Catz @ the 2022 Boat Races

Interactive Investor Lightweight Boat Races

Cambridge University Boat Club (CUBC) secured a clean-sweep of victories in the two Lightweight Boat Races on 20 March.

Matt Edge, fourth-year Natural Sciences undergraduate and Lightweight Men's President, was at stroke for Cambridge in the 48^th Men’s Race. The Light Blue Boat took an early lead and established a clear advantage by the Hammersmith bend. Cambridge crossed the line five lengths ahead in a time of 18:01:19, putting an end to three years of consecutive defeats. Commenting after the victory, Matt said:

“We got off to a really good, clean start, and were able to blast off the blocks and get into a good position. We took a nice, early lead, and we really felt it in the legs – I was hanging on for dear life! But, we just held them [Oxford] off and controlled the race. Every time they came back, we hung on and pushed off.”

While lacking any St Catharine’s representation, the Cambridge women’s lightweight crew are to be congratulated on their impressive victory in the 39th Women’s Race. They crossed the finish line 15 lengths ahead in a record time of 19:59:53, completing a hat-trick of wins in the last three years of racing.

Gemini Boat Race 2022

All crews put in admirable performances on the Tideway on 3 April, with much tighter margins than the Lightweight Races had seen:

Clare Hole, a second-year Natural Sciences undergraduate, was in the 3 seat for the sixth consecutive victory for the Blondie boat. This was particularly notable because Clare’s introduction to rowing was at the St Catharine’s boathouse only last year, as reported in an interview with the Cambridge Independent newspaper. Clare commented after the race:

"Rowing in Blondie this year was an absolutely incredible experience. Taking on Oxford on the Championship Course in front of the crowds was just electric and to win as part of such an amazing crew was very emotional. It has been a whirlwind year trialling with CUBC after learning to row at Catz last year and I am so grateful to all the coaches and teammates who have helped me get to this stage."

St Catharine’s was also represented in the final race of the day. James Hunter, an MBA student, rowed in the 2 seat for Cambridge in 167^th Men’s Boat Race. He is a former Lightweight international rower, a two-time World Championship Silver medallist and a World Championship Bronze medallist in the Openweight Coxless pair. Speaking before the event, James said:

“Being named in the Blue Boat is a huge privilege. The journey to gain your seat in this boat is rarely an easy one, but having these eight other great guys around me has made a huge difference – laughs are not in short supply. The combination of the Boat Race’s racing format and tradition makes it a truly unique event.”