Boat Race 2025 report
The Guardian’s Luke McLaughlin, cool as a cucumber in Mortlake, has filed his red-hot report on today’s races. You can read about Cambridge power, Oxford strife and of course that furore near the start of the women’s race below. And I strongly suggest you do. Thanks for following the updates here! Bye.
The Cambridge crews pose for one giant, triumphant photo. Cries of “Cambridge, Cambridge!” ring around. Not too imaginative, but it gets to point. That’s a cheery image (assuming you’re not of an Oxford persuasion) and will adorn many a mantle piece/smartphone lock screen for years to come.
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I stand corrected: it is not Champagne these crews are spraying everywhere like a squadron of Formula One drivers. It’s Chapel Down English sparkling wine. You get some nice English sparkling wine now, don’t you? (I feel that is a very Guardian conversation opener.)
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Now the Cambridge men are up to hoist their trophy aloft. The quality of the water in the Thames means they can’t toss the cox into the river in celebration, as was once traditional, but the British weather is duly soaking everyone.
The Cambridge women are up on a now very wet-looking Mortlake stage to lift the trophy. They fill the cup with Champagne and have a sip/glug. Well deserved.
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Going past Fulham Football Ground seems to be the point where Cambridge put on the afterburners and started to open up that eventually wide gap. George Bourne of the Light Blue crew picked that out immediately post-race – and he’s right. It’s a tight-knit crew that works as one eight-bodied animal. Nine if we count the cox, naturally.
Matt Heywood is in tears on the banks of the Thames. He’s the Cambridge student who trained with the crew but was ruled unable to compete because he’s studying for a PGCE, rather than a degree. He’s getting hugs from his fellow students. I’m sure they are tears of joy – or at least mixed emotions – rather than bitter, green-eyed envy. Almost certainly.
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“It’s an indescribable feeling crossing the line ahead after so many months of hard work,” says Luca Ferraro, the president of Cambridge University Boat Club. “I asked a lot of the guys and they really delivered.”
Around 17 seconds is the estimated margin of victory. That is whopping in a what was anticipated to be a tight race. This has been a rough day for Oxford University Boat Club on every front Two really challenging defeats by their old rivals. It’s even started to rain after the sunshine earlier! Let’s assume it’s Dark Blue drops.
Cambridge win the men’s Boat Race!
A hat-trick of men’s victories. A clean sweep after the women’s triumph earlier. The Cambridge crew splash the water and roar with delight! The Thames runs Light Blue once more.
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A Cambridge clinic. They are almost 13 seconds ahead as they power towards the finish!
No sign of letup from this relentless Cambridge crew! This is a bigger margin than expected in what many viewed as a tight race. A crushing victory on the cards (or on the water).
Cambridge are stretching their lead. It’s a length or more now in the high wind. It will take something extraordinary for Oxford to catch them up now, I’d wager.
Oxford about four seconds behind as we go into the second half of the race. It’s rough river and these rowers will be feeling the burn.
Cambridge are starting to pull into a healthy lead. How much energy are they exerting here? Oxford will not want this lead to grow. It is not insurmountable, but is is clear water.
The Cambridge team look in good rhythm, but no signs or sounds of panic in the Oxford boat. However it is the Light Blue boat that is gradually ekeing out a lead here as we go under Hammersmith Bridge.
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Cambridge use the first bend well, they take out a slender lead. Maybe half a length ahead. But Oxford have the big Surrey bend that should be in their favour to come.
“Cambridge move!” yells Sarah Winckless, the umpire. The two boats are close but no contact. They are just about dead level after two minutes.
We’re away in the men’s Boat Race!
At last! And they fire out after the delay, both crews making a clean start. Neck and neck.
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The delay up to six minutes now. It’s a bit of wood that needs to be removed; given all that lurks in the depths of the Thames, everyone is probably grateful/surprised it’s something as mundane as a big plank of wood.
A slight delay; some debris on the racing line. We’re waiting for it to be removed. The nerves must be going now, this wait cannot help with all that adrenaline coursing through the two teams.
Lots of pre-race footage of people ruining themselves in the gym and building mighty pythonic arms. Looks quite physically taxing, being an elite rower. I’m surprised this isn’t mentioned more often … nine nationalities across the men’s two crews, I’m informed. We’re almost ready to start!
Cambridge lead the men’s head-to-head, 87 wins to 81 Oxford victories with one contentious dead heat back, way back in 1877. Fast forward to 2025 and Cambridge are favourites to earn a third successive win, but the odds are narrow. Oxford will be determined to end all this Light Blue dominance.
This is the 170th men’s Boat Race. The highest checkout in darts, of course, also known as “the Big Fish”. Hopefully we won’t see any of those interfering with the two boats on the Thames today – though, after the commotion of the women’s race, who’d bet against it?
Oxford’s men’s team have won the coin toss. They have chosen the Surrey side, just like the women’s Dark Blue team did. Let’s see if it brings them better fortune.
Daniel Orton, the Oxford women’s cox, fronts up and talks post-race after that clash of oars was laid at their door. “Off the start, both crews are going to be fighting for the line,” he says. “The umpire was warning here and there … we were holding our line and we moved when we were warned.”
Men’s race crews
Oxford: Tom Sharrock, William O’Connell, Felix Rawlinson, Jamie Doran, Tassilo von Mueller, Tom Mackintosh, Nick Rusher, Nicholas Kohl. Cox: Tobias Bernard.
Cambridge: Luca Ferraro, Noam Mouelle, Luke Beever, Gabriel Mahler, George Bourne, James Robson, Simon Hatcher, Douwe de Graaf. Cox: Ollie Boyne.
Sarah Winckless, the Olympic medallist and double world champion, is the first woman to umpire a men’s Boat Race on the Thames. She’ll be hoping for a quieter time than M Pinsent endured in the women’s race.
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“You prepare for a clash, but you never think it’s going to happen,” says Samantha Morton of the winning Cambridge crew, who says she was in shock when the race was stopped. Her teammate Carys Earl seems less fazed by it, exuding an ‘expect the unexpected’ energy.
Matthew Pinsent, the umpire, is explaining the early tumult as blades struck. “Obviously there was a clash between the crews that stopped the race – in my mind, I was clear that Oxford were causing that.”
“That pops into your mind,” he replies when asked whether he considered disqualifying the Oxford boat, but he feels it was right to issue a restart and settle it on the water. And we got that.
I’ve just missed the winning time. Around 19 mins 30 seconds, I think. Slowed, of course, by that restart and all the drama of the first 500m. We had clashes, a red flag, talk of an Oxford DQ, they had to begin again. But when the actual racing began, Cambridge were just too good.
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Cambridge win the women’s Boat Race!
It’s eight in a row for the Light Blues in the women’s race! Jubilation and exhaustion in the boat.
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Chiswick Bridge hoves into view. Cambridge are pulling away slightly now. They are headed for victory.
We’re through Barnes and it would take something spectacular for Cambridge to lose this now. The gap is not coming down, despite the urgings of the Oxford cox.
About 2km go on a sun-kissed Thames. No sign of Oxford eating into Cambridge’s lead as they pass the bandstand.
A stiff headwind has apparently picked up. Combined with the two starts we had earlier, it’ll be a draining time physically for both crews. The gap is staying the same; a boat’s length but no more. Oxford are keeping pace doggedly.
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We’re at about halfway and the Cambridge crew are growing the gap. It’s not a dramatic breakaway, but the distance is gradually increasing.
Cambridge are starting to stretch their previously slight advantage. We’ve gone under Hammersmith Bridge and there is a bit of clear water between the two boats.
We’re at the Surrey bend, Hammersmith Bridge in view … this should be Oxford’s advantage with the side they’re on. It’s still fairly close between the two teams.
We’re back on the move; Oxford make a better restart than their first go. Now it’s Cambridge who are creeping into the Dark Blues territory. It’s the warnings being shouted towards Cambridge now, but no clashes thus far.
Red flag
The race is stopped as the oars were crashing against each other. The umpires even discuss a disqualification for the Oxford crew … But no: he’s settled on a restart. A third of a length advantage to Cambridge. What drama!
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Cambridge make the better start, they fly out, cleaner in the first strokes. A long way to go. Matthew Pinsent already with a white flag to Oxford as the oars come close to clashing. They do clash!
We’re under way in the women’s Boat Race!
The two teams are off! I’m reliably informed the conditions are set for a fast time – but who’s time will be fastest? We’ll know in around 18 minutes.
Word from the Guardian’s correspondent, Luke McLaughlin, who’s at Mortlake. Setting the scene perfectly …
The buildup has been contentious, to say the least, but all is calm at the Boat Race media centre, situated at Quintin Boat Club on the north side of the river (or the Middlesex station). No tense standoffs between rivals groups of fans, that I’ve seen, but then again there are no spectators on this part of the river.
In a few minutes the women’s crews will come to a standstill in the water outside after a gruelling race over four miles and 374 yards. Only one of the crews will be feeling that all the months of blood, sweat and tears have paid dividends. The post-race quotes should be fascinating given all the controversy over eligibility in recent weeks.
There’s hundreds of thousands of people lining the banks of the Thames or dangling their legs over the bridges, the number growing all the time on an increasingly sunny day. It’s about 10 minutes until the women’s race begins!
Matthew Pinsent, umpire for the women’s race, is talking on the BBC and says he’s ready for the unexpected. He jovially mentions we’ve seen some things over the years, including “sinkers and swimmers”. Yikes. It will be a notable race if we get that.
This is the 79th women’s Boat Race, Cambridge have a healthy advantage: 48 victories to Oxford’s 30 wins. The Dark Blues last won this race in 2016 and they are the bookies underdogs again today. Can they pull off the upset on the Tideway today?
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Perhaps a bit late for this, but just in case you’re at home in your jorts, unable to leave until you decide what clothes to put on and dash down to the Thames … the Guardian’s style team have put together this nifty attire guide. I personally am wearing all of it at the same time.
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Women’s race crews
Oxford: Sarah Polson, Lilli Freischem, Tessa Haining, Alexia Lowe, Sarah Marshall, Annie Anezakis, Kyra Delray, Heidi Long. Cox: Daniel Orton.
Cambridge: Katy Hempson, Gemma King, Carys Earl, Annie Wertheimer, Sophia Hahn, Claire Collins, Tash Morrice, Samantha Morton. Cox: Jack Nicholas.
The umpire is someone called Matthew Pinsent. What does he know?
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The Oxford women’s crew are carrying their boat to the water, to join Cambridge who are already there. The coin toss has happened and Oxford won it and chose the Surrey side: that means they get the advantage of the second bend. It looks a lovely day in London with just a bit of cloud in the sky to stop that merciless sunshine. Ideal!
A more uplifting, empowering tale of the Oxford v Cambridge rivalry comes via Matt Hughes. He spoke to Heidi Long and Claire Collins, who were born on the same day and have raced each other 15 times. They go again today with it all on the line – epic stuff.
Preamble
It’s got pretty toxic in the buildup to the 2025 Boat Races – and we don’t just mean the sewage pollution and E coli in the Thames. There’s been an eligibility criteria row between the two fierce rivals, with three Cambridge students – two female rowers, one male – banned from the race because they were studying for postgraduate certificates in education (PGCEs) rather than a degree.
This led to Imogen Grant, the Olympic lightweight double sculls champion and a three-time Boat Race winner with Cambridge, accusing Oxford of “slimy tactics” in March, amid talk of academic snobbery. An independent panel, however, saw things the way of Oxford University Boat Club.
So we’ve got the playlist ready before the 2025 event: Toxic, Bad Blood, erm … The Tide Is High? Of course, the state of the river is a serious matter. Tests carried out by water campaigners along the four-mile route revealed E coli levels three times above the threshold for “poor” bathing water status. Last year, the Oxford team revealed that some of their crew had been ill in the buildup.
As for the races themselves: Cambridge boast recent dominance. The Light Blues are going for a hat-trick of victories in the 170th men’s race, while the women’s team are looking to stretch an even more impressive run. They have won the last seven Boat Races, though last year’s was a dramatic affair with the Dark Blues taking an early lead. Can Oxford turn the tide, as it were? We find out with the women’s race beginning at 1.21pm BST, the men’s starting at 2.21pm.
