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
Louis De Neve - 🇬🇧
De Neve sets an unusual record of being the tallest ever cox in any Boat Race crew; at 193cm, he's also the tallest member of the crew by over 10cm. He's relatively inexperienced, having only started coxing as an undergraduate at Robinson College. Despite this, he's shown good form in the run-up to the race and will be no pushover, especially with a strong crew in front of him.
Cox
Joe Gellett - 🇬🇧
Gellett already has three Boat Race appearances to his credit. He coxed Osiris to defeat in Ely in 2021 and then coxed the Blue Boats in both 2022 and 2024, losing on both occasions. He learnt his trade at Hampton School, coxing the school's second VIII to a silver medal at the 2018 National Schools' Regatta
Verdict
Who has the stronger cox?
Oxford Advantage
A clear advantage to Osiris, which may be critical in the early stages of the race.
Stroke
Stroke
Caroline Rijkse - 🇬🇧
Rijkse learnt her rowing on the Tideway, first at Latymer Upper School but also as a member of the Tideway Scullers School. She rowed for Durham University at Henley Women’s Regatta in 2023, winning the Ron Haslam trophy for championship lightweight double sculls. She raced for Duram the following year, making the semis of the championship lightweight single scull. At the BUCS regatta in 2023, she came away with five medals.
Stroke
Sierra Sparks - 🇨🇦
Sparks only started rowing when she went up to Oxford in 2021. Last year, she made the spares race, and now she’s handed the all-important stroke seat. At Trial Eights, she stroked the losing "King Julien" crew.
Verdict
Who has the stronger stroke seat?
Cambridge Advantage
Advantage Blondie
Seven
Seven
Eloise Etherington - 🇬🇧
Her opposite number is the tallest rower in their crew, and Etherington is the shortest for the light blues, but don't let that fool you - she is an outstanding young oarswoman Described by JRN as "one of the finest [junior] quad rowers on the circuit," she was a member of a dominant Wycliffe College quad and represented Great Britain at the 2023 U19 World Rowing Championships, picking up a bronze medal and then silver in 2024. Still only 18 years old, she will undoubtedly be a name to watch, both for future Boat Races and for Great Britain.
Seven
Hattie Cooper - 🇬🇧
The tallest member of the Oxford crew, Cooper is now in her fourth year of an engineering degree. Like a number of other athletes in the race, she only took up rowing when she started at Oxford. She missed out on racing at the Trial Eights due to a last-minute illness.
Verdict
Who has the stronger seven seat?
Cambridge Advantage
Clear Blondie advantage.
Six
Six
Carina Graf - 🇩🇪
The most experienced member of the light blue crew, Graf was a member of the victorious Cambridge Blue Boats in 2023 and 2024, as well as the winning Blondie crew of 2022. She graduated from the University of British Columbia but only started rowing at 24.
Six
Catherine King - 🇬🇧
King, the most experienced rower in the Osiris crew, raced for Cambridge in the Lightweight Boat Race in 2019 and 2022 and Blondie in 2021. As a postgraduate, she raced for Oxford in last year's Osiris crew; her twin sister, Gemma, races for Cambridge in the two seat of this year's Blue Boat.
Verdict
Who has the stronger six seat?
Cambridge Advantage
A battle of the two most experienced athletes in the race, I'm going to have to give this to Graf; she's yet to lose on Boat Race day.
Five
Five
Polly Shorrock - 🇬🇧
Shorrock learned to row as a child in Florence and rowed in the first & third Trinity first eight throughout her Cambridge career. She also raced for Cambridge at the British Rowing Senior Club Championships, winning silver in the club eight and gold in the Club coxed four.
Five
Imogen Boxall - 🇬🇧
Another rower who sat in a boat for the first time when she went up to Oxford, Boxall, was part of the Oxford Development squad and raced at BUCS Regatta in 2023. She has also raced for Cantabrigian Rowing Club, Cambridge.
Verdict
Who has the stronger five seat?
Cambridge Advantage
Advantage Cambridge
Four
Four
Jessica Spain - 🇬🇧
A member of the losing Blondie crew in 2024, Spain only started rowing when she went to Cambridge in 2022, winning academic fours at the Fours Head that year. Known to everyone as Beanie, she was the six seat in the losing Eeyore Trial Eight in December.
Four
Milly Troup - 🇬🇧
Troup has The Boat Race running through her veins. Her mother, Anna, rowed for Oxford in 1991 and is the former chair of the Oxford University Boat Club. Anna's partner, Richard Staite, rowed for Cambridge in the 1991 Boat Race and represented GB at the 1990 World Rowing Championships. Milly learnt to row at Upper Thames under the tutelage of Staite.
Verdict
Who has the stronger four seat?
Oxford Advantage
A close seat, but I’m going to give this one to Osiris.
Three
Three
Becky Ashford - 🇬🇧
Ashford graduated from Exeter University and started her rowing career there, racing in the women's intermediate eight at the 2023 BUCS Regatta. She wasn't selected for the main Trial Eights in December but did row in a mixed lightweight and open weight crew, sitting in the five seat of “Piglet".
Hermione Warr
Three
Hermione Warr - 🇬🇧
A member of the Oxford Development squad in 2024, Warr is a graduate of Manchester University and was the four-seat in the winning boat at the December Trial Eights.
Verdict
Who has the stronger three seat?
No Advantage for Either Crew
Both relatively new to rowing, I’m going to call this seat as evens.
Two
Two
Mia Freischem - 🇩🇪
Freischem is a graduate of Edinburgh University, where she won the aspirational academic quad at Henley Women’s Regatta in 2022 and placed fourth in the Championship lightweight double scull at BUCS regatta that same year.
Tara Sallaba
Two
Tara Sallaba - 🇩🇪
Sallaba was part of the Oxford squad in 2024 and 2025, racing in the losing Trial Eight this season. She also has experience of the Tideway, spending last summer racing for London Rowing Club.
Verdict
Who has the stronger two seat?
Oxford Advantage
In battle of the Germans, it’s advantage Blondie.
Bow
Bow
Ellie Sillar - 🇬🇧
Sillar learnt to row at Bedford Modern School and represented Great Britain at the Coupe de la Jeunesse last year.
Amelia Mills
Bow
Amelia Mills - 🇿🇦
South African Mills was part of the Oxford Lightweight Women's squad but moved across this year to the openweights for the Reserve race. She's a graduate of the University of Cape Town and stroked the Cape Town Varsity crew to fourth place at the South African National Championships in 2023.
Verdict
Who has the stronger bow seat?
Oxford Advantage
I’m going to call a narrow advantage to Oxford.
The Prediction
Dan Spring's Verdict
Who will win the Women's Reserve Boat Race?
Cambridge
So, who will win? On paper, Blondie has a significant advantage over the relatively inexperienced Osiris crew. Blondie's stern paring of Rijkse and Etherington, in particular, should give the light blues the edge over their dark blue rivals. I'm picking Blondie by four to five lengths.
About The Author
Discover more from JRN
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
