The 2022 Boat Race Squads

With the President’s Challenge officially set, eyes have inevitably begun to turn towards the sharp end of the Boat Race Calendar. 

Over the next 20 weeks, athletes will jostle for seats as the pressures of Trial Eights and February fixtures push the crews to their limits, ahead of The Boat Races on Sunday, 3rd April 2022.

We’ve previously discussed the broad line-ups from each university, but as crunch day edges ever closer, it’s worth examining the Blue rosters in a little more detail.

Cambridge University Boat Club – Women’s Squad

Chief Coach: Paddy Ryan 

Early favourites in the season, the Cambridge Women’s squad is, as ever, packed with domestic and international talent. Stand-out names include the King twins who rowed in Blondie last year, before making waves with a series of wins at BUCS 2021, alongside Emma Lipinay, fresh from the 2021 Osiris crew.

A New Zealand flavour comes from Ruby Tew and Grace Prendergast, both of whom represented their home nation at the Tokyo Olympic Games; the former in the women’s quad, and the latter in both the pair and eight where she won gold and silver, respectively. 

In addition, domestic lightweight Imogen Grant returns to the squad having previously rowed in Goldie and the Blue Boat a total of three times and fresh off of a fourth-place finish in the women’s lightweight double in Tokyo and, alongside partner Emily Craig (UL), a win in the Stonor Challenge Trophy at Henley Royal.

2021 Blues Caoimhe Dempsey, Adriana Perez Rotondo, Sarah Portsmouth, Bronya Sykes (P), and Dylan Whitaker (C) also return to the squad, all angling to keep the trophy safely under the custody of CUBC.

With such a dense talent pool, it’s possible, therefore, that the 2022 Blue Boat could contain a crew made up almost entirely of Olympians and returning Blues – an immensely tough act for anyone to follow.*

President: Bronya Sykes (Caius)

Oxford University Women’s Boat Club

Chief Coach: Andy Nelder

It’s been over half a decade since OUW painted the Tideway dark blue, when in 2016, the Cambridge Blue Boat officially sank under Barnes Bridge during some of the worst weather in recent Boat Race history. No Oxford women’s crew has since lifted the trophy.

However, determined to flip such narratives, Oxford looks to be creating a squad fit to rival that of Cambridge.

Not to be outdone, Oxford has four Blues returning from last year’s race. Ameilia Standing, this year’s President, brings an international finesse to the squad, having been crowned Under23 Champion in the four at Racice earlier this year. Alongside her stands five-time Canadian university champion Julia Lindsay and ex-Cardinal Anja Zehfuss. Rounding out the returners is Cambridge-born Meg Stoker, previously resident at Peterborough City RC and Bath University. 

Alongside the formidable four is a handful of recognisable rowing names, including US National Lightweights Christine Cavallo and Olivia Farrar and ex-US and Canadian openweights Erin Reelick and Gabrielle Smith. Hoping to make the move to the Blue Boat this year are 2021 Osiris athletes Oriane Grant and Emma Hewlett, whilst Harriet Hayson and Tara Slade make the move to Oxford, having previously studied at Cambridge.

President: Amelia Standing (St Anne’s)

Cambridge University Boat Club Men’s Squad

Chief Coach: Rob Baker

Lasting longer than any other dynasty since the late ’90s, the light-blue streak of 2018-21 looks to be under greater pressure than ever as Oxford seek to cram as many Olympic medals into their Blue Boat as humanly possible. 

Unperturbed, Cambridge has recruited a broad range of athletes that – with a sprinkling of Baker finesse – could push for the win. 

President, Coxwain and Old Hamptonian Charlie Marcus is one of three Blues returning to the squad this year, alongside Seb Benzecry and Ollie Parrish, all of whom excelled as juniors before settling into life on the Ouse. Ollie, in particular, made notoriety after racing under Bobby Thatcher at St Paul’s to sculpt ‘the fastest schoolboy eight of all time’ in the summer of 2018. His brother, Jasper, joins the squad this year, having narrowly lost the Princess Elizabeth to Eton at the Royal this year; a crew which another squad member – Zac Mee – was selected for last season.

Long-time friends and GB Olympic Bronze Medalists Tom George and Ollie Wynne-Griffith also join the squad, having learned to row together at Radley School. Further international pedigree comes from Under19 World Silver Medalist Lasse Grimmer (Germany), 2016 Olympians James Hunter (New Zealand) and Simon Schürch (Switzerland), and Under23 Nationalists George Finlayson (Australia) and Thomas Satterthwaite (USA).

Supplemented by a gang of 2021 Goldie athletes and newly selected College Rowers, the Cambridge machine could very well churn out another World-class Blue Boat.

President: Charlie Marcus (Trinity)

Oxford University Boat Club 

Chief Coach: Sean Bowden 

Pegged by many-a-commentator as outright favourites for the 167th Men’s Boat Race, Oxford certainly has plenty to live up to. But, with a squad packed with international talent, could this be the crew from Oxford that reclaims the title for the first time in half a decade?  

Oxford has five Blues returning to make amends for the 2021 race. James Forward joins President Martin Barakso, Tobias Schroder, Joshua Bowesman-Jones and Augustin Wambersie. 2020 Blue Oliver Perry also joins the team.

It’s the fresh talent, however, that is expected to propel the Dark Blues to a new plane of eight-oared existence. 

Out of the international scene steps US Olympian Liam Corrigan and Switzerland’s Barnabe Delarze and Roman Röösli. 

On the British side, Olympic silver medalist Angus Groom joins his fellow Olympians, alongside the likes of two-time Henley Winner David Amber, NSR Record-holder Holden Eaton and IRA finalist Christopher Hull.

A defiant roster by all measures, but with a group of international scullers being given only a few months to perfect their one-oared student-athlete lifestyle, the task is now to unify raw wattage under one discreet technical model. 

President: Martin Barakso (Oriel)

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*Yes, we’ve worked that out too. Within the canonical eight (returning Blues & Olympians), there are four bow-siders, three stroke-siders, and one cox; no one would have to learn a new side to be incorporated into the ‘all-star’ crew. That being said, we’d be marginally surprised if all of last year’s Blues made the cut this year; after all, there’s a lot of new (and not-so-new) talent…

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