A late try by St Edmund’s Mexican loose head prop Vianney Gomezgil Yaspik (last year’s recipient of the St Edmund’s Alumni Sports Bursary) allowed Cambridge to retain the women’s rugby Varsity Match trophy after a close fought draw (10-10) against Oxford at Twickenham on Saturday 2^nd April.  Fortune did not favour Cambridge in the men’s rugby match in which St Edmund’s students Jason Kururangi and Laurence Marwood were amongst the replacements for the Cambridge team that scored three tries in the last ten minutes of the game and almost clawed back Oxford’s 21-0 half-time lead.  Despite the thrilling second half Cambridge comeback, the match ended with Oxford winning 21-17.

With the Boat Races back on the Thames on Sunday 3^rd April, hopes were high for a continuation of recent Cambridge victories.  The women did not disappoint with convincing wins for both the Blue Boat (in record time) and Blondie.  However, despite fighting hard over the whole Putney to Mortlake championship course, both the men’s Blue Boat and Goldie, were defeated by their Oxford rivals. St Edmund’s students rowed in both men’s boats with James Bernard and Olympic gold medallist Simon Schürch in the Blue Boat and Henry Evans rowing for Goldie. An interesting feature of the Boat Races this year was that both Blue Boat crews contained a son of St Edmund’s alumnus Matthew Parish (Blue 1994,95), with Jasper Parish (Clare) coxing the women and Ollie Parish (Peterhouse) stroking the men. Matthew and his wife, Zoe, are pictured here with the winning women’s boat on the live screen behind them.

The evening before the Boat Race, the annual St Edmund’s College Boat Club alumni and supporters 2020 Dinner took place at the Oxford and Cambridge Club in London with 35 sitting down to celebrate and support St Edmund’s rowing.  The after-dinner speech was by Annamarie Phelps CBE (pictured giving her speech below), the current Chair of European Rowing and Vice-Chairman of the British Olympic Association.  Those present toasted the St Edmund’s College Boat Club and also the students who would be rowing for Cambridge the next day, especially our St Edmund’s students and the sons of Matt and Zoe Parish.

Professor Paul Luzio – April 2022