The Boat Race

Boat Race 2019: Cambridge v Oxford – live updates!

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Boat race
Cambridge’s men train on the Thames. Photograph: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Both teams have found a steady stride and, a couple of minutes in, Cambridge inch ahead thanks to an aggressive start.

The women's race begins!

“Go!” bellows umpire Richard Phelps, and the rowers are off along the 4.2 mile course, Oxford a nose ahead because of their side.

The women are readying themselves on the water, game faces affixed. Just a couple of minutes now until the starting pistol is fired. Cambridge the 11/4 favourites.

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Cambridge are also the marginal favourites for the women’s race – coxed by Hugh Spaughton, their rowers are on average 1cm taller and 1.2kg heavier. They are chasing a third win on the trot, and will be well aware of the all-time record, set by their predecessors two years ago: 18min 33 secs.

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Today’s course:

course

Weather watch

Bleak. But not disastrous. The skies above the Thames are unrelentingly grey, and it’s chilly – 11 degrees to be precise – but more importantly, wind is negligible.

Meanwhile, Cambridge have only gone and won the toss for both events, the scamps. Both teams chose the Surrey side.

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The women’s boat club presidents exchange a crunching handshake. Eleanor Shearer, on the left, is also Oxford’s cox today.

Eleanor Shearer, president of Oxford University Women’s Boat Club shakes hands with Abigail Parker, president of Cambridge University Women’s Boat Club.
Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Reuters

The women march out, boats on their shoulders, and plonk them in the Thames shallows. It starts to rain. Respective crews are as follows:

Cambridge: Tricia Smith; Sophie Deans; Laura Foster; Larkin Sayre; Kate Horvat; Pippa Whittaker; Ida Gortz Jacobsen; Lily Lindsay; Hugh Spaughton (cox)

Oxford: Isobel Dodds; Anna Murgatroyd; Renee Koolschijn; Lizzie Polgreen; Tina Christmann; Beth Bridgman; Olivia Pryer; Amelia Standing; Eleanor Shearer (cox)

Pre-race reading:

Preamble

The 165th boat race between the distinguished souls of Oxford and Cambridge will feature the event’s oldest ever competitor, with Olympic gold medallist James Cracknell – currently perusing human evolution at Cambridge University – dusting off the Lycra at the ripe old age of 46.

The west Londoner grew up a mile and a half from the Mortlake finish line before winning gold medals in Sydney and Athens, and unsurprisingly, his presence is this year’s headline attraction. It has also made his 1-4 favourites to triumph – which would make it three wins out of four for Cambridge men after their rivals’ unbroken trio between 2013-15.

Before that though is the women’s race, with an Oxford crew – coxed by Ellie Shearer and with three returning rowers from 12 months ago – looking to avenge last year’s seven-length defeat.

In the meantime, we can entertain ourselves with the all-English spectacle of intoxicated toffs, Morris dancers and miserable weather.

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