Oxford and Cambridge Universities announce 2022 Boat Race crews

With less than 30 days to go until The Boat Race, the crews have been announced, and they include a wealth of internationals.

Across the two “Blue Boats” there are no fewer than 10 nationalities represented. While the majority are British, there are also several rowers from the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Switzerland in this year’s crews.

It will be the 76^th Women’s Boat Race in 2022. It has been held on the same day and course as the men’s race since 2015. This year’s Women’s Presidents are Bronya Sykes for Cambridge (five seat), and Amelia Standing for Oxford (two seat), both of whom are British, and “returning Blues”.

A “returning blue” is a rower who has raced in a boat race before. In this year’s women’s crews, Cambridge has five and Oxford has four. The returners are joined by an abundance of international experience on both sides, including many Tokyo Olympians. The seven seat of both crews have raced each other before on the international circuit; Grace Prendergast (Cambridge) from New Zealand and Erin Reelick (Oxford) from the United States have both won international medals in the women’s eight. The second New Zealander in this year’s Cambridge crew is Ruby Tew (four seat), who has raced in a variety of boat types at World Rowing Championships, and both the Rio and Tokyo Olympic Games.

The crew announced by Oxford also had a wide range of international experience including six seat Anastasia Posner, who has represented Great Britain at World Rowing Championships at Junior, U23 and Senior level. Perhaps more significantly, Posner has also already won four Boat Races with Oxford. She most recently took part in the Boat Race in 2016, which was also the last time Oxford won the women’s boat race. In the three seat, American Christine Cavallo is a former World Rowing Indoor Champion, and has represented the United States in sweep and sculling boats at Junior, U23 and Senior World Championships.

Cambridge has won the last four editions of the Women’s Race, but speaking at the crew announcement, Oxford’s Chief Coach Andy Nelder hinted they are out for revenge this year saying “We’re stronger than last year, the competition within the squad has been really fierce.”

Cambridge also won the Men’s Boat Race in 2021, for the third consecutive time. While Oxford will be hoping to pick up the trophy in the 167^th edition of the race, Cambridge President Charlie Marcus is looking to cox his crew to another victory. Oxford’s President, Martin Barakso, was selected last year, but has not made the Blue Boat this year.

This year’s men’s crews contain three Swiss Olympians. Barnabe Delarze and Roman Roeoesli, who finished 5th in the Men’s Double Sculls in Tokyo, will sit at three and five respectively in the Oxford crew, while 2016 Olympic Gold Medallist Simon Schuerch will sit at four for Cambridge. Fellow Tokyo Olympians include Angus Groom for Oxford in the seven seat, and Charlie Elwes in the six seat. The Cambridge crew will have Tom George and Ollie Wynne-Griffith from the Olympic bronze medal winning British eight, at six and five respectively. In Tokyo, the British eight finished just ahead of the United States, and Liam Corrigan, who was in the USA crew, will race at bow in this year’s Oxford crew.

Both crews will be stroked by British international medalists. For Oxford, 2021 World Rowing U23 Champion Tobias Schroeder, and for Cambridge, Oliver Parish, who won gold in 2018 and silver in 2019 at the World Rowing Junior Championships.

All four crews this year will be coxed by men. The Cambridge women’s crew will be coxed by Jasper Parrish, the brother of the strokeman of the Cambridge men’s crew, Ollie.

This year’s Boat Races will take place on Sunday 3^rd April on the River Thames in London, England, and broadcast around the world. Full details on how to watch the race will be available soon here.

© Photos Benedict Tufnell