The 2011 Xchanging Boat Race later this month will pit an Oxford boat composed largely of British students with an impressive rowing pedigree against a slightly older, multi-national Cambridge eight that includes three returning Blues from last year’s epic encounter.
The 2011 Xchanging Boat Race later this month will pit an Oxford boat composed largely of British students with an impressive rowing pedigree against a slightly older, multi-national Cambridge eight that includes three returning Blues from last year’s epic encounter.
The Light Blues have a blend of five Britons, two Australians and individuals from Canada and the United States – the latter being the club President Derek Rasmussen, who rows in the same number Seven seat he occupied 12 months ago.
He is joined from last year’s winning boat by Canadian Geoff Roth and British Olympic prospect George Nash, plus four members of the victorious Goldie reserve boat in 2010. They include 30-year-old Hardy Cubasch – the oldest competitor in the event – and Liz Box, the 14th female to cox in the Race 30 years after the first to do so, Sue Brown in 1981.
Cambridge coach Steve Trapmore, who is making his debut in the event, believes the Light Blues have given themselves every chance of stretching the overall Race lead to six (it currently stands at 80 to 75 with one dead-heat). “I’m very happy with the balance of experience and youth in the boat and they are single-minded about wanting to perform well on the day,” he says.
Cambridge have broken more than 30 years of tradition in selecting a white Hudson boat for the event, as opposed to the customary yellow-hulled Empacher that Oxford will use.
Cambridge weighed in the heavier this year with a total weight of 793.2 kgs (including the Cox) and an average weight of 88.1 kgs (including the Cox). Oxford meanwhile totalled 782.2kgs (inc. Cox) and averaged 86.9 (inc. Cox).
The Race, which is sponsored by Xchanging - the international business processing company - takes place at 5pm on Saturday, 26 March on the River Thames. It will be broadcast live on BBC One, BBC America and BBC World News, and will be screened in more than 200 countries around the world.
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