This year, Cantabs will be entering 14 women’s eights, which is not only a record entry for Cantabs but also a record entry of women’s crews from any club in the history of Town Bumps. In 2021, Cantabs was the most successful women’s club overall, going up a massive net of 29 places over the week and, in division 1 finishing as 1st, 2nd, 5th and 7th on the river. This year, the results from last year are ignored and we ‘reset’ at the finish order from 2019 after 2020 was cancelled and it was agreed that 2021 results wouldn’t carry over due to the pandemic.
The 2021/22 season has been a successful one for all of the Cantabs women’s squads, seeing wins across events on-Cam as well as nationally. This has included everything from Racks Out winning the women’s novice 8+ at the Radegund Mile, to the Intermediate Women winning at Peterborough Spring Regatta, to the Juniors putting in great performances to compete in B finals at Nat Schools, to the Senior Women winning at WEHORR and securing qualification for Henley Royal Regatta for the 2nd year in a row – the only Cambridge women’s club crew to have ever qualified for HRR.
You can read more about each squad by clicking the link on each crew list. If you want to find out more about joining Cantabs, please contact the women’s captains.
*denotes that someone learned to row at Cantabs
The 2022 Cantabs women’s crews
The top 4 crews and 6th crew this year are all from the Senior Women’s Squad. Their coaches Tom Copeland, Chris Radbone and Jay Milne are all racing in M6 – the coaches’ 8+.
W1 – Senior Women’s Squad – Starting Head of the River:
Callum Mantell (cox), Gloria Jansen, Laura D’Urso, Abi Bartlett, Amanda Clarkson, Molly Shaw, Cat Harrison, Rosa Mueller, Evelyn Svingen
Photo credit: Allmarkone
Gloria Jansen, Molly Shaw and cox Callum Mantell return from the 2021 headship crew to race in W1 this year. 7 of this crew were winners of the club 8+ at Wallingford Regatta, qualified for this year’s Henley Royal Regatta and were in the Aspirational Club 8+ at Henley Women’s Regatta which beat the course record. 6 were in the Cantabs A crew which won the Provincial Pennant at WEHORR this season.
Evelyn Svingen is one of Cantabs’ success stories, racing this year in W1 having first raced for Cantabs at Town Bumps in W9, and a winner this year of the lightweight 1x at Scullers Head. Laura D’Urso brings a wealth of experience and speed to the crew, a 5-time gold medallist at the British Rowing Indoor Championships, 3-time gold medallist at the Home International Regatta, and former Irish international having represented Ireland at the Coupe de la Jeunesse, Junior World Championships, Under 23 World Championships and World Coastal Championships.
W2 – Senior Women’s Squad – Starting 3rd in Division 1:
Michael Scoones (cox), Lora Downes, Maria Stroyakovski, Diana Robinson, Eve Caroe, Chiara Avacini, Janeska de Jonge, Natalie O’Hare, Coco Newton
W2 contains a some of this year’s winning club 4+ at Wallingford Regatta, along with others with notable achievements. Chiara Avancini and Coco Newton both raced in the lightweight women’s boat race for Cambridge in 2019 and 2020 respectively, with Eve Caroe a previous winner of the Aspirational 8+ at Henley Women’s Regatta, Club 4+ at Fours Head, and also quarter finalist in the Wargrave Challenge Cup at Henley Royal. 2 of this crew are previous headship holders with Cantabs, and along with the rest of the crew will seek to repeat the performance of last year’s W2 by bumping City of Cambridge to finish as 2nd on the river behind W1.
W3 – Senior Women’s Squad – Starting 4th in Division 1:
Maria Chukanova (cox), Katie Brown, Rachel Borrows, Jennie Astley, Gemma White, Rebecca Bennewith, Eve Beere, Emma Walters, Cam Lardy
This year’s W3 mainly consists of athletes who have only rowed for part of the season due to work commitments, and will be coming together for the first time on race day, keen to see whether their past experience will overcome the disadvantage of limited preparation.
The crew contains many seasoned athletes, with 2 of the crew previous headship holders with Cantabs, with 4 sets of blades and 3 BUCS medals amongst the crew. 3 of the crew in last year’s W2 which bumped City of Cambridge to finish 2nd on the river. Three have previously qualified for Henley Royal Regatta, with Rachel making the semi-finals of the Princess Grace last year and previously winning gold representing England at the Home International Regatta. Rebecca Bennewith is a former Henley Women’s and WEHORR winner, and Katie Brown winner of the British Rowing Club Crew of the Year last year with Cantabs. Cox Maria Chukanova is also steering M2 and W10.
W4 – Senior Women’s Squad – Starting 7th in Division 1:
Sam Clark (cox), Ella Wilson, Ulrika Andersson, Aimee Esra Ugur, Georgia Grand, ChiYing Chen, Clara Lloyd, Cait Findlay, Scarlet Barton Gilhaney
W4 contains a mixture of old and new faces to the squad. Ella Wilson, Cait Findlay and Georgia Grand are new to the squad this year, previously rowing for Edinburgh University, Newnham College and Imperial College London. Last year’s Cantabs junior captain Scarlet Barton Gilhaney and Aimee Esra Ugur return from their studies at Leeds University and the University of East Anglia, respectively. ChiYing Chen swaps sculling for sweep after winning at Scullers Head this season. Ulrika Andersson is a former spare for the lightweight women’s boat race.
W5 – Junior Squad – Starting 4th in Division 2:
Charlotte Parr* (cox), Lucy Friedlander*, Elana Philpot*, Lucy Trapmore*, Lia Spiegal Emmerich*, Nora Howie*, Jasmine Pelligrini*, Emillie Howard*, Abby Hutton*
This crew competed at both Nat Schools Regatta, Henley Women’s Regatta and came 2nd at Bedford Head this season as a J18 crew despite some being younger. 5 of the crew were selected for the Eastern Region team for the Junior Inter Regional Regatta. Half of the crew won the B final of the J16 4+ (and 8th at Brit Champs) with another 2nd in the B final in the J15 4+.
W6 – Senior Women’s Squad – Starting 11th in Division 2:
Nordin Catic (cox), Gill Cooper, Judith Weik, Sarah Coates-Holland/Teresa Baron, Christina Woolner, Paula Darwin, Stani Georgieva, Miriam Schaepers, Sue Hakenbeck
W6 contains masters athletes who compete with the Senior Women’s Squad, this particular crew a Masters C ensemble. The crew contains 5 gold medallists from past British Rowing Championships in various sweep events. Gill Cooper, Judith Weik, Christina Woolner and Sue Hakenbeck are also past winners of masters events at Pairs Head, Veteran Fours Head and Vets Head of the River. Many of this crew raced together at Henley Women’s Regatta and as W5 last year in Town Bumps, where they went +4 places and will be looking to achieve similar success this year as W6.
W7 – Intermediate Women’s Squad – Starting 12th in Division 2:
Hana Lango Allen (cox), Debbie Morley*, Frances Hall, Lucy Walker, Miranda Robbins, Sally Hames*, Charlotte Easton-Jones/Emma Gordon, Emily Kempin, Rebecca Cicolecchia*
This year’s W7 contains 6 of the crew which won Peterborough Spring Regatta this year, as well as winners of women’s club B 8+ at Champs Eights Head. 3 of the crew are previous winners of blades in Town Bumps. Debbie Morley won a gold medal at this year’s British Masters Championships and has won 3 Tideway pennants in masters events. Frances Hall was the winner at the first ever Henley Women’s Regatta in 1988 and is nationally ranked in fencing.
Debbie’s husband Andrew will be racing in M9 and her daughter Catherine in W12. Rebecca’s husband Lucio will be racing in M4.
W8 – Junior Squad – Starting 1st in Division 3:
Amelia O’Dell* (cox), Isabelle Petersen*, Bella Huff*, Katie Butler*/Phillippa Finlayson*, Olivia Davidson*/Ella Penkul*, Roisin Scanlon*/Corinne Jameson Potts*, Imogen Ransome*/Sophie Marchent*, Rachel Cowell*, Emily Blatch*
W9 – Intermediate Women’s Squad ‘COGS’ – Starting 4th in Division 3:
Susannah Clements (cox), Jacqui Robinson, Syra Vanderhoof, Cecile Jacklin, Sarah Cross, Emma Mawdsley/Nicola Pearson, Steph Creasey*, Roz Fitzgerald, Racquel deSilva
While only racing ‘on Cam’ events this past year, W9 have won their category in 7 of those entered including Winter League. A masters crew of former 1st 8+ rowers from years gone by, 3 of the crew raced in bumps when women were only allowed to compete in coxed fours rather than eights. Emma Mawdsley raced in the Cambridge Blue Boat as a student. Most of the crew from 2021 return, having last year won blades and went up 5.
W10 – Intermediate Women’s Squad – Starting 6th in Division 3:
Maria Chukanova/James Letten (cox), Jenny Bartley, Deirdre Buckley, Louise Yorke, Gaelle Jupe, Molly Blackburn, Katie Thurkle/Ellie Gilbert, Vicki Hesketh, Kiel Delaunois
W11 – Junior Squad – Starting 8th in Division 3:
Lia Spigel Emmerich* (cox), Emma Gee Olmedilla*, Charlotte Parr*, Martha Rogers*, Jasmine Lyne*, Imogen Johnson*, Lola Coppins*, Sophie Charlton-Wells*, Grace Wilson*
W12 – Junior Returners ‘Young Guns’ – Starting 12th in Division 3:
Jen Thackstone (cox), Eva Hassan*, Ellie Cook*, Catherine Morley*, Shannon O’Shea*, Maria Cavalcanti*, Ellie Defries*, Nuzli Karam*, Sophie Gledhill*
The ‘Young Guns’ are a crew of students or recently graduated rowers, with 7 having learned to row at Cantabs together. The crew consists of rowers from universities all over the country, including Cambridge, Sheffield, Oxford, Birmingham, York and Sussex, as well as graduates from Aberystwyth and Worcester. This year, they are aiming to beat their +2 from last year’s bumps.
Catherine’s mum Debbie will race in W7 and both Catherine’s dad Andrew and Shannon’s dad Gary in M9.
W13 – Women’s Progression Squad – Starting 16th in Division 3:
Susanne Schulze (cox), Sheena Almqvist*, Barbara Hughes*, Aoife McMahon*/Katie Bradshaw*, Iris Wuenschmann-Lyall*/Coto Toro*, Helen Walker, Catherine Lam, Tina McRunnel, Alyson Savill*
This year, W13 enjoyed a win at Winter League and have their sights set on repeating 2021’s Town Bumps performance where they earned some bumps. They are coached by David Winch, who will himself race in M11. The majority of the crew learned to row at Cantabs, with many of them this year helping with the recent learn to row course at the club.
Several of the crew have family members racing in other Cantabs crews. Helen’s husband will be racing in M9, Catherine’s daughter with a Junior crew and Sheena’s son Robert in M2.
W14 – ‘Racks Out‘ – Starting 18th in Division 3:
Cat Darsley* (cox), Darcy Weaver*, Rosie Robinson, Molly Peoples*, Sue Waterhouse*/Jane Gilbert*, Jane Thorpe*, Jenny Darsley*/Jennifer Mullucks*, Jill Campion*/Anne McConville*/Elena Provenzano*, Claudia Escorcia*
This is a particularly exciting Bumps for this year’s Racks Out crew as, due to COVID, they haven’t raced in the Bumps since 2019. Three members of the crew will be racing in their very first Bumps. This year’s race crew consists of members from six countries. Most of the crew learned to row at Cantabs and many learned to row from their current coach and cox, Cat Darsley, when she was the Lower Boats Captain.
Racks Out have enjoyed a successful season, winning the Women’s Novice 8+ at Radegund Mile earlier this year. They have connections with a few other crews including having one crew member whose son is in the Cantabs M2 Hills Returners boat, and others have fathers and partners racing in M8 and M10.
