Cambridge beat Oxford in men's and women's 2021 Boat Race – as it happened

Report from Giles Richards - right here!

Every year, like clockwork, they both keep qualifying.

That’s all from me today - thanks for reading, and for emailing, and congratulations to Cambridge on yet more success in the world’s most famous rowing race. The report will be coming up shortly - bye for now - and remember: “Water’s water.”

Sheer dejection for Oxford after defeat in the men’s race:

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You could say that both of Cambridge’s crews simply Ouse-d class today:

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John Brewin’s got all the live action from Aston Villa v Fulham right here:

Double joy for the home crews, then. There would have been dancing in the streets of Cambridge tonight, if Covid-19 restrictions allowed it:

That was the closest men’s race since 2003 and the closest women’s race since 2011, we are told by Clare Balding. But you knew that, didn’t you?

The Cambridge president Callum Sullivan speaks on the winners’ podium: “After the first 750, it was about reasserting all the finer points [of technique] ... It’s been a fantastically unique season. We’ve had to roll with the punches, every step of the way. Just adapt, you know, and keep the crew’s energy and momentum really high every week ... these are great guys, they stuck together and made it work, every step of the way.

Theo Weinberger adds: “You dream of this moment ... I don’t know what you can say ... it’s two years worth of training and hard work, it just means so much, I don’t think there’s anything you can compare it to.”

Then there is a second shower of English sparkling wine, and the winning crews jump into the Ouse for a celebratory dip.

Pundit James Cracknell talks on the BBC: “If I was the Oxford cox when that massive clump of weeds [appeared], and they got told to move apart, I’d have steered into them, to force a restart. The second start, Oxford would know what Cambridge were going to do. Oxford were surprised by Cambridge ... I think they’d have done anything to have a second go ... I’d resort to clever tactics.”

An interesting thought for the rowing purists among you, regarding the Doggett’s, the oldest rowing race in the world, from Lisa Katsiaris on Twitter.

Time for the women’s race presentation, and the Cambridge crew grab the trophy!

Their president, Sophie Paine, talks to the BBC while clutching the trophy: “It’s just ... it’s amazing, I just can’t put it into words, really. We had an incredible race, massive kudos to all of our team and to Oxford as well for a really incredible race. I think this is absolutely historic for women. So many of us have been training for this for two years now, and it means so much for us to have that pay off. It’s really, really rewarding and I’m just so proud.”

Then, there is Formula One-style shower from multiple magnums of English sparkling wine.

Jesse Oberst, the Oxford cox, looks devastated and doesn’t want to talk. “Did that stand or fail on the steering, there?” asks Pinsent.

He nods, says something inaudible, says “Thank you,” says something else inaudible, and that’s end of interview.

Augustin Wambersie, the crew’s stroke, adds: “The guys put it all out there. That’s all I can say.”

“You can hear that they are incapable of speech,” says the BBC presenter Balding of the Oxford team, when Pinsent finally gives up and hands back to her.

So that’s three in a row men’s races for Cambridge, and overall, they now have 85 victories to Oxford’s 80 in the history of the event.

Charlie Marcus, the Cambridge cox, talks about what Pinsent calls his ‘aggressive’ steering: “When there’s a crosswind coming from this side, there’s, like, about a two-second per 500 [metres] advantage, being about a boat-width over, so I had to be as far over as I could ... that’s what I had to do. About three strokes before the finish I thought we definitely had this won.”

Cambridge president, Callum Sullivan, chimes in: “The first half of the middle was really tough ... we had to just keep reasserting that focus ... and then Charlie, when we come into the second half, starts to bring in some emotional cause, remind us how far we’ve come and how hard we’ve worked for this ... it was perfect, I enjoyed the race so much.”

“Great team, great crew, great guys around us,” adds Sullivan. “It’s been great fun.”

Sounds ... great!?

In the end, it’s victory by about a length, and what looks a ‘comfortable’ win, but Oxford’s crew put up a huge fight there, and Cambridge really had to battle. The Oxford crew are pictured with their heads in their hands.

“Oxford deserve a lot of credit for clinging on,” says the co-commentator.

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“Oxford need to throw the kitchen sink at this but Cambridge look to be moving away again,” observes Zoe de Toledo. Jesse Oberst, the Oxford cox, urges on his crew but it looks too late.

The boats are on the ‘final straight’ ... Cambridge continue to lead. It looks like they are going to hang on but can Oxford pull something out of the hat in the final 1,000 metres?

“This is where it gets really bleak [the course] ... I can see this lead changing hands,” says the co-commentator. Cambridge look to have hit a great rhythm again and are holding them off, at least, if not stretching their lead again. It’s about half a length. Cambridge are in control.

“It’s been a phenomenal race,” says Katherine Grainger ... “We can see the bridge, anything can happen.”

Oxford are bouncing back. It’s now almost even. We’ve had eight minutes of racing. The umpire warns Cambridge again. This is another good race.

Much like the women’s race, it’s the boat closer to the east bank which is veering over into the middle, to the left, or west if you prefer, so the wind must be a significant factor in that, you would think. “This is where Cambridge really have to hold their nerve,” says the co-commentator.

Have Cambridge gone out too fast? We will know in a few minutes. Oxford are not giving up on this. The umpire has spotted an obstruction, seemingly some weeds, in the river and she instructs both the boats to move further apart. Thankfully, although Oxford nearly go over the top of the offending clump of weeds, it appears to cause no problems. Oxford have eaten into that Cambridge lead somewhat and it’s about half a length now.

Cambridge have stormed into a big lead. They are almost a whole length up after several hundred metres ... “This is utterly, utterly beautiful rowing from Cambridge,” says the BBC co-commentator Zoe de Toledo. However, Cambridge are being repeatedly warned by the umpire about moving into Oxford’s water.

They’re off! Oxford are on the left, on the west bank, so it’s the other way around to the women’s race.

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The boats are lined up ... we are nearly under way. Both coxes have their hands up, indicating that they are not quite ready to race.

The BBC’s Matthew Pinsent is asked by Clare Balding: who wins? “Rowing,” he chuckles after some hesitation. “The faster crew is going to win, which is all we ever want.” This rowing analysis lark sounds pretty easy, to me.

“We’re happy to race on our stretch of water, of course,” says the Cambridge coach Rob Baker. “It won’t be unfair, it’s a pretty easy bit of water to race on, and I’m sure Oxford will do a good job.”

As Felix Drinkall of Oxford insisted a few minutes ago: “Water’s water.” Profound stuff.

Sarah Winckless - an Olympic double sculls bronze medallist in Athens in 2004, and a double world champion - is the umpire for the men’s race. She is the first female umpire for the men’s event, which is due to start in around five minutes.

The winning moment for Cambridge, a few minutes ago.

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Don’t forget you can contact me with your thoughts (hopes?) for the imminent men’s race. Email or tweet @LukeMcLaughlin

Charlie Marcus is the Cambridge cox, while Jesse Oberst will be in control for Oxford, who are hoping to cause a tremendous upset with an ‘away’ victory. At least, in the absence of spectators, we can be sure of no crowd trouble among die-hard fans of the rival universities.

The disco lights are back, and the men’s teams are now being introduced! The race is scheduled to begin at 4.50pm.

Meanwhile, if you’ve never seen Matt Berry Does the Boat Race, it’s one of the most hilarious things ever committed to YouTube (contains liberal amounts of swearing, viewer discretion advised):

If you missed it, have a read of Sean Ingle’s preview of today’s event:

Felix Drinkall, of the Oxford men’s team, looks ahead to the impending race: “Right now I’m just thinking about what we have to do ... we’ve taken our best strokes and we just have to go out and deliver them ... we know what we can do, and we know the rhythm we need to hit ... it’s keeping it simple.

“Water’s water, it’s a straight course, and we are just going to do what we have to do.”

Holland, the BBC pundit, on those Oxford tactics: “It was a big risk to steer that close to the other crew, especially when you’re being warned, and I think the Cambridge crew dealt with it very well. Dylan Whitaker held his line which is a very important thing to do when you’ve got a crew right on your blade tips.”

Dylan Whitaker, the winning cox, speaks to the BBC: “Massive, massive props to Costi [Levy, Oxford cox] ... cos she steered like an absolute champ ... yeah that was close! But we knew what our plan was, we kept it calm, we kept it loose and yeah, I think it worked.”

Sarah Tisdall: “Awesome race, massive congrats to Oxford ... that’s, like, the closest race the females have had. Awesome day for the sport and really proud of this team.”

They look exhausted and very happy, and who can blame them on either count?

That was an excellent, close race. Hats off to both teams and congratulations to Cambridge. “A fantastic display,” enthuses the BBC co-commentator. Oxford were warned repeatedly early on in the race for veering over to the west bank and close to the Cambridge boat. The “away” crew also powered into the lead at around the halfway mark of the race, but in the end, Cambridge retook control and eventually won by about the length of a boat.

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It looks like Cambridge have broken their opponents and forged a decisive lead of nearly a full length. This is going to be four in a row for Cambridge.

Around 500m to go - Cambridge still lead but maybe by a bit less than half a length now. Oxford are fighting back impressively and the boats come dangerously close together again with the oars nearly clashing ... Cambridge have a warning for drifting away from the west bank.

The momentum is with Cambridge, who are looking stronger. There is a camera in the boat with the Oxford cox, Levy, who is urging her crew passionately onwards. Dylan Whitaker is in charge for Cambridge, and they are now half a length ahead and increasingly looking likely to win this but they are having to work to keep Oxford at bay.

They are halfway along the course. Cambridge have fought back a bit but Oxford still lead.

Stroke rate: 34 apiece. It’s a really close race ... and Cambridge have edged ahead as we approach 10 minutes of racing! Did Oxford go out too hard?

Commentator Cracknell, who is in a boat on the river, says: “Incredibly competitive ... the Cambridge cox is in shallower water, Oxford have got deeper and faster water and they are putting a lot of pressure on Cambridge now.”

Oxford continue to lead but it’s still close. It’s around a two to three-seat lead for Oxford, and this would be a huge win for them if they can hang on.

After four minutes of racing, Oxford have powered back into the lead for a two-seat lead ... but the umpire again warns Levy about the line. There is no graphic on screen about how much of the 4.89km course is left, but we are told they are 1,500m into the race.

Cambridge have established a slight lead after 500m and look to be very well into their rhythm. Costi Levy, the Oxford cox, is taking a big risk by taking a line towards the Cambridge boat, says the co-commentator. But now Oxford are fighting back! They are neck-and-neck.

The 75th edition of the women’s race has begun. It took a while, with neither cox happy for a couple of minutes, but now we are off. Oxford are immediately given a warning for veering towards the Cambridge boat. They have come right over, to the left, towards the west bank of the river.

“The wind is blowing across the course and the teams are having difficulty lining up,” says Cracknell. Aside from the aforementioned wind, it’s a beautiful sunny day in Cambridgeshire, 16C with a clear blue sky.

Pre-race reading courtesy of Giles Richards:

School friends Katie Anderson and Sarah Portsmouth will put their bond aside for the duration of this year’s unique event -

The women’s crews are making their way to the start. There is a bit of a westwards crosswind with a hint of tailwind, observes the BBC commentator, Andrew Cotter.

Speaking a few minutes ago, during the BBC’s course preview alongside Cotter, James Cracknell said: “If you get to 500 metres and you feel comfortable, you haven’t gone out hard enough.”

We’re just 10 minutes away from the beginning of the women’s race.

If you’d like to send me any thoughts on the races, including intelligent insight on the rowing that I can pass off as my own, feel free: Email or tweet @LukeMcLaughlin

Apropos of the BBC coverage, if you are wondering what the music they’re using is, it’s called “Music For a Found Harmonium” by Penguin Cafe Orchestra:

Here’s our graphic of the course:

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“The wind from the Fens is cold and relentless,” says the BBC pundit Matthew Holland. “The banks and reeds provide some shelter, but it’s not consistent, so the danger is that the cox becomes engrossed in the race and gets caught by a gust of wind, which could blow his boat into the other crew or into the bank, and that could have fatal consequences for the race.”

Dramatic!

“I don’t think it’s a big disadvantage for Oxford [to be racing ‘away’],” adds Holland. “They’re coming into enemy waters, they know the race will be moving back to London, and they will be motivated to be the crew that beat Cambridge at their home.”

Dry ice, flashing disco lights and abysmal repetitive music: no, it’s not student night at the club in town, it’s just the women’s teams being presented by the BBC’s host today, Clare Balding.

3:50 Women’s Boat Race starts
4:10 Men’s Boat Race Crews take to the water
4:50 Men’s Boat Race starts
5:15 Women’s Boat Race Presentations
5:20 Men’s Boat Race Presentations

Katherine Maitland, Oxford’s ‘Boat Captain’, says their motivation is to win on Cambridge’s home territory. “It would make it all the sweeter ... it’s just going to dig the knife in a little harder, and that’s what’s going to get us down the course today.”

Spicy.

Cambridge women’s team have won the toss and chosen the ‘railway side’ of the river. Sophie Paine, their president, says: “Being on the railway side means there’s slightly less wind for us us today ... we have a tiny bend about 2km in which hopefully will be an advantage for us ... I am so excited to line up and get started.”

History is being made today, no matter what eventually unfolds in the world-famous Boat Races between crews from Oxford and Cambridge. Following last year’s cancellation, the circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic have prompted organisers to move the event from its famous home on the River Thames to the River Ouse in Cambridgeshire, as also happened during the second world war.

The change of location will ensure that today’s races are somewhat unique, but that is not all: the men’s race will also have a female umpire for the first time with Sarah Winckless (an Olympic double sculls bronze medallist and multiple world champion) taking charge of proceedings, while Judith Packer will be the umpire in the women’s race, which comes before the men’s.

Covid-19 restrictions, meanwhile, have ensured an unconventional period of preparation for all those taking part: a regime of home sessions and training via Zoom has been the order of the day, with the participants and their support teams only being permitted to meet and to train on the water in the past couple of weeks. That factor also brings an entirely new kind of unpredictability to this afternoon’s contest(s).

There will, of course, be no spectators along the 4.89km course which runs from Queen Adelaide Bridge to Victoria Street Bridge and anyone trying to sneak a view of the action in person faces the prospect of a £200 fine. Better to watch on TV and read the Guardian’s live coverage right here. So a different location, a new course, an absence spectators and the first female umpire of the men’s race combine to make this a Boat Race day with a significant difference. Strap yourselves in and let the rowing commence.