2007 Boat Crew Trivia

Oxford

• Oxford Cox Nick Brodie was suddenly sacked as Cox just before the 2006 Boat Race & demoted to the reserve boat Isis, being replaced by Sebastian Pearce. The Oxford Reserve boat Isis was beaten by the Cambridge reserves Goldie in 2006 but Oxford won the main event. Nick Brodie remains the Cox with something to prove.

• Oxford oarsman Magnus Fleming seat No.4, is the tallest at 6 ft 6 in. & at 26 years old the eldest-just-of the Oxford crew

  Ducks on the Thames on Boat Race Day

  Clearing river debris prior to the main event

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2007 Boat Crew Trivia

Cambridge

• Cambridge Cox Rebecca Dowbiggin is only the 13th female cox (lucky for some) to take part in the Oxford-Cambridge University Boat Race & the first woman in either boat since 2002.

• Cambridge oarsman Kieran West, seat No.6 is the tallest of the Cambridge crew at 6' 8" but Josh West (no relation) from New Mexico in the USA, who at 6' 9" is still the tallest man ever to row in the Boat Race, Cambridge 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002. The tallest ever crew was Cambridge with an average height of 6ft 6 9/32" in 1999.

• Cambridge stroke Thorsten Engelmann at 17 stone 6 pounds (110.8 kilos) is the heaviest oarsman in Boat Race history. Cambridge will be more than 9lb (4.08 kilos) a man heavier at an average of 216.5 pounds (98.4 kilos).

• Cambridge oarsman Sebastian Schulte, seat No. 7 who hails from Wiesbaden has his own web site which is in German. For those who can’t speak German pech gehabt (tough luck). For those of us who can log on to http://www.sebastian-schulte.com/

• The average time taken to complete the 4 & a bit mile
  course from Putney to Mortlake is 20 minutes, but Cambridge holds the record for the fastest time of 16 minutes and 19 seconds, achieved in 1998.
  

  A Red Letter Day

  It is still a mild perfect day, the red letter day for generations of Blues & for millions who never visited Oxford or Cambridge, who may never have handled an oar, simply it is an enduring charming engaging feature of the British sporting landscape, a day as peaceful on the banks of the Thames as is cut throat on the water where now a mile or so down river from the start those who have put their lives on hold for this race go through the last few moments of their preparation which has lasted for 7 unremittingly taxing months. It's no turning back now as boat crews make their final preparations & the 153rd University Boat Race is about to begin.

  The reserves race has finished with victory for Goldie, the Cambridge Reserves for the 3 rd year running winning by four lengths & have a comfortable lead in that series now by 28 to 15, some consolation for the demoted Blue Boat Cox Russ Glen & so to the infinite variable of the “Boat Race” 4 miles 374 yards or 6.5 km of the Thames.

  Oxford altered their seat order the weekend before the “Boat Race” resulting in a move back into the bow for Oxford President Robin Ejsmond-Frey & Cambridge Cox Rebecca Dowbiggin becomes the 7 th woman in history to steer a Cambridge Blue Boat.

  Oxford

  Oxford are the Boat Race's defending champions, and have won the event five times in the last seven years.

  They are regarded as underdogs for the 2007 race, as their crew contains only one oarsman with prior experience of the grueling event, Oxford President Robin Ejsmond-Frey.

  However, the Oxford squad contains experienced internationals, with Croatian Ante Kusurin and Michal Plotkowiak, who is the first Pole ever to compete in the event.

  As of 2006 Oxford has won the Boat Race 73 times in total, leaving them five adrift of Cambridge's tally. As far as dark blues are concerned, the golden period of the race came between 1976 and 1992, when they won on 16 out of 17 occasions. The most famous of these victories came in 1987 when they overcame a mutiny among their crew to triumph.

  Cambridge

  Cambridge go into the 2007 Boat Race as hot favourites to regain the title they last won in 2004.

  The light blue crew contains a host of experienced oarsmen, including British Olympians Kieran West and Tom James, plus German world champions Thorsten Engelmann and Sebastian Schulte.

  American Russ Glenn who was to have been Cambridge's cox this year but was replaced at the last minute by Rebecca Dowbiggin knows all about the rivalry with Oxford, having also represented the University in the Varsity boxing match earlier this year.

  Cambridge remain the most successful team in Boat Race history, with 78 victories to Oxford's 73. Their greatest period of dominance came between 1924 and 1936, when they won the race a record 13 times in a row.

  More recently, Cambridge won the race seven times running during the Nineties, although they have claimed victory in just two of the last seven outings.

   

  Cambridge on all that is logical, experience, age, weight, medals, pedigree are favourites. At the weighing in they were around 9½ pounds per man heavier & a year and a half older but Oxford possibly think Cambridge are frightened of loosing whilst they are ready to dare to win. Oxford has won the toss & chose the Surrey side of the River Thames. Peter Bridge is our umpire, 34 years old, an Oxford Boat Race winner. Pete rowed for Oxford in the 1991 and 1992 Boat Races, winning both. He represented Great Britain at the 1996 Olympic Games and rowed at the World Championships in 1991, 1994 and 1995.