The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race is an Annual Boat Race between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club. It is traditionally held on the River Thames.
The Oxford and Cambridge boat races consist of men’s and women’s boat races. There is also a separate race held for the reserve crews.
1. The First Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race
The first boat race for men was held in the year 1829. The races have been regularly conducted annually since 1856. The races were not conducted during the First and the Second World Wars, but unofficially, races were run during the World Wars.
The first women’s boat race was held during the year 1927. The Annual Women’s Boat Race has been conducted regularly since 1964.
2. History of the Men’s Boat Race
Charles Merivale, a St John’s College, Cambridge student, and his school friend Charles Wordsworth, studying at Christ Church, Oxford, were instrumental in starting this time-old tradition.
The story goes like this: the students of the University of Cambridge challenged the Oxford University students to a race at Henley-on-Thames. The University of Cambridge lost quickly to the University of Oxford.
The official colours of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race were blue and dark blue. Oxford crew wore dark blue uniforms, later known as Oxford Blues. Cambridge wore blue with pink sashes. For the next race held in 1836, the Cambridge crew had theirs changed to a lighter version of blue and was from Westminister to Putney.
The student body of both universities was not pleased with the venue chosen for the boat race, and the next couple of years were spent at loggerheads. The Oxford students preferred to race at Henley, while Cambridge wanted to do so in London.
After a peaceful resolution, Oxford University Boat Club officially announced that the races would be held on the Tideway. The boat race resumed in 1839 between the Oxford men and the crew from Cambridge.
The monumental event continues today. At the end of the race, the loser challenges the championship course winner to a yearly rematch.
3. History of the Women’s Boat Race
The women’s race has always been a separate event till 2015. There have been significant inequalities between the women’s boat races and the men’s boat races.
However, there have been several changes over the last few years. With the sponsorship of Newton Investment Management, a subsidiary of BNY Mellon, both races have become more or less of equal standards.
Both events have been held together since 2015, and on 11th April 2015, the BNY Mellon Boat Race was held on the Tideway. Women have also been allowed training facilities similar to men since 2016.
Grace Prendergast of New Zealand was one of the famous sportspersons to have joined the women’s boat race. The world’s number 1 female rower helped Cambridge women to win the 2019 Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race.
In 2010, Oxford Blues Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, founders of Gemini, a Cryptocurrency firm, took over as title sponsors for the sporting event. This Boat Race has since been known as the Gemini Boat Race.
4. The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race Course
The Oxford Cambridge Boat Race is a 4.5-mile course. In 1845, it officially started in Putney and ended at Mortlake.
The boat race is generally in early April or sometimes held in March. It is typically held after the previous year’s losing team captain challenges the next race.
Oxford Cambridge Boat Race takes around 20 minutes to finish. The Cambridge men have long since held the record time of concluding the race in 16 minutes and 19 seconds. A record held since 1998.
5. Dead Heat Controversy (Oxford Cambridge Boat Race in 1877)
“Dead Heat” is a term used in racing sports events whenever competitors’ performances are too close, and neither can be judged a winner. The result will be a “tie,” with both competitors awarded equal ranking.
The 1877 Oxford and Cambridge Boat race was declared “dead heat” as both the crews crossed the finish line in 24 minutes and 8 seconds. John Phelps made this controversial ruling. The race judge was reportedly over 70 and blind in one eye.
The controversy was that the race judge announced the race as “dead heat” when the Oxford crew was nearly six feet behind. John Phelps shot down all critics by declaring that the noses of both the boats passed the post strictly at the same level and, therefore, the result was a “Dead Heat.”
6. Oxford Mutiny in 1959 and 1987
In 1959, Oxford Blues wanted President Ronnie Howard and Coach Jumbo Edwards to step down. This was unsuccessful, as Cambridge University went on to support them. The Race was held despite the mutiny, and Oxford won the competition splendidly.
Cambridge University won for the first time in eleven years in 1986. Oxford crew member Chris Clark, a determined American, vowed to take revenge the following year. True to his word, he recruited four American post-graduates and three international-class rowers.
He aimed to assemble one of the fastest Boat Race Crews in the history. The Oxford crew was unhappy with the training regime of Dan Topolski, Oxford Coach, and on many occasions, the crew walked out of the training schedule.
A fitness test between Clark and the Oxford club president, Macdonald, made Clark victorious. This called for the removal of Macdonald and his crew. The American crews refused to cooperate as long as Macdonald was part of the crew.
The Mutiny was in the public eye for a considerable period, and after several negotiations, Clark and his team were replaced by Oxford’s reserve crew.
Oxford University won the Boat race by four lengths despite many routes for Cambridge University.
7. Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race in 2012
The 2012 Oxford and Cambridge boat race was halted for nearly 30 minutes shortly after it began. Australian Trenton Oldfield, a lone protester, swam between the boats near Chiswick Bridge. He protested against spending cuts and a growing culture of elitism in British society.
As soon as he was spotted on the waters, assistant umpire Sir Matthew Pinsent halted the race for safety reasons. The race was allowed to restart. However, the boats clashed, and the Oxford crewman, Hanno Wienhausen’s oar, broke into half a length.
The race umpire, John Garrett, ruled that the clash was an error by the Oxford crew and allowed the race to continue. Cambridge won after taking a comfortable lead in the boat race.
The race umpire did not accept the Oxford crew’s final appeal to overthrow the result. He judged that the Cambridge University Boat Club won the boat race rightfully. The 2012 Oxford and Cambridge boat race victory celebrations were cancelled as Oxford bowman Alex Woods collapsed due to over-exhaustion and had to receive emergency treatment.
Many were disappointed over the most bizarre and dramatic moments in the competition’s history. The entire event was ruined, and Cambridge’s victory was not celebrated as was expected. The actions of an insane person sadly destroyed the 2012 Boat Race.
8. The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race 2022
After five years, Oxford’s star-studded men’s crew rowed to victory this year. The victorious Oxford men won the Boat Race 2022 as they beat Cambridge University superbly.
Although Cambridge’s crew chose to race on the Middlesex side to take on a shorter route, it was Oxford, with its five Olympians in their crew of eight men, who took the lead. Umpire Matthew Pinsent, a four-time Olympic Gold Medallist, judged the heavily contested race.
The Oxford men confidently rowed victoriously to a clear margin, passing under the Hammersmith bridge and winning the men’s race exceptionally.
The total number of wins by the Cambridge team is 85 against 81 wins by the Oxford team. Oxford University thus trails by just four wins.
9. Boat Sinkings
There have been several incidents wherein the boats sunk during the races. Some of them are as follows:
1. Both boats sank in the 1912 Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race due to bad weather. Oxford took an early lead but had to stop at the bank after passing Hammersmith Bridge to empty their boat of water. The race was declared ‘No Race’ by the umpire after the Cambridge boat also sank off Harrods Furniture Depository. A re-row was scheduled for the following Monday.
2. The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race in 1925- The Oxford boat sank during this race. This incident marked a unique chapter in the race’s rich history. Despite the challenges faced on that fateful day, the spirit of sportsmanship prevailed.
3. The 1951 Boat Race was rescheduled two days later, and the 1984 Boat Race was rescheduled for the following day after the boats had faced unexpected sinking.
4. The Cambridge women began to sink in the 2016 boat race for women but recovered in time to finish the race.
10. Interesting Facts
- Some of the famous people who have been part of the boat race were Matthew Pinsent CBE as part of the Oxford team, which won in 1990 and 1991;
- The famous BBC radio commentator John Snagge reportedly commented during the 1949 Boat Race.
- The Boat race has been famously used in the Cockney Rhyming Slang for a face.
- The Men’s rowing club presidents toss an 1829 gold sovereign coin, while the Women’s rowing club presidents use a 1927 gold sovereign coin for the coin toss to decide which side of the Thames their teams will row on.
- Stones on the South Bank of the River Thames officially mark the start and finish lines. It is marked as “UBR,” which means University Boat Race.
- The slowest winning time was 26 minutes and 5 seconds by Cambridge University in 1860.
- The tallest rowers were Josh West of Cambridge and Paul Bennett of Oxford at 6ft and 9 inches.
11. Coverage by Media of the Oxford Cambridge Boat Race
After appearing in a short film in the 1895 boat race called ” The Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race,” the event has become sensational. It is being telecasted by the British National Institution every year.
The women’s boat race has gained popularity since 2015 and has been watched by over 4.8 million viewers. And you will be surprised to know that BBC Sports have telecasted the men’s boat race since 1938.
Since the boat races have become as well-known as the Varsity Matches, many people tune in to watch them on television or online. 2015 saw 6.2 million people watch the men’s boat race in the UK, while 4.8 million people watched the women’s race. A quarter of a million fans watched the race from the riverbanks.
On a Final Note
The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race has become an iconic event in the history of the United Kingdom. Several characters in the stories of PG Wodehouse mention the boat race throughout the story. Other authors who have talked about the boat race are Arthur Ransome and Anthony Buckeridge.
There is no need to wonder where to stay while visiting England to see the famous Boat Race because there are plenty of places to stay near Oxford and Cambridge Universities. As a Cambridge fan or an Oxford Supporter, you will enjoy the action of both teams in the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race.
Last Updated on December 16, 2023 by Arnab Nandi
