Str Green Templeton College
Sara Helin 3 St. Peter's College
Lucy Miles 2 Lady Margaret Hall College
Megan Stoker Bow St Peter's College
Women's Championship4+
PLACED NINTH
Claire Aitken Str Oriel College
Emma Hewlett 3 Trinity College
Georgia Jones 2 Somerville College
Alison Carrington Bow Hertford College
Tara Slade Cox St Peter's College
Women's Academic 4-
PLACED SECOND
Laurel Kaye Str Worcester College
Elizabeth Rees 3 St Catherine's College
Charlotte Wittram 2 Lincoln College
Isobel Stuart-Smith Bow Trinity College
For full results and times please go to The Fours Head website