In the later 1950s it was difficult for the women who rowed for Cambridge University against Oxford because, just before the Varsity race in 1955 the Oxford women's crew went over a weir in their boat and were banned from the Isis, so they could not row against Cambridge that year. As CUWBC was only informed of this on the day of the boat race, the 1955 women's crew decided to row down the Cam to the start, clapped all the way by their supporters - and then turn round and row back again because there was no opposition. The crew members thought that, having trained to compete against Oxford, they were at least entitled to do this even though the race itself had been cancelled. However, in Oxford the ban continued and funds became short, so for the next eight years there was no boat race and thus there were no Blues for CUWBC members. Instead, Cambridge oarswomen were awarded colours or half colours.

With no race against Oxford they had to find competition elsewhere. There was no prospect of rowing against men - unless they were coxswains!  A tradition grew up of a race between the women and the coxes. The event was enjoyed by both crews and the men usually won, it seems.

Clearly at this point rowing for women had little purpose and the club almost ceased to exist. That was until Val Goldsbrough and Jean Anscombe came up to New Hall (now Murray Edwards) to study engineering in the early 1960s. They spent time following their fellow engineers in crews on the river and decided they wanted to row too. To do this they had to locate the one remaining women's boat and a small cash box of funds and then they got the club going again. Their first race was the Clare Novices in 1961, before which they proudly raised the CUWBC flag over a town boat house.

In 1962 they even decided to enter a crew in the Mays. This move was to have repercussions that spread far beyond the Cam as the next blog will recount.

To find out more about the history of the women's boat race, go to www.cuwbchistory.org.

- by Jane Kingsbury