Time to turn my attention to the reserve crews for this year’s Boat Race. These often produce some of the best racing but seldom get the media attention that they deserve. So, as with the Blue Boats, I’ll do a seat-by-seat comparison of the crews and try and predict a winner.
Cox
Cox
James Trotman - 🇬🇧
Last year’s Blue Boat cox, Trotman learnt his coxing skills on the Championship course at St Paul’s School. He steered St Paul’s first eight to victory in the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta in 2022 and guided the GB eight to a silver medal at the Junior World Championships.
Cox
Tara Slade - 🇬🇧
Last year’s Blue Boat cox, Slade is a Cambridge graduate and coxed the Cambridge Lightweight Reserves in 2018.
Verdict
Who has the stronger cox?
Cambridge Advantage
It’s very unusual for the two coxes to face each other in consecutive years, especially when they both drop down from the Blue Boats to the reserves (I’m not sure that’s ever happened before). Whilst they both have extensive Boat Race experience, I have to give this to Blondie.
Stroke
Stroke
Freya Sutcliffe - 🇬🇧
Sutcliffe is one of the most experienced members of the Blondie boat. She is a three-time Lightweight Blue, winning in 2020, 2021 and 2022. She also has representative honours for Wales from the Home International Regatta. In 2022 she won the lightweight pair at Henley Women’s Regatta and also took wins in the lightweight coxless four and quad at BUCS.
Stroke
Maria Nielsen-Scott - 🇬🇧
crew of 2023. She’s yet another athlete who only took up rowing whilst at university. They will make history in 2024, becoming the first sisters to compete directly against one another.
Verdict
Who has the stronger stroke seat?
Cambridge Advantage
Blondie just has the edge.
Seven
Seven
Katy Hempson - 🇬🇧
Hempson was a member of the victorious Cambridge Lightweight Blue Boat in 2023 despite only taking up the sport when she went up to Cambridge. As part of the Lightweight squad, she raced for Cambridge at Henley Women’s Regatta and the Metropolitan Regatta (reaching the A Final of open pairs)
Seven
Freya Willis - 🇦🇺
One of two former Blues in the Dark Blue boat, Willis raced in the six-seat of last year’s losing Blue Boat. A graduate of the Australian National University, she raced at the Australian National Schools Championships whilst at Methodist Ladies College. In 2022 she raced for the City of Oxford at Henley Women’s Regatta, reaching the quarter-final of club fours.
Verdict
Who has the stronger seven seat?
Oxford Advantage
Narrow advantage to Osiris
Six
Six
Molly Foxell - 🇬🇧
Foxell is one of two returners from the victorious 2023 Blondie crew. She learnt her rowing on the river Lea in east London and as a junior was selected to row for Great Britain in the annual GB v France match.
Six
Phoebe Mountain - 🇬🇧
The second of four returners from the 2023 Osiris crew, Mountain has a Lightweight Blue to her credit, being a part of the losing crew in 2022. Like many in the Reserves race she didn’t start rowing until going up to university.
Verdict
Who has the stronger six seat?
Cambridge Advantage
Victory in last year’s race gives Foxell the edge for Blondie
Five
Five
Jessica Spain - 🇬🇧
Yet another athlete who didn’t pick up a blade until they went up to Cambridge. She was part of the Cambridge squad in 2022 and was part of the crew that won academic coxed fours at the Fours Head. Injury meant she missed out on selection in 2023.
Five
Alexia Lowe - 🇬🇧/🇫🇷
The youngest member of this year’s Osiris crew, Lowe took up rowing at Oxford and has progressed well through the squad to achieve selection for Osiris.
Verdict
Who has the stronger five seat?
Cambridge Advantage
Advantage Blondie
Four
Four
Rowan Saltmarsh - 🇬🇧
Another athlete who didn’t start rowing until they went up to Cambridge, Saltmarsh captained her college crew, Lady Margaret to their blades at Lent Bumps.
Four
Isabelle Rocroi - 🇺🇸/🇫🇷
The oldest member of the Osiris boat, Rocroi took up rowing when she went up to Oxford and was part of the Pembroke College crew that won Summer Eights in 2018. Last summer she was part of the Oxford Development squad and narrowly missed qualifying for the Island Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta.
Verdict
Who has the stronger four seat?
No Advantage for either Crew
Honours even
Three
Three
Helen Nielsen-Scott - 🇬🇧
Another rower with previous experience of the Osiris v Blondie race. Neilsen-Scott was part of the 2022 Osiris Boat. She took up rowing when she went up to Oxford and after racing in Osiris represented Oxford in the development coxed four event at Henley Women’s Regatta. She faces off against her older sister, Maria stroking the Osiris boat.
Three
Lilli Freischem - 🇩🇪
Freischem took up rowing at Edinburgh University and was part of their successful novice squad, winning gold at BUCS in both the quad and eight. After coming up to Oxford she continued to develop her rowing, and in 2023 was part of the losing Osiris crew.
Verdict
Who has the stronger three seat?
Oxford Advantage
Advantage Osiris
Two
Two
Lucy Havard - 🇬🇧
Harvard is one of three members of the Blondie crew who didn’t step into a boat until they went up to Cambridge. This is her second year in the Cambridge squad and in 2023 she narrowly missed out on a seat in the Blondie boat and raced as part of the ‘Spare Pair’.
Two
Catherine King - 🇬🇧
King has raced in the Reserves race before, only for the other side. In 2021 she was a member of the victorious Blondie crew. She has also won two Lightweight Blues for Cambridge, winning in 2022 and losing in 2019. Along with her twin sister, Gemma (a member of the Cambridge Blue Boat) she raced at Henley in the Hambleden Pairs in both 2018 and 2019 (the former whilst still juniors). This duo also have wins in the LW2- at the BUCS Regatta and won bronze at the European Universities Championships.
Verdict
Who has the stronger two seat?
Oxford Advantage
Clear win to Osiris
Bow
Bow
Annabel Stevens - 🇬🇧
The oldest member of the Blondie crew, Stevens is a graduate from Oxford Brookes and made a name for herself as a sculler, winning gold in the championship single at BUCS Regatta and also qualifying for the Princess Royal Challenge Cup at Henley. She also has two Henley Women’s Regatta wins under her belt. As a junior she represented Great Britain at the Junior World Championships, winning a silver medal in the JW4X in 2016.
Bow
Juliet Russell - 🇬🇧
One of four returning members of the losing 2023 Osiris crew, Russell stroked her college crew, Christ Church, to their first ever Headship at Summer Eights last year.
Verdict
Who has the stronger bow seat?
Cambridge Advantage
Clear advantage to Blondie
The Prediction
Dan Spring's Verdict
Who will win the Blondie Osiris race?
Oxford
So, who will take the honours? As in the Isis v Goldie race I think this could be a really tight contest. Osiris has the experienced Willis in the stern pair, but Blondie has a number of last year’s victorious crew as well as the experienced Trotman in the coxes seat. I’m going for an Osiris win by 1 ½ lengths.
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