The Lightweight Women’s Boat Race will commence at 12:20 on Saturday, 12 April 2025.
Now officially part of the ‘Boat Race weekend’, the lightweight boat races have been an all-light blue affair in recent years. Oxford’s best efforts since 2022 have seen them defeated by several lengths every year over the Championship Course. Could this year represent their best chance in an academic generation to re-establish dark blue dominance?
Oxford University Boat Club
Four returners – more than any other boat race crew – signifies the depth of Oxford’s intent as they look to deprive Cambridge of their fourth consecutive victory.
Early whispers from the Wallingford-based squad suggested this year may be their best chance in recent times to take the fight to Cambridge, though given the lightweight women have also fallen afoul of Oxford’s tendency to keep fixture results quiet, concrete evidence of such a charge is scant.
Stroked by Olivia Ramsay and backed up in the seven-seat by ex-St Paul’s Girls’ School athlete Amelia Monoghan, the dark blues are – much like their competitor – stroked by a 2024 returner. Erika Dutton, Hazel Bott, and Indigo Buckler complete the quartet of second-time Blues.
One of six crews despatched to the Heineken under dark blue colours, the lightweight women performed well. They beat Molsesy to finish eleventh in their category and set a time around 20 seconds away from the provisional Osiris crew, who were themselves a similar margin behind the Blue Boat.
Cambridge University Boat Club
Cambridge’s efforts to retain the lightweight boat race title has led them to select a crew of three returners and five ‘Boat Race novices’, three of whom learned to row at Cambridge.
In the stern, President Madeline Jackson and Arden Berlinger return to the Tideway in a bid to earn their third and second victories, respectively. Prior to joining Cambridge, Jackson learned to row at Walton Rowing Club (meaning both of this year’s lightweight President’s are products of the Walton junior programme), before moving to Exeter University. Since joining the CUBC programme, Jackson has won every Boat Race entered and has also represented Cambridge at the European University Championships in the lightweight women’s pair. The final returner – Claire Cooper – seeks to defend her 2024 title, this time in the bow seat.
Highlights from the Fixture Series for the lightweight women included a double victory against Godolphin and Latymer School, as well as three wins in matches against the University of London ‘C’ crew. The light blues fared less well against Thames Rowing Club’s ‘D’ crew, though Cambridge demonstrated progression through the pieces.
Prediction
Notoriously challenging to predict, lightweight races tend to either be won by several lengths or a mere few inches – rarely anything in between.
Given the pedigree of the athletes involved, the results available, and Cambridge’s recent history of relentless success, I believe it will be Cambridge that comes out ahead on Saturday.
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