Boat Race 2023 LIVE: Cambridge and Oxford compete over four mile course on River Thames
Cambridge men hope to regain their title after Oxford won the 2022 race
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Your support makes all the difference.The 2023 Boat Race between Cambridge and Oxford takes place London this afternoon as the two famous universities clash on the River Thames.
In the men’s race last year, Oxford ended three years of Cambridge victories with a win of two and a quarter lengths. It was their first victory since 2017 after the race was abandoned in 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The margin of victory was the same in the women’s race but the spoils went to Cambridge who extended their winning run to five years.
The 77th women’s race starts at 4pm and the 168th men’s follows at 5pm. An estimated 250,000 people are expected to watch the races from the banks of the river as the annual event takes place over 4.25 miles from Putney to Mortlake.
Follow all the action from the Boat Races with our liveblog below:
Boat Race 2023
The weather is an issue today. It’s wet, rainy and windy meaning conditions far from ideal to row just over four miles. Coverage is just starting on BBC One with the Women’s event kick off in just under half an hour.
Oxford hold the edge over Cambridge
Reigning champions Oxford have claimed 13 wins for the men’s team since 2000, while Cambridge has won the race nine times in the last 13 years.
However, the longest consecutive streak for either side is just three wins which was by Cambridge before between 2018-2021.
Boat Race 2023 - the route
The Boat Race takes place on the 4.2 mile (6.8 km) Championship Course on the River Thames in south-west London.
It starts downstream of Putney Bridge, passing under Hammersmith Bridge and Barnes Bridge, before finishing just before Chiswick Bridge in Mortlake.
The timings for both races are based on the tides to allow teams the best possible chance of recording fast times.
Who’s in the Cambridge Men’s team?
There are three roles in rowing - bow, stroke and cox. The race is rowed in eights and the cox can be of any gender.
Cambridge Men’s Team
Bow: Matt Edge (St Catharine’s), Brett Taylor (Queens’), Noam Moulle (Hughes Hall), Seb Benzecry (Jesus), Thomas Lynch (Hughes Hall), Nick Mayhew (Peterhouse), Ollie Parish (Peterhouse)
Stroke: Luca Ferraro (King’s)
Cox: Jasper Parish (Clare)
Who’s in the Oxford Men’s team?
There are three roles in rowing - bow, stroke and cox. The race is rowed in eights and the cox can be of any gender.
Oxford Men’s team
Bow: James Forward (Pembroke), Alex Bebb (St. Peter’s), Freddy Orpin (St. Catherine’s), Tom Sharrock (Magdalen), James Doran (Oriel), Jean-Philippe Dufour (Lincoln), Tassilo von Mueller (Hertford)
Stroke: Felix Drinkall (Wolfson)
Cox: Anna O’Hanlon (Somerville)
Who’s in the Cambridge Women’s team?
There are three roles in rowing - bow, stroke and cox. The race is rowed in eights and the cox can be of any gender.
Cambridge Women’s team
Bow: Carina Graf (Emmanuel), Jenna Armstrong (Jesus), Rosa Millard (Trinity Hall), Alex Riddell-Webster (Murray Edwards), Claire Brillon (Fitzwilliam), Freya Keto St (Edmund’s), Isabelle Bastian (Jesus)
Stroke: Caoimhe Dempsey (Newnham)
Cox: James Trotman (Sidney Sussex)
Who’s in the Oxford Women’s team?
There are three roles in rowing - bow, stroke and cox. The race is rowed in eights and the cox can be of any gender.
Oxford Women’s team
Bow: Laurel Kaye (Worcester), Claire Aitken (Oriel), Sara Helin (St. Peter’s), Ella Stadler (Exeter), Alison Carrington (Hertford), Freya Willis (Magdalen), Sarah Marshall (Jesus)
Stroke: Esther Austin (St Anne’s)
Cox: Tara Slade (St Peter’s)
How to watch the Boat Race 2023
The action will be shown on BBC One, with coverage getting underway at 3:30pm.
The women’s race will start at 4pm BST on Sunday 26 March followed by the men’s race at 5pm.
Boat Race 2023
The Boat Race returns to the River Thames today as the light blue of Cambridge University take on the dark blue of Oxford University.
In the men’s race last year, Oxford ended three years of Cambridge victories with a win of two and a quarter lengths whilst the Cambridge women where victorious by the margin of victory to extend their winning run to five years.
The race returned to the Thames last year after it wasn’t held in 2020 and was held on the Great Ouse in 2021.
The women’s race kicks off first at 4pm BST followed by the men’s race an hour later. Who will be triumphant this time around?
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