Saturday April 11th this year will mark an historic sporting occasion when both the BNY Mellon (men’s) Boat Race and The Newton Women’s Boat Race will, for the first time ever, take place on the same day and on the same stretch of water.
First raced in 1829 and 1927 respectively, the BNY Mellon Boat Races are amongst the oldest sporting events in the world.
Watched by thousands along the banks of the Thames, between Putney and Mortlake in London, and by millions on TV around the world, the races are a unique sporting event.
As well as ‘levelling the playing field’ on gender, the Oxford and Cambridge crews will also be wearing kit supplied by one of Britain’s top sports brands – Crewroom!
The Boat Race Company Limited has announced that Crewroom are this year’s Official Supplier of performance wear for The 2015 Boat Race season.
Back in yesteryear, women rowers wore cumbersome, full-length skirts, as we see from this historic photo of women from the Furnivall Sculling Club, based at Hammersmith, London, on the Thames tideway, in the late 19th century. Our special thanks to the River & Rowing Museum, in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire for lending us this picture. (Their museum is well worth a visit http://rrm.co.uk).
“To be an integral part of these historic events is something of which all of us at Crewroom are very proud,” says Kate Giles, Crewroom Founder.
“As a young British company, we acknowledge the rich history and tradition associated with The Boat Race and we’re excited about our involvement in 2015, particularly as it will be the first year that the women’s crews will race on the Tideway.”
“Our kit remains first choice for many elite international rowers and we work closely with the athletes to ensure the technical innovation is the very best it can be at the highest level in the sport. I look forward to cheering on all the crews on the day and throughout the season.”
The men’s and women’s races will get underway on the Tideway at 5.50pm and 4.50pm respectively.
If you’d like to win a Crewroom Beanie, just answer the following trivia question in our Crewroom Boat Race Quiz. Beanies (RRP £19) will go to the first five people to email the correct answer to enquiries@crewroom.biz
Question: From which single college were the Cambridge rowers taken when the Women's Boat Race was founded in 1927?
Picture: ©River & Rowing Museum.