Sunday saw another round of fixtures on the Tideway with the Oxford and Cambridge crews attempting to put their best foot forward in what proved to be challenging conditions.
Facing off against some of the best clubs on the domestic scene, there was high-quality racing, hearty competition and all the drama that you would expect to accompany it. This is the last time we’ll see either club competing until they line-up against one another for the most famous race on the rowing calendar.
Cambridge Women Vs. Thames Rowing Club
Cambridge Women were the first to race as they took to the water against Thames. With both their nominal ‘Blue Boat’ presumed Blondie crews competing, we had the chance to assess the depth of Cambridge’s squad.
Coming off as well deserved victors, Thames RC claimed victory against both Cambridge crews, winning against the top Cambridge crew by a mere foot, and Blondie by a more convincing three lengths. This isn’t to say, however, that there weren’t a number of positives in the Cambridge performances, particularly in the Blue Boat.
Leading from the start, Cambridge held on to an initial lead until Fulham Football Club. As the crews began to lengthen and find their rhythm, Thames edged into a marginal lead, an advantage they would hold for the remainder of the race. Cambridge were resolute in their efforts, however, and matched Thames stroke-for-stroke as they looked for any opportunity to push their line and break through.
Coxed by ex-Osiris steerswoman Antonia ‘Tintin’ Stutter, the fine line that she steered aided the efforts of her crew. Knowledge of the Tideway – and fixtures more generally – can be a game-changer in a race that is determined by small margins and Thames were certainly the beneficiaries on this occasion.
Passing Hammersmith Bridge, the lead remained at little more than a quarter of a length in Thames’ favour, yet as the river straightened and the finish came into view, Cambridge smelled blood and made a final push. It looked as though we were about to witness a perfectly executed game plan from the Cambridge boat as they were moving on Thames; it was, however, too little too late as umpire Richard Phelps called the race to an end with Thames clinging to their lead as the crews passed the end of Chiswick Eyot.
It’s easy to speculate how this race might have ended had it been the length of the Championship Course. What can be said with certainty, however, is that we witnessed a strong Cambridge performance where they matched arguably one of the best women’s crews of recent years. They should take a huge amount of confidence from this race and, despite losing both fixtures, Women’s Head Coach Paddy Ryan will be pleased with the attitude and skill that was on display from his women.
Cambridge Men Vs. Oxford Brookes
Facing Oxford Brookes, the Cambridge men had similarly tough opposition to face over two fixtures. Continually the gold standard in university rowing, how a crew performs against Brookes is a reliable indicator of their strength.
The first fixture – against a probable Ladies Plate crew come the summer – was a result that Cambridge won’t have been displeased with. Despite losing by a length and a half, there is evidence in this race that Cambridge managed to hold their own against the crew that will be competing for Head of the River victory in the coming weeks.
The Cambridge reserves were also beaten by Brookes; the margin of their loss being three lengths. With the depth that Brookes have in their ranks this isn’t surprising. Cambridge will be comfortable knowing that, come race day, they’ve already challenged the best that there is.
Oxford Men Vs. Leander Club
Rounding off the fixtures were two races between Oxford University and Leander Club. Whilst the Cambridge reserves were beaten earlier in the day, Isis managed to secure out an admirable one length victory. Oxford’s likely Blue Boat were awarded the result from their fixture on the basis of a Leander disqualification – one of the talking points of the day.
What’s evident from Oxford’s display is that they have depth in their squad that Cambridge might not. Leander Club, often Brookes’ near-equals, were raced strong and hard by Oxford who achieved comparatively better results that their Boat Race counterparts.
The Leander Crew that lined up against the Oxford first eight was littered with Blue Boat alumni from years gone by. This gave the race a real sense of occasion before it had even begun and, dare I say it, continued to influence the race as it progressed.
Oxford had the faster start of the two crews, taking half a length from their opponents by the time they had reached Fulham. There wasn’t a point throughout this race where they fell behind the star-studded Leander crew. Riding strong through the challenging conditions, Oxford thrived and always held their canvas ahead of their opponents.
This race, however, will be remembered for the collisions that came with it. As the race approached its midpoint, umpire Matthew Pinsent was forced to issue relentless warnings to coxes, though neither heeded his calls. As the crews came through Hammersmith Bridge, the first clash saw Oxford’s shell grind to a halt as Leander bashed through their opposition. This necessitated a restart – notoriously difficult on the Tideway – that in this instance, was the cause of a heated exchange between several parties.
Upon the eventual restart, more of the same ensued with nothing having been learned from the previous difficulties. Leander coxswain Jack Tottem – cox of the 2022 Blue Boat – failed to surrender his line and the advantage it brought his crew. Inevitably, once more, the crews clashed, though this time it was the Leander shell that stopped in its tracks and the Oxford crew that emerged victorious.
Pinsent judged that Leander was to be disqualified and the victory belonged to his alma mater, Oxford University.
It’s unclear what, if anything, the crews learned from their exchange. We can only hope that coxes in both the Cambridge and Oxford camps recognise that the seconds gained from a courageous flick of the rudder can be all-too easily undone by their opposite number’s blades, or indeed, the umpire’s flag.
Today’s fixtures gave us our final glimpse into Boat Race preparations as Oxford and Cambridge count down the hours to the 30th March.
JRN will continue in-depth coverage of The Boat Races with dedicated analysis, previews and discussions all available on our Boat Race homepage.
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