Women's Boat Race 2014

69th Women's Boat Race
Date 30 March 2014 (2014-03-30)
Winner Oxford
Margin of victory 4 lengths
Winning time 5 minutes 50 seconds
Overall record
(Cambridge–Oxford)		 41–28
Umpire Judith Packer
← 2013 2015 →

The 69th Women's Boat Race took place on 30 March 2014. The race, between crews representing Oxford University Women's Boat Club and Cambridge University Women's Boat Club, was umpired by Judith Packer. Cambridge's crew, the heavier of the two, was entirely British, while Oxford's boat included rowers from Canada, Switzerland and the United States. Oxford won by four lengths in a time of 5 minutes 50 seconds, their second consecutive win. The victory took the overall record in the event to 41–28 in Cambridge's favour. It was the last time the race would be conducted over a 2 km (1.2 mi) straight race as part of the Henley Boat Races.

Background

The Women's Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing competition between eights from Oxford University Women's Boat Club and the Cambridge University Women's Boat Club that has taken place since 1927. Oxford went into the race as champions, having won the previous year's race by one and three-quarter lengths; Cambridge led 41–27 overall.[1] It was the last time the race would be conducted as part of the Henley Boat Races, along a 2-kilometre (1.2 mi) stretch of the River Thames referred to as the Straight Course which is used for the Henley Royal Regatta since 1924.[2] The 2015 race would be conducted on The Championship Course on the same day as men's race.[3]

Cambridge's number five, Catherine Foot, remarked "After training, I step back and think 'wow, I'm part of this incredible tradition'. There is nothing else I'd rather be doing than training for this event", while Oxford's stroke Amber de Vere said "All the training has been leading up to this weekend. Next year is definitely exciting and it has added something to training, but as a crew, we're only thinking about Sunday."[4] This year's race was umpired by Judith Packer and was sponsored by Newton Investment Management, a subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon, for the third successive year.[3][5]

Crews

Cambridge's bow Caroline Reid (left) and Oxford number seven Anastasia Chitty (pictured in 2015)

During the build-up to the race, the two universities sent trial boats to race on 19 December 2013. For the first time in the history of the competition, this took place on the Tideway on part of the Championship Course. The two Cambridge boats were named Nudge Nudge and Wink Wink (with a third reserve boat called Say No More),[6] while Oxford's trialists rowed in Cleopatra and Boudicca.[7] Both trials were overseen by Olympic bronze medallist Sarah Winckless.[7]

The Cambridge crew weighed an average of 73.2 kg (161 lb) per rower, 4 kilograms (8.8 lb) more than their opponents.[8] Three members of Oxford's 2013 crew returned to race in 2014: Alice Carrington-Windo, Maxie Scheske and Anastasia Chitty. Cambridge's boat included two double Blues in Caroline Reid and Holly Game, while four other members of the crew had taken part in the previous year's race.[9] Every member of the Cambridge crew was British, while Oxford's boat included Canadian Elizabeth Fence, German/Britons Carrington-Windo and Scheske, Nadine Graedel Iberg from Switzerland and American Laura Savarese (who had rowed in the Harvard–Yale Regatta for Harvard University on four occasions).[3][10]

Seat Cambridge
Oxford
Name College Nationality Weight Name College Nationality Weight
Bow Caroline Reid Jesus British 64.4 kg (142 lb) Elizabeth Fenje Kellogg Canadian 58.6 kg (129 lb)
2 Kate Ashley Peterhouse British 75.0 kg (165 lb) Alice Carrington-Windo Kellogg German/British 67.2 kg (148 lb)
3 Holly Game Girton British 74.6 kg (164 lb) Maxie Scheske (P) Magdalen German/British 64.8 kg (143 lb)
4 Isabella Vyvyan Hughes Hall British 87.2 kg (192 lb) Lauren Kedar Exeter British 75.4 kg (166 lb)
5 Catherine Foot Girton British 71.0 kg (157 lb) Nadine Graedel Iberg Lincoln Swiss 72.6 kg (160 lb)
6 Melissa Wilson Gonville and Caius British 77.0 kg (170 lb) Laura Savarese Corpus Christi American 73.6 kg (162 lb)
7 Claire Watkins Clare British 72.6 kg (160 lb) Anastasia Chitty Pembroke British 69.4 kg (153 lb)
Stroke Emily Day Emmanuel British 64.0 kg (141 lb) Amber de Vere Somerville British 72.0 kg (159 lb)
Cox Esther Momcilovic (P) Clare British 52.4 kg (116 lb) Erin Wysocki-Jones Pembroke British 49.6 kg (109 lb)
Sources:[8][11][12][13]
(P) – boat club president[3]

Race

A newly-designed trophy (pictured in 2015) was presented by Olympic gold medallist Sophie Hosking.

Cambridge won the toss and elected to start from the Berkshire side, handing the Buckinghamshire station to Oxford.[14] At 3 p.m., umpire Palmer dropped the flag to start the race.[15] Both crews went off rating 40 strokes per minute and after the first 500 metres (550 yd) Oxford were half a length ahead. By the time the crews passed the Upper Thames Rowing Club, Oxford's lead was over a length. Cambridge made a series of pushes; both crews were warned by the umpire to avoid a collision. Oxford continued to extend their lead to win by four lengths, the largest winning margin since the 2010 race. Their time was 5 minutes 50 seconds, six seconds slower than the record time set by Oxford in the 2006 race.[3][16] The victory was Oxford's second consecutive win and their sixth in the last seven;[17] it took the overall record in the event to 41–28 in Cambridge's favour.[1]

The former Oxford cox Rachel Quarrell, writing in The Daily Telegraph stated that the race "was won in storming style" and suggested the contest was over within the first two minutes.[14] A newly-designed trophy, to replace the existing wooden shield,[18] was awarded to the Oxford president by Olympic gold medallist Sophie Hosking who had won the Women's lightweight double sculls at the 2012 Summer Olympics.[19][20]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Boat Race – Results". The Boat Race Company Limited. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "History of the course". Henley Royal Regatta. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Oxford win the 2014 Newton Women's Boat Race". The Boat Race Company Limited. 30 March 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  4. ↑ Barretto, Lawrence (27 March 2014). "Women's Boat Race: Oxford & Cambridge set to renew rivalry". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  5. ↑ Morrissey, Helena (4 April 2015). "Helena Morrissey: 'Tide turns in favour of boat race women'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  6. ↑ "First CUWBC Tideway Trial VIIIs". Cambridge University Women's Boat Club. 27 January 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Women make history with thrilling trials". The Boat Race Company Limited. 19 December 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  8. 1 2 "As the Men and Women's Blue Boats Weighed-In Together Yesterday, It Was the Cambridge Men's Crew and Women's Crew That Topped the Scales". University of Cambridge. 11 March 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2015. (subscription required)
  9. ↑ "Henley Challenge marks five days to go until the historic Women's Boat Race". The Boat Race Company Limited. 25 March 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  10. ↑ Quarrell, Rachel (30 March 2014). "Women's boats in arms race to prepare for historic tideway move". The Sunday Telegraph. p. 9.
  11. ↑ "Women's Boat Race: Oxford beat Cambridge by four lengths". BBC Sport. 30 March 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  12. ↑ "Crews". Oxford University Women's Boat Club. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  13. ↑ "Henley challenge marks five days to go until the historic women's boat race". The Boat Race Company Limited. 25 March 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  14. 1 2 Quarrell, Rachel (30 March 2014). "Boat Race 2014: Ineradicable Oxford women demolish Cambridge for second year running". The Daily Telegraph.
  15. ↑ Longmore, Andrew (30 March 2014). "Women chart new course". The Sunday Times. (subscription required)
  16. ↑ "Light Blues have no answer to Oxford dominance". Cambridge News. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  17. ↑ Lowe, Alex (31 March 2014). "Oxford claim victory over Cambridge but miss record in women's Boat Race". The Times. (subscription required)
  18. ↑ Rock, Lucy (30 March 2014). "Women rowers catch up with men at the Boat Race". The Observer. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  19. ↑ Mahoney, Lizzie (19 February 2014). "New Women's Boat Race trophy unveiled". The Cambridge Student. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  20. ↑ "Sophie Hosking, Bio, Stats and Results". Sports Reference. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
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