The Oxford and Cambridge reserve crews for this weekend’s Boat Race have now been named, these races are often more exciting than the Blue Boats although sadly they seldom get any sort of mainstream coverage. So, here’s my brief look at the form of each crew.

Isis v Goldie

Since the Blue Boat’s were announced last month there’s been a bit of an upheaval in the Oxford camp. Benedict Aldous, originally named at 4 in the Blue Boat has been dropped and will now sit in the 6 seat of Isis. A reversal in fortunes for Aldous who had originally been named in the 2018 Isis crew only to be bumped up to the Blue Boat when Josh Bugajski left the squad. Another casualty of the changing Blue Boat is cox Anna Carbery, who not only loses her seat in the Blue Boat but doesn’t even get the seat in Isis.

Aldous is joined by two other rowers with experience of the reserves race, Charlie Thurston and Nick Elkington. Thurston was in the victorious Isis crews in 2015 and 2016 and Elkington in the losing 2018 crew. Stroking the Isis boat is freshman, Leo Von Malaise. He’s the youngest athlete in the race and was a member of the truly outstanding St Paul’s school crew in 2018 – possibly the finest single school 8 Britain has ever seen. I had predicted he might get a seat in the Blue Boat this year, but a year in Isis will set him up nicely for a Blue Boat spot in 2020.

Backing up Von Malaise at 7 is former junior international Luke Robinson. He won a World Championship bronze medal in the Junior M8 in 2017. In the engine room at 4 and 5 are Hal Frigaard and Ben Thomson. Frigaard (a dual Australian and British citizen) rowed for Adelaide University at the 2017 Sydney International Regatta picking up a bronze medal in the U23 8’s. Thomson, from RGS Worcester was captain of Boats whilst at school and formed part of a very successful JM4X. Sitting at bow, somewhat appropriately, is Josh Bowesman-Jones. The 20 year old rowed in the Radley 1st8 and represented GB at the 2017 Coupe De La Jeunesse. Steering the crew is the oldest member of the Oxford crew, and their soul American, Devon Braimer. The 24 year old learnt her craft on the waters of the Norwalk River in Connecticut before coming to the UK to study Chemistry at St Andrews and then medicine at Oxford.

Lining up against isis are a Goldie crew with 4 returners from the victorious 2018 crew, Gerard Kuening, Rob Harris, Tom Strudwick and Reggie Mitchell. They are joined by 2018 Lightweight Blue Calum MacRae at bow. In the six seat is Jonty Page who, along with Rob Harris, Reggie Mitchell and Callum Sullivan (who is in the 2019 Blue Boat), won gold in the M4- at the EUSA Games in Coimbra Portugal in 2018. Sitting at 2 is Hugo Durward, the 19 year old learnt to row at Winchester (along with Tobias Schroder and Luke Robinson) and in 2018 won British Rowing’s “Rising Star of the year” award. He’s a former GB junior trialist and has spent a lot of time as a volunteer coach with the Fulham reach “Future Blues” junior programme. One place in front of Durward, is old-Hamptonian Tim Nugent. He’s another oarsman with junior representative honours when he represented GB at the Coupe De la Jeunesse in 2014. Steering the crew will be Charlie Marcus, another Hampton old-boy who, like his fellow Hamptonian Durward, represented Great Britain at the Coupe De la Jeunesse when he steered the GB JM8 to a gold medal in 2016.

So who will take the honours? Isis undoubtedly have some exciting talent onboard, Aldous is a Blue after all and the likes of Von Malaise and Thomson could well win full Blues in the next few years. But, Goldie have the core of the crew that won last year and that will offer them a big advantage. I predict another great race, but Goldie to take the win.