Women’s Boat Race Preview

This Sunday 30^th March sees the 69^th Newton Women’s Boat Race take place at Henley.

This will be the final year before it makes a historic move to the tideway to take place alongside the Men’s Boat Race. There are a series of races throughout the day – women’s heavyweights, women’s heavyweight Blondie reserve boat, women’s lightweights and men’s lightweights.

Oxford dominated last year with a 4-0 whitewash. Prospects for this year are difficult to measure since the crews themselves have not come up against each other so far this year. This means on the day everything is to play for.

The heavyweight Light Blues are a completely homegrown bunch with an entirely British Cambridge crew taking on a lighter, more international Oxford boat. The Cambridge women are an average of 4kg per woman heavier than the Dark Blues and also have a height advantage of 2cm per woman. The lightweight women’s Light Blues crew show how in-tune they are, all weighing in at 59kg – bang on the limit.

The crews have been in Henley since last Saturday for race preparation, boating out of Leander and staying in crew houses. This is prime time for the Cambridge Light Blues to get in the zone.

Eve Edwards, an Emma student and member of the lightweight crew, shared, “We’ve mainly been listening to ‘Everything Is Awesome’ and planning post-race food since we got here”.

Let’s just hope their rowing ability is better than their taste in music.

Jilottie Megitovey added, “Simon and Alistair, it’s over”.

Clearly, the latter statement is part of a cryptic mind-game used to undermine the opposition.

Annie Vernon, the 2013 assistant coach, said , “In the Boat Race, it is Oxford v Cambridge. One crew will have spent six months training, will win and will feel amazing. The other will have spent six months training but will fall short – and that is the toughest way in life to learn something about yourself.”

Win or lose, the race will be extra-oar-dinary.

Follow the races themselves – the highs, the lows (but predominantly the highs) – on CamFM.

The 2014 Men’s Boat Race takes place on Sunday 6^th April at 6pm.

You can follow this year’s men’s race LIVE with Tab Sport, reporting from CUBC’s very own Crabtree boathouse on the Tideway.

Follow these links for details about the Boat Race’s after party:

https://www.facebook.com/events/826381807388377/?fref=ts

http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cambridge-boat-race-official-after-party-tickets-10575711237

CAMBRIDGE WOMEN’S HEAVYWEIGHTS:

Bow: Caroline Reid 64.4kg

2. Kate Ashley 75kg

3. Holly Game 74.6kg

4. Isabella Vyvyan 87.2kg

5. Catherine Foot 71kg

6. Melissa Wilson 77kg

7. Claire Watkins 72.6kg

Stroke: Emily Day 64kg

 

Cox: Esther Mocilovic

 

CAMBRIDGE WOMEN’S LIGHTWEIGHTS:

Bow: Clare Hall 59kg

2. Christina Ostacchini 59kg

3. Lottie Meggitt 59kg

4. Eve Edwards 59kg

5. Valentina Futoryanova 59kg

6. Ella Barnard 59kg

7. Fiona Macklin 59kg

Stroke: Jilly Tovey 59kg

 

Cox: Priya Crosby