Daniel Spring, Henley Boat Races Press Officer, writes in a press release: 

On 31 March, at the River and Rowing Museum in Henley-on-Thames, under the watchful eye of the Master of Ceremonies, Robert Trehane-Jones, the President of Oxford University Lightweight Rowing Club, Andy Saul, challenged his counterpart from Cambridge University Lightweight Rowing Club, Gio Bergamo Andreis to ‘an eight-oared race over 2,000 metres on the Henley reach next Sunday’.

This year marks a milestone for the men’s Lightweight Boat Race. It is 40 years since the first race took place on the iconic Henley course, and Richard Bates, the founder of the race, returns this year to present the prizes.

The Lightweight women of Oxford and Cambridge celebrated the 30th anniversary of their race in 2014, and this year’s Captain of the Cambridge University Lightweights, Ella Barnard, issued the same challenge of ‘an eight-oared race over 2,000 metres on the Henley reach next Sunday’ to Oxford’s President, Joanna Green.

With both challenges duly accepted the focus now turns to the races themselves to be held on Easter Sunday. The schedule for the races is as follows:

1:30 p.m. Collegiate Women’s Race – Green Templeton College, Oxford v Christ’s College, Cambridge

2:00 p.m. Collegiate Men’s Race – Oriel College, Oxford v Jesus College, Cambridge

2:30 p.m. University Lightweight Women’s Boat Race

3:00 p.m. University Lightweight Men’s Boat Race

3:30 p.m. Commemorative Row Past of 1985 CUWBC Lightweights

4:15 p.m. Presentation of Trophies

This year’s Oxford men’s crew includes two athletes, Sooraj Mahesh of St. Peter’s College and Alec Trigger of Oriel, who first learnt to row at University. In the 6 seat for Oxford is Ed Stace from Otago, who rowed in the NZ Youth Olympic Crew in 2006. The Light Blues have the more cosmopolitan crew with Tim Rademacher, of Germany, at bow and his fellow countryman, Moritz Matthey, in the 3 seat and Raffaele Nicholas Russo, of Italy, in the 7 seat.

In the Women’s boats, Oxford are coxed by the experienced American Ayesha Rasheed, who coxed the Stanford University Women’s Varsity crew. They have one returning Blue from last year’s victorious crew, Becky Lane. Cambridge have two returning Blues, Christina Ostacchini and coxswain Prya Crosby. They also have 2014 Oxford Blue, Emma Clifton in the 7 seat.

For updates and more information please contact Daniel Spring on 07828 190476, or click here.