Oxford and Cambridge Universities, due to do battle in the 152nd Boat Race, sponsored by Xchanging, on April 2nd 2006, will face each other competitively for the first time on the Thames this season at the Head of the River Fours on Saturday (12 November, starting at 12.30).
The 11 Oxbridge crews taking part will be amongst 2484 people competing in 550 crews in the Race, sponsored by Fuller's, and founded in 1954. The event is one of the largest one day rowing races in the world. It takes place on the Thames over the Boat Race course but in reverse from Chiswick Bridge to Putney Bridge.
Cambridge University have entered six crews and Isis (Oxford University) have entered five, all in coxed or coxless fours. Both university squads contain an impressive array of foreign and GB International and Olympic oarsmen and will give an early insight into the high quality form expected for the 2006 Boat Race.
In Elite coxless fours, Cambridge return to defend their 2004 title. Olympic gold medallist Kieran West, who has decided to return to Cambridge to study for a PhD in First World War Strategy and Intelligence, joins up with US Olympian Luke Walton, German Olympian Sebastian Schulte and Australian Tom Edwards. Also competing for the light blues, Tom James joins with German Olympians Sebastian Thormann and Thorsten Engelman and Canadian international Kristopher Kip McDaniel .
Oxford University (competing as Isis) field a single strong Elite 4-. The crew is stroked by Colin Smith, a GB International who competed at this year's world championships in the single scull, and he is backed up by US international Jamie Schroeder, Canadian Barney Williams and Jake Wetzel who has rowed at the National level for both the U.S. and Canada and won Silver at Athens with Williams in the 4-.
The process of selecting our fours has been quite exciting, said Barney Williams Oxford President, this week. Last year our top two boats were coxed fours and in that way we avoided a confrontation with Cambridge. This year will be different. It will be a really good contest. They've had more race preparation in the early season but we're still hoping for a good performance on the day and we've been working hard in training.
Isis has also entered several Elite 4+ crews, again with a strong international flavour. Paul Daniels (member of the gold winning US Olympic 8) teams up with fellow US international Andrew Brennan, Frenchman, Bastien Ripoll (a member of the French eight at the World championships in Gifu) and Tom Parker (a member of the GB Olympic eight). Also racing as Isis, Stephan Molvig, an Athens Olympic gold medallist in the Danish lightweight four competes with GB junior international Robin Esjmond-Frey, American Terence Kookyer (ex-Brown University) and John Mathews.
Several leading club crews in the event feature Great Britain's eight current world champions in the men's four and women's quadruple scull