The Reserve races often produce closer, and more exciting contests than their senior compatriots. So, as with the Blue Boats, here is my seat-by-seat guide to the crews and who I think has the edge.
Cox
Cox
James Trotman - 🇬🇧
It's quite rare for two coxes to face each other in consecutive years; it’s even rarer for the same coxes to race each other three years running, but that's the situation this year with Trotman and Slade. Trotman, who learnt to cox at St Paul's and steered them to Henley Royal Regatta victory, coxed the Blondie crew last year and also the Cambridge Women's Blue Boat in 2023, both times with Slade as his opposite number. So far, it’s one win apiece.
Cox
Tara Slade - 🇬🇧
The only female cox in any of the eight openweight boats, Slade coxed the Oxford women's Blue Boat in 2023 and Osiris in 2024, losing in the former and winning the latter. She's one of a rare breed who has competed for both the dark and light blues, as in 2018, she coxed the Cambridge Lightweight reserve crew.
Verdict
Who has the stronger bow seat?
No Advantage for Either Crew
Honours even in the all-important coxes seat.
Stroke
Stroke
Matthew Edge - 🇬🇧
The most experienced rower in either boat, Edge raced for the Cambridge lightweight boat in 2020, 2021 and 2022 (and was Lightweight President in 2022) and then made the openweight Blue Boat in 2023 and 2024. He learned rowing at Durham Amateur Rowing Club and won gold in the championship men's four at BUCS Regatta in 2024. He stroked the winning Cambridge Blue Boat last year, and returns to the same seat in Goldie.
Thomas Rigney
Stroke
Thomas Rigney - 🇬🇧
Rigney raced for Isis in 2023, losing an epic race by just one length. He and partner Saxon Stacey raced in a pair in the The Silver Goblets and Nickalls' Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta in 2023, losing to a Dutch squad boat in the opening round.
Verdict
Who has the stronger stroke seat?
Cambridge Advantage
Clear advantage to Cambridge.
Seven
Seven
Joe Travis - 🇬🇧
Another returning Goldie oarsman from 2024, Travis, faces up against his former Hinksey Sculling School crewmate, Gabe Reynolds, for the second consecutive year. Like Reynolds, he was a Hinksey Sculling School crew member who reached the final of the Britannia Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta. He and Reynolds also won the championship pair at the National Schools' Regatta.
Seven
Luke Robinson - 🇬🇧
Set to “win" his fourth Isis seat, Robinson was part of the Oxford Reserves in 2018, 2019 and 2021 but has yet to taste victory. At the Trial Eights in December, he sat in the five-seat of the victorious "Gromit” boat.
Verdict
Who has the stronger seven seat?
Cambridge Advantage
Another close battle, but Travis’s victory in 2024 gives him the edge over the more experienced Robinson.
Six
Six
Simon Nunayon - 🇬🇧
Old Etonian Nunayon was part of the winning The Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup crew at Henley Royal Regatta in 2019. 2021 saw him selected for the GB U23 team, winning gold at the U23 World Rowing Championships in the men's eight. He did his undergraduate studies at Harvard, racing for the First Varsity in his Sophomore year, making the Grand Final at both Eastern Sprints and the IRA’s.
Six
Gabriel Reynolds - 🇬🇧
Stroke of last year's losing Isis crew, Reynolds is an Oxford native, having learnt to row at Hinksey Sculling School in the city. He was part of an outstanding junior crew that made the final in The Britannia Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta in 2021.
Verdict
Who has the stronger six seat?
Cambridge Advantage
Another light blue win.
Five
Five
Tom Macky - 🇦🇺
At 2.05 metres, Macky is the tallest man in the race. He learnt to row at Scotch College, Australia, helping them to achieve both a National title and The Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup win in 2017. He studied in the US, rowing for the Harvard First Varsity VIII in his Sophomore and Senior years.
Five
Saxon Stacey - 🇬🇧
One of only two Blues in the Isis crew, Stacey was a member of the losing 2024 boat and raced for Isis in 2023. The old Etonian was part of the school's first VIII that lost in the semifinal of the The Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup in 2022, but he went on to represent Great Britain at the U19 World Rowing Championships that year, winning gold in the U19 men's four.
Verdict
Who has the stronger five seat?
Oxford Advantage
Probably the closest contest so far, but I’m going to give this seat to the Dark Blues.
Four
Four
Connor Attridge - 🇨🇦
Attridge graduated from the University of Victoria and raced in their Varsity boat at the Canadian University Championships, winning a silver medal in 2023. He was selected for the Canadian U23 team in 2022 and finished ninth in the men's eight at the U23 World Rowing Championships. He is a member of the Canadian development team and will be eyeing selection for the LA Olympic Games in 2028.
Four
Yannick Limmer - 🇩🇪
Another one of the Isis crew that is relatively new to the sport, having only started in 2022 when he went up to St Hilda's College. At the Trial Eights, he sat at three in the victorious "Gromit" crew.
Verdict
Who has the stronger four seat?
Cambridge Advantage
Another Cambridge advantage.
Three
Three
Thomas Marsh - 🇺🇸
Marsh is the second of four former Blues in this year's Goldie boat. He was the three seat in last year's victorious Blue Boat, having helped Goldie to victory the year before. He learnt to row at St Alban's School in Washington DC, and then rowed for Hamilton College, New York, helping them to second at the New York Collegiate Championships.
Three
Paolo Cicuta - 🇮🇹/🇬🇧
Cicuta is one of two members of the Isis crew who only picked up an oar when they went up to Oxford. He's made rapid progress in his rowing career and was the four-seat in the losing "Wallace" crew at the Oxford Trial Eights.
Verdict
Who has the stronger three seat?
Cambridge Advantage
Clear win for Cambridge.
Two
Two
Brett Taylor - 🇬🇧
One of four former Blues in this year’s Goldie boat, Taylor was a member of the victorious 2023 crew and stroked the winning Goldie boat last season. As a junior, he represented Taiwan, placing 12th in the U19 men's single scull at the 2019 World Rowing Junior Championships. In 2023, he was part of the GB U23 team that won silver in the men's eight at the European U23 Championships.
Two
Isaac Throsby - 🇬🇧
Throsby learnt his rowing as part of the outstanding St Paul’s School Boat Club under Bobby Thatcher. He was in the 2023 first VIII that made the final of the The Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta (losing an epic race to St Edwards by just 1/3 of a length). Last year, he stroked the losing Oxford Lightweight boat.
Verdict
Who has the stronger two seat?
Cambridge Advantage
Another victory for the light blues.
Bow
Bow
Matt Morgan - 🇬🇧
Morgan leant to row on the Championship Course whilst at Latymer Upper School. He did his undergraduate studies at Edinburgh University and, in 2022, teamed up with James Doran (who is in the Oxford Blue Boat) to win championship pairs at BUCS regatta. He also raced in the Edinburgh Prince Albert Challenge Cup Four, which made the Henley Royal Regatta semifinals that year. At GB trials earlier this year, he and crewmate Simon Nunayon finished 16th.
Bow
Felix Crabtree - 🇬🇧
Crabtree learnt to row at King Edward VI School, Stratford and Stratford Boat Club and was in the bow seat for the victorious "Gromit" crew at the Oxford Trial Eights in December.
Verdict
Who has the stronger bow seat?
Cambridge Advantage
Advantage light blues
Key Crew Results
In the 2025 Fixture Series, the provisional Goldie lineup saw plenty of racing. From wins over Thames and Leander to a seventh overall finish at Head of the River Race, the men at Ely have developed plenty of speed. From our limited results, Isis does not seem to have the same depth as Goldie.
The Prediction
Dan Spring's Verdict
Who will win the Men's Reserve Boat Race?
Cambridge
So who will win? Goldie are by far the stronger and more experienced boat with a host of former Blues in their ranks. Isis, on the other hand, are much younger (seven undergraduates to Goldies three) and much less experienced (four Blues to two in Isis). It's going to take something quite special for Isis to get their first victory since 2022. Goldie by a minimum of three lengths.
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