Catz students achieve success in weekend of sport

This weekend was a significant one for Oxford sport, with both the rugby Varsity matches and The Boat Race taking place.

Victories for the dark blues were achieved by both men’s teams, who beat Cambridge 21-17 at Twickenham, and crossed the line first on the water. The women’s team drew 10-10 on the pitch, but finished behind the light blues on the Thames.

Catz students featured in both sports, with DPhil student Angus Groom in the dark blue boat and three players in the women’s Varsity squad.

‘One of the greatest crews of all time’

Oxford won Sunday’s men’s Boat Race, their first victory since 2017, by 2 1/4 lengths. Their time of 16:42 – jointly the third fastest ever recorded – was the quickest since they finished first with an identical time in 2005.

Speaking after the race, former Olympic rowing champion Martin Cross summed up the impressiveness of the win: ‘Given the strength of the Cambridge crew, I’d say it makes this Oxford crew one of the greatest of all time – if not the greatest.’

Catz student Angus Groom (pictured top), himself an Olympic silver medallist, was in seat seven.

The women’s race was won by Cambridge, who held on to an early lead to finish seven seconds ahead of the Oxford boat.

Those in the UK can watch both races again on BBC iPlayer for the next 28 days.

‘A thrilling draw’

The rugby saw two Catz women on the pitch: Chloe-Marie Hawley (pictured middle) and Kehinde Lawal (pictured bottom). The third player in the squad, Alice Ardis, remained on the bench.

Cambridge were leading at the beginning, but Oxford fought back to lead the match into the final minutes. Just six minutes from the final whistle, a try from the light blues – and a missed conversion – meant the game finished up 10-10. Read the full match report.

This game was the first draw among the 34 Varsity matches played by the women’s squads. Oxford currently lead the overall standings with 20 wins.

The Oxford men’s dominant first-half performance, which saw the half-time score stand at 21-0, was just enough to secure victory after a second-half fight back from the light blues.

This win meant that the Oxford men have been victorious in seven of the last ten Varsity matches. Read the full match report.

The College congratulates all the Catz students in this weekend’s fixtures.

Image of Angus Groom: Benedict Tufnell / Row 360 Magazine