Boat Race 2025: A guide on Cambridge and Oxford University Boat Club’s famous rivalry, where and how you can watch it and who will be in each boat
The wait is almost over. On Sunday afternoon the two great rivals from Cambridge and Oxford University Boat Clubs will lock horns on the famous stretch of the River Thames between Putney and Mortlake.
For Cambridge, both their men’s and women’s crews will be looking to rack up a hat-trick of victories in a row after triumphs in 2023 and 2024.
Oxford, of course, will have plenty to say about that possibility. Their women’s president, Annie Anezakis, is certainly in a determined mood. She said: “I’m back again because I want to win it, I’m not here just to have a fun time. Our team want to do it for each other and for the women that have come before us.”
Below is the Cambridge Independent’s guide to one of the world’s biggest sporting events.
When are the races?
• Sunday, 13 April.
• The 79th Women’s Boat Race starts at 1.21pm.
• The 170th Men’s Boat Race begins at 2.21pm.
• The women’s reserve race is at 1.36pm, followed by the men’s reserves at 1.51pm.
Where can I watch the race on TV?
• Coverage of the races is on BBC One on Sunday, starting at 12.45pm and going off air 3.15pm.
• Coverage will be presented by Clare Balding, who read English at Newnham College in Cambridge. Commentary will be provided by Andrew Cotter.
• It can also be streamed live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.
• The two reserve races will not be part of the BBC coverage, but they can be streamed on The Boat Race’s official YouTube channel.
Can I watch the Boat Race in person?
• Putney Embankment is one of the most popular places for spectators to gather to see the action, it is where the crews boat and where the coin toss takes place.
• There are official Boat Race fan parks at Bishops Park, in Fulham, and another at Furnvial Gardens in Hammersmith.
• The race finishes just below the Chiswick Bridge, which will be open for spectators.
Head-to-head record
• Cambridge extended their winning margin to 87-81 with last year’s victory in the women’s race.
• It is an even healthier lead of 48-30 for Cambridge’s women.
Who will be in the boats?
Oxford Men: Tom Sharrock, William O’Connell, Felix Rawlinson, James Doran, Tassilo van Mueller, Tom Mackintosh, Nick Rusher, Nicholas Kohl, Cox: Tobias Bernard.
Oxford Men: Sarah Polsom, Lilli Freischem, Tessa Haining, Alexia Lowe, Sarah Marshall, Annie Anezakis, Kyra Delray, Heidi Long, Cox: Daniel Orton.
What is the Championship Course?
• The stretch of water that the crews compete on is four miles and 374 yards from Putney to Mortlake.
• The Fulham and Chiswick north side of the course is known as the Middlesex Station and the Putney and Barnes south side of the course is known as the Surrey Station.
• The crew that wins the toss more often than not chooses the Surrey station which means they have the inside of the long bend round Hammersmith and Chiswick Reach.
History maker
Sarah Winckless will become the first woman to umpire the men’s race on the Championship course. Winckless won a bronze medal in double sculls with her partner Elise Laverick at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and was twice world champion, in 2005 and 2006. She studied Natural Sciences at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, during which time she won eight Blues across athletics, netball and rowing. Four-time Olympic gold medalist Matthew Pinsent will umpire the women’s race.
Read more
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