Cambridge have won the flagship Championship Eights event at the BUSA Rowing Regatta and been selected to represent GB at the European Universities Regatta in Banyoles, Spain in September.

The team also brought home two further golds, and a silver medal from the Championships.

Over the Bank Holiday weekend the Cambridge University Women's Boat Club fielded a number of crews in the British University Sports Association (BUSA) Regatta, held at Nottingham. For university boat clubs this is the main focus of the rowing season.

The Cambridge Blue Boat crew comfortably won their heat, and progressed straight to the final.

Here they were joined by Durham, Southampton, London, Oxford Brookes and the old enemy, Oxford.

The wind had been getting up through the day and by the scheduled race time the lake was getting rather rough, reminiscent of the horrendous conditions at Henley on Boat Race day.

Nevertheless the race went ahead as planned on the six lane 2000 metre course.

By the 500m mark Cambridge were a few feet ahead of the rest of the field. They attacked relentlessly through the next 500m and by halfway had opened up clear water between them and their nearest competitors, Oxford and Durham.

Cambridge continued to move clear and by the finish had an advantage of two and a quarter lengths over second-placed Oxford.

The Cambridge Lightweight women also took gold in the Junior Eights category with a comfortable lead over Newcastle who took silver, and Oxford in bronze medal position. Further success also came in the Lightweight women's coxless four, where Cambridge won a straight final on Sunday in even rougher conditions.

Helen Ralston brought home a silver in the Lightweight single sculls and also sculled brilliantly in the openweight singles competition, finishing fourth behind members of the national heavyweight squad.

Following their win the Cambridge Blue Boat have now been invited to join the British Universities Team to race at the European Universities Sports Association (EUSA) Regatta. They will be racing on the Olympic lake at Banyoles in Spain from 6 to 8 September.

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