University | Sport

09 Mar 10

Oxford and Cambridge Universities have announced their crews for the 2010 Xchanging Boat Race, this year held on Saturday 3 April. The race is the 156th in the series. Meanwhile the women’s Blues boat will announce their squad for the women’s race, held one week earlier at Henley-Upon-Thames, on Tuesday 23 March.

Fourteen of the 18 oarsmen in this year’s event will be making their first appearance in the race, and Oxford’s boat is largely a new squad, with only one returning member from last year’s winning crew. The team does boast three Olympians to give the squad some experience: American twins Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss competed in Beijing with president Sjoerd Hamburger, the giant 6’ 9” Dutchman who is the Dark Blues’ sole returning Blue. Oxford has won four out of the last five years, and will this year be hoping to win for the third year running.  At the weigh-in on 1 March, Cambridge were the heavier crew at 760.4kgs (119 stone, 10lbs & 6ozs) with Oxford at 756.6kgs (119 stone 2 lbs).

The Oxford boat features the Winklevoss twins sitting next to each other at three and four positions, next to Hamburger in five. Also included is 20-year-old Ben Meyers from Kingston-Upon-Thames, who was a development squad member last year and has risen to prominence in recent weeks to take the bow seat. The Oxford stroke is another Englishman, Charlie Burkitt from Nottingham. 

The Oxford boat features American Olympic twins Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss.

Oxford coach Sean Bowden, who had three returning Blues in 2009, said: ‘This crew has the potential to be right up there with our better crews in recent years and is improving technically all the time.’

Commenting on his selection for his second Race as Cambridge Chief Coach, Chris Nilsson said: ‘Last year we had five returning Blues, but it’s going to be a good crew with a combination of some international experience and exciting new talent.’

Cambridge currently lead the series that began in 1829 with 79 wins to Oxford’s 75, with one Race declared a dead-heat in 1877. The Race will be screened live on BBC One television, and up to 250,000 spectators will be expected to crowd the banks of the Thames from Putney to Mortlake to witness the action.  The 156th Boat Race is sponsored by business processing firm Xchanging.

2010 Xchanging Boat Race crews:

Oxford

Bow: Ben Myers (Exeter– GB)

2: Martin Walsh (Green Templeton – Ire)

3: Tyler Winklevoss (Christ Church – USA)

4: Cameron Winklevoss (Christ Church – USA)

5: Sjoerd Hamburger (Oriel – Netherlands)

6: Matt Evans (University – Can/GB)

7: Simon Gawlik (Kellogg – Ger)

Stroke: Charlie Burkitt (Wolfson – GB)

Cox: Adam Barhamand (Wolfson – USA)

Cambridge

Bow: Rob Weitemeyer (St Edmund’s – Can)

2: Fred Gill (Hughes Hall – GB)

3: Code Sternal (Hughes Hall – USA)

4: Peter McCelland (Pembroke – Can)

5: George Nash (St Catharine’s – GB)

6: Deaglan McEachern (Hughes Hall – USA)

7: Derek Rasmussen (Hughes Hall – USA)

Stroke: Henry Pelly (St Edmund’s – GB)

Cox: Ted Randolph (Peterhouse – GB)