Cambridge University Women's Boat Club
Cambridge University Women's Boat Club (CUWBC) was the rowing club for women at the University of Cambridge. CUWBC fielded both a lightweight eight that races against Oxford at the Henley Boat Races, and two openweight eights that race at the Women's Boat Race.[1][2] In April 2020 it was agreed that the club would be combined with the men's club CUBC and the lightweight men's club CULRC.[3]
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| Location | Cambridge, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Home water | River Cam and River Great Ouse |
| Founded | 1941 |
Key people | Larkin Sayre (President) |
| Affiliations | British Rowing |
| Website | cuwbc |
| Events | |
| Women's Boat Race, Henley Boat Races | |
| Notable members | |
History
Early days of the club
Women began rowing on the River Cam in the 19th century, mainly from Newnham College Boat Club, but only on a recreational level. Newnham competed against the Oxford University Women's Boat Club (OUWBC) from 1927 until 1939. For the first few "races", the two crews were not permitted to be on the river at the same time, and the winner was largely determined on style merit marks, rather than boat speed. The first side-by-side racing started in 1936.[4][5][6][7]
The first blues were awarded in 1941, when CUWBC raced against OUWBC.[8] All of the rowers in 1941 were members of Newnham. The following year, the first Girton rower competed.[9]
In 1962, the CUWBC rowed in the men's bumps races, in the 8th division. CUWBC succeeded in bumping a men's crew only 7 times (in both the Lent and May Bumps) in the 12 years that they competed, often being bumped very quickly, and on one occasion getting triple-overbumped. CUWBC last competed in the bumps in 1973 – the following year, the first dedicated women's bumping races began.
Women's rowing
Until the foundation of the Cambridge University Combined Boat Club (CUCBC) in the mid-1990s, the CUWBC controlled the rules and races for all women's rowing. The CUWBC rules often differed from the rules for the men, which were governed by the Cambridge University Boat Club (CUBC). Eventually, as the number of women rowing increased to rival that of the men, the CUCBC was founded to bring all college rowing under the control of a single entity, leaving the CUWBC to concentrate on the Henley Boat Races.
Women's Boat Race on the Tideway
Through sponsorship from Newton Investment Management, the CUWBC Blue Boat race took place on the Tideway on the same day as the men's Boat Race for the first time in 2015.[10]
References
- "CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY WOMEN'S BOAT CLUB". The Boat Race Company Limited. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
- "About Henley Boat Races". Henley Boat Races. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
- "University Boat Clubs to combine – CUBC". Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- "Race History". Cambridge University Women's Boat Club. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
- "Crew Lists 1940s". Cambridge University Women's Boat Club 1941 – 2014. 7 February 2015. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- "First ever women's event from 88 years ago was rather different to modern day". The Telegraph. 10 April 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- "A brief history of the Oxford-Cambridge Varsity event – from the perspective of women". The Telegraph. 13 March 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- Ham Bevan, William. "Cambridge Alumni Magazine" (74): 14. Cite journal requires
|journal=(help) - "Crew Lists 1940s". Cambridge University Women's Boat Club 1941 – 2014. 7 February 2015. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- Winton, Richard (9 April 2015). "Boat Races 2015: Oxford, Cambridge & the fight for equality". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
Further reading
- Kingsbury, Jane; Williams, Carol (2015). Cambridge University Women's Boat Club 1941–2014 – The Struggle Against Inequality. Trireme. ISBN 9780993098291.