Isis v. Goldie, 2:35pm, Sunday 27th March 2005
This year's reserve contest "has the makings of a great race" said Cambridge coach Robin Williams. His Goldie boat and Oxford's Isis have been looking sharp in their final preparations, and with so much Boat Race experience on board both boats, neither is likely to give way easily.
Isis-Goldie umpire Pete Bridge is also looking forward to a race that could go all the way to the line. "In the past the Isis Goldie race hasn't matched the standard of the main race", he said yesterday. "Often there are 12 good oarsmen but the weak links in the bows dictate who wins the race. It often becomes a procession. This year though there are sixteen fantastic oarsmen. These crews don't have any holes so there is no reason why we won't have a great contest. I wouldn't like to call it."
Friday afternoon saw the crews practising stake boat starts. They both proved their ability to get out of the blocks cleanly with cover around stroke 6, but there is a lack of consistency. If one gets it right and one gets it wrong on Sunday it could prove decisive.
Strokeman Volker Utesch leads Goldie. The German, a former world junior and world U23 champion, was unlucky not to make the Blue Boat and he seems to have become a real leader in the crew. A tenacious stroke man is crucial in the 4.25 mile race, which is a battle of minds as much as bodies. On Thursday, Goldie came up against their Blue Boat in two pieces. The first saw the reserves well off the pace but after words with coach Donald Legget, Utesch looked like a man on a mission. In the second piece they only just lost contact with the Blue Boat after 2 minutes. The question is whether he can keep his head for 17 minutes on Sunday.
Utesch is backed by 7 man Andrew Shannon, this year's Cambridge President who is looking to secure his third consecutive victory over Oxford. If he succeeds he will be the first Cambridge president to win the reserve contest, following in the footsteps of last year's Oxford President Sam McLennan, the first club captain from either side to win a reserve race when he rowed at 6 in Isis.
The stern of Oxford's Isis is no less tenacious; coach Sean Bowden described them as "motivated, focused and determined to win." Former Blues Colin Smith, Henry Morris and Dave Livingston have six Boat Races between them. Morris seems confident that with the help of this experience his crew is "ready for anything." History is against them though. In 1972, the only other time Oxford sidelined multiple Blues, Isis lost. Isis are nearly 2 stones lighter per man than their weighty Blue Boat so they seem to have focused on building a fluid rhythm. They row with impressive finesse for a reserve crew.
Neither cox has steered the Boat Race before. Feisty American Russ Glenn from the winning Cambridge trial eights crew takes the rudder strings of Goldie, and 18-year-old junior world Champion Nick Brodie is at the helm in Isis. Both gave aggressive vocal performances during starts practice but umpire Bridge seems confident that they want a "fair race." Whether they can negotiate the difficult Tideway course under pressure remains to be seen.
2003 showed that anything can happen in the run up to the Boat Race. A collision with the Harbourmaster's boat saw Light Blue Wayne Pommen break his wrist. Goldie strokeman Ben Smith suddenly found himself in the bow seat of the Blue Boat. Fingers crossed there will be no such upsets this year. It was as a stark reminder that Isis and Goldie exist to help the Blue Boats and can be disrupted at any moment. Such thoughts will be far from the oarsmen's minds though as they focus on 'their' Boat Race.
23rd March 2005: 'It doesn't matter which crew I'm in'
23rd March 2005: Isis and Goldie crews