2024 Celebration of Cambridge Lightweight Rowing

On Saturday 14 September the Club celebrated two important milestones: the 40th anniversary of the Women’s Lightweight Boat Race and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Intervarsity Lightweight Rowing at Cambridge.

We welcomed 100 alumni to Ely Boathouse, where alumni and reunion crews boated, and nearly 200 members then attended a celebratory dinner at St John’s College. The women’s 1984 and men’s 1975 crews were honoured with speeches from the likes of Bob Greatorex and Olympic Champion Imogen Grant.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this joyous occasion, and to alumnus Freddie Markanday for organising the event.

We are particularly grateful to those who travelled for the celebration, with a number of overseas alumni in attendance.

Reflecting on the event, a member of the 1984 women’s crew shared “It was so wonderful seeing old friends and making some new ones.” A former men’s president then said, “I never felt part of the new club before. I didn’t know what it was and how important it is. I didn’t understand the one club thing – and because of this event, now I do.”

Our thanks to Nordin Catic for photos and videos of the celebration. A full gallery of event photos is available below. Alumni may download and share these photos for their personal use.

By popular demand, we are extending the sale of commemorative fleeces. Fleeces can be purchased by filling in the form below and transferring funds to the Club account detailed on the form. The deadline to purchase is 10 October 2024.