Cambridge University has announced its men’s and women’s rowing crews for the 2025 Boat Race, with both teams set to face off against rivals Oxford on Sunday, April 13.
The iconic race returns to the Thames between Putney and Mortlake for its 170th men’s and 79th women’s edition, continuing a fierce rivalry that dates back nearly two centuries.
Unveiled at a special event at Battersea Power Station, this year’s Cambridge crews feature a stellar mix of Olympians, world medallists and elite student-athletes. The announcement also marked a joint commitment by both universities to the London Rivers’ Pledge — an initiative to clean up the capital’s waterways.
The men’s crew is made up entirely of postgraduate students, including George Bourne, a silver medallist at the 2022 World Rowing Championships, and Olympian James Robson, preparing for Paris 2024 while completing an MBA. The team also includes Czech international Gabriel Mahler and France’s under-23 representative Noam Mouelle. Cambridge veteran Luca Ferraro makes a record fifth appearance, with Ollie Boyne coxing the crew.
Cambridge Men’s Crew:
- Cox: Ollie Boyne
- Stroke: Douwe de Graaf
- Luca Ferraro, James Robson, George Bourne, Gabriel Mahler, Tom Macky, Noam Mouelle, Simon Hatcher (Bow)
The women’s crew is no less impressive, led by stroke Samantha Morton, who was a spare for the Australian Olympic team. Claire Collins brings Olympic experience for the USA, while Gemma King and Natasha Morrice add depth with their previous Boat Race and international accolades. Jack Nicholas will steer the women’s boat as cox.
Cambridge Women’s Crew:
- Cox: Jack Nicholas
- Stroke: Samantha Morton
- Natasha Morrice, Claire Collins, Carys Earl, Annie Wertheimer, Sophia Hahn, Gemma King, Katy Hempson (Bow)
A Race Steeped in Rivalry
The build-up to this year’s race hasn’t been without controversy. A dispute over eligibility saw Oxford challenge several Cambridge selections, including Olympic champion Tom Ford and three PGCE students. Rowing legend James Cracknell described the row as “a bizarre level of pettiness.”
The event remains one of the UK’s most-watched sporting traditions, with live coverage on BBC One from 12:45pm and streaming worldwide. Cambridge currently leads the men’s series 87-81 and the women’s 48-30.
Fans are hopeful that the tradition of throwing the winning cox into the Thames will return, thanks to London’s new £5 billion “super sewer”, which has significantly improved water quality.
Boat Race 2025 Schedule (Sunday, April 13)
- 1:21pm – Women’s Boat Race
- 1:36pm – Women’s Reserve (Osiris v Blondie)
- 1:51pm – Men’s Reserve (Isis v Goldie)
- 2:21pm – Men’s Boat Race
The Championship Course
The Boat Race course, known as The Championship Course, is 4 miles and 374 yards (6.8 km) long, running between Putney and Mortlake on the River Thames in southwest London.
It has been the standard course since 1845, with a few exceptions for reversed races, wartime cancellations (1915-1919, 1940-1945), and the 2020 cancellation and 2021 relocation to the River Ouse due to the pandemic.
The Fulham/Chiswick bank is the Middlesex side, and the Putney/Barnes bank is the Surrey side. The upstream race is timed to start on the incoming tide, with the Women’s race held an hour and a half before high tide and the Men’s race a further hour before to benefit from the fastest current.
