CUBC dominates Gemini Women’s Boat Races


The Dark Blues won the toss for the women’s race, choosing Surrey and hoping that they could blunt the power of Cambridge’s Blue Boat from the start. Cambridge claimed a short lead early on, overrating Oxford during the first minute to extend their advantage.

Pushing hard against the Dark Blues to maximise his advantage in the first bend, cox Jasper Parish was able to move up past the rival crew and shortly before three minutes was sitting alongside the Oxford bow seat.

Seeking to shut the door at the earliest earned some warnings from Garrett, as Parish cut dramatically across into Oxford’s water to shut the door on the race at his earliest opportunity, but it turned out to be the clinching moment for the race as from then on Cambridge’s victory was never in doubt.

Oxford pushed repeatedly from the Milepost to Hammersmith Bridge to stay close to Cambridge’s stern, earning Parish yet more warnings as the two crews briefly swapped stations while barely a few feet apart. However, by the time they passed Harrods’ Depository Cambridge were back on Middlesex and had moved another half-length away. Despite more attacks the distance slowly widened, until by the line Cambridge won with a new Tideway record of 18 minutes 23 seconds and a finish margin of 2.25 lengths. Oxford also went three seconds under the previous course record. Oxford protested Cambridge’s cut-across coxing after the finish, but Garrett allowed Cambridge’s fifth successive victory to stand, saying, “It was aggressive steering, I agree with you, but it’s not a disqualification offence.”