The Welsh Boat Race, also known as the Welsh University Boat Race and The Welsh Varsity Boat Race, is an annual

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...

race in Wales between the

Swansea University Rowing Club The Swansea University Rowing Club (SURC) is the rowing club of Swansea University, Wales, and is situated on the west bank of the River Tawe in Swansea. It is unknown when the club was founded, but was re-founded in 2004. Rowing with SURC is o ...

and the Cardiff University Rowing Club, rowed between competing eights each spring since 2006 on the

River Tawe The River Tawe (; cy, Afon Tawe ) is a long river in South Wales. Its headwaters flow initially east from its source below Llyn y Fan Fawr south of Moel Feity in the Black Mountains, the westernmost range of the Brecon Beacons National ...

River Taff The River Taff ( cy, Afon Taf) is a river in Wales. It rises as two rivers in the Brecon Beacons; the Taf Fechan (''little Taff'') and the Taf Fawr (''great Taff'') before becoming one just north of Merthyr Tydfil. Its confluence with th ...

in South Wales.

Background

The Welsh Boat Race started in 2006. with just a senior men's and women's event and as popularity grew for the event and particularly the

grew in numbers (having been recently reinstated), a Novice event was added for both men and women in their first year of rowing. The race was held on a Wednesday, to complement the

Welsh Varsity The Welsh Varsity is an annual sporting event contested by Cardiff University and Swansea University, usually in early April. The sports contested include rugby union, hockey, cricket, squash, badminton, lacrosse, rowing, golf, basketball, foot ...

event and continued this way until 2009. It was then moved to a weekend date to enable more people to attend. The 2010 Welsh Boat Race was held on the River Tawe, in Swansea on Saturday 24 April. The aim was to alternate the venue between the two university rivers, but with superior facilities in Cardiff, it has been the venue of choice since. It was again held on the

, Swansea, in 2015 and 2016, the event returning to the

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

in 2017. For the first time, in 2017 Swansea won the overall series of Welsh Varsity Boat Races. The 2020 and 2021 Welsh Varsity Boat Races were cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

Winners

Men's race

*2006 - Cardiff *2007 - Cardiff *2008 - Cardiff *2009 - Swansea *2010 - Swansea *2011 - Cardiff *2012 - Cardiff *2013 - Cardiff *2014 - Swansea *2015 - Swansea *2016 - Swansea *2017 - Swansea *2018 - Swansea *2019 - Swansea *2020 - No race *2021 - No race *2022 - Swansea

Women's race

*2006 - Cardiff *2007 - Cardiff *2008 - Cardiff *2009 - Cardiff *2010 - Cardiff *2011 - Cardiff *2012 - Cardiff *2013 - Cardiff *2014 - Cardiff *2015 - Cardiff *2016 - Cardiff *2017 - Cardiff *2018 - Cardiff *2019 - Cardiff *2020 - No race *2021 - No race *2022 - Cardiff

Men's novices race

*2006 - No race *2007 - No race *2008 - No race *2009 - Cardiff *2010 - Cardiff *2011 - Cardiff *2012 - Swansea *2013 - Cardiff *2014 - Cardiff *2015 - Cardiff *2016 - Cardiff *2017 - Swansea *2018 - Swansea *2019 - Cardiff *2020 - No race *2021 - No race *2022 - Cardiff

Women's novices race

*2006 - No race *2007 - No race *2008 - No race *2009 - Cardiff *2010 - Cardiff *2011 - Cardiff *2012 - Cardiff *2013 - Cardiff *2014 - Cardiff *2015 - Cardiff *2016 - Cardiff *2017 - Swansea *2018 - Cardiff *2019 - Cardiff *2020 - No race *2021 - No race *2022 - Cardiff Race reports
2007

2010
The Cardiff University RC have been established for some years. As such they have a solid club structure and boating facilities and have claimed the majority of the wins. Swansea University RC was reformed in 2004, and since then, they have claimed 9 Senior Men's wins in 2009, 2010, 2014-2022 (no races in 2020 and 2021 due to pandemic), 2 Novice men's wins in 2012 and 2017 as well as for the first time a win by the Women in the Novice category in 2017. Since Swansea University Rowing Club have been receiving comparable funding the results have started to even out with the 2022 results being the 7th consecutive win for the SURC senior men. Since 2016, there has been a mixed alumni race held over a shorter distance and Cardiff University have won 2 races so far and Swansea University won the alumni race for the first time on home water in 2022. Cardiff's Senior Women still remain unbeaten in this event as of 2022.

Course

The course was rowed on the lower reaches of the

from south of the Railway Arches bridge to Cardiff Bay over approximately 2 kilometres. In 2010 the venue changed to the

's slightly straighter course of again approximately 2 km from the old Hafod Copperworks to the Sail Bridge, returning in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2022. After 2010 (with the exception of 2015/16) it returned to the

. The course length is restricted due to the available rivers in the South Wales region. The current trend is to now host the Boat Race in the city where all the Varsity matches are taking place a couple of weekends before Varsity Wednesday. Rowers can also compete in the shorter distance regatta season. *2006 - River Taff (Cardiff) *2007 - River Taff (Cardiff) *2008 - River Taff (Cardiff) *2009 - River Taff (Cardiff) *2010 - River Tawe (Swansea) *2011 - River Taff (Cardiff) *2012 - River Taff (Cardiff) *2013 - River Taff (Cardiff) *2014 - River Taff (Cardiff) *2015 - River Tawe (Swansea) *2016 - River Tawe (Swansea) *2017 - River Taff (Cardiff) *2018 - River Tawe (Swansea) *2019 - River Taff (Cardiff) *2020 - Cancelled due to the

*2021 - Cancelled due to the

*2022 - River Tawe (Swansea)

References

External links

Swansea University Rowing Club websiteCardiff University Boat Club website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Welsh Boat Race, The Cardiff University Swansea University

Boat race Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

Sport in Swansea Rowing in Wales Student sport in Wales Student sport rivalries in the United Kingdom Annual sporting events in the United Kingdom Annual events in Wales 2006 establishments in Wales Recurring sporting events established in 2006 University rowing competitions in the United Kingdom