The Boat Race 1879

Last updated

36th Boat Race
Date5 April 1879 (1879-04-05)
WinnerCambridge
Margin of victory3 lengths
Winning time21 minutes 18 seconds
Overall record
(Cambridge–Oxford)		17–18
Umpire Joseph William Chitty
(Oxford)
← 1878 1880 →

The 36th Boat Race took place on 5 April 1879. The Boat Race is an annual side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. Each crew contained four Blues. In a race umpired by former Oxford rower Joseph William Chitty, Cambridge led all the way, and won by a margin of three lengths in a time of 21 minutes 18 seconds. The victory took the overall record to 18–17 in Oxford's favour.

Contents

Background

William Grenfell coached the Oxford crew. William Henry Grenfell 1921.jpg
William Grenfell coached the Oxford crew.

The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing competition between the University of Oxford (sometimes referred to as the "Dark Blues") [1] and the University of Cambridge (sometimes referred to as the "Light Blues"). [1] The race was first held in 1829, and since 1845 has taken place on the 4.2-mile (6.8 km) Championship Course on the River Thames in southwest London. [2] [3] Cambridge went into the race as reigning champions, having won the previous year's race by ten lengths. However Oxford held the overall lead, with 18 victories to Cambridge's 16 (excluding the "dead heat" of 1877). [4] [5]

Cambridge's coaches were James Brooks Close (who rowed for the Light Blues in the 1872, 1873 and 1874 races), [6] Herbert Edward Rhodes (who took part in four races between 1873 and 1876) and Robert John Spurrell (a Blue in 1878). [7] Oxford were coached by William Grenfell (who had rowed for the Dark Blues in 1877 and was the non-rowing president of Oxford University Boat Club). [8]

The race was umpired by Joseph William Chitty who had rowed for Oxford twice in 1849 (in the March and December races) and the 1852 race, while the starter was Edward Searle. [9]

Crews

The Cambridge crew weighed an average of 12  st 0.5  lb (76.2 kg), 0.75 pounds (0.3 kg) more than their opponents. [10] Oxford's crew contained four former Blues, including H. P. Marriott who was rowing in his fifth consecutive Boat Race. Similarly, Cambridge saw four Blues return to their crew, including cox George Latham Davies who was steering the Light Blue boat for the fifth time. [10] Rower and author George Drinkwater stated that "neither of the crews this year was up to the high standard of the winning crews in the past few years". [11]

The Cambridge crew included the only non-British participant in the race, Australian rower Charles Fairbairn. He was born in Victoria and was educated at Geelong Grammar School before matriculating at Jesus College. [12]

Charles Gurdon rowed at number four for Cambridge. CharlesGurdon.jpg
Charles Gurdon rowed at number four for Cambridge.
SeatOxford
Oxford-University-Circlet.svg 		Cambridge
University of Cambridge coat of arms.svg
NameCollegeWeightNameCollegeWeight
Bow J. H. T. Wharton Magdalen 11 st 4 lbE. H. Prest (P) Jesus 11 st 0 lb
2 H. M. Robinson New College 11 st 1 lbH. Sandford Lady Margaret Boat Club 11 st 7 lb
3H. W. Disney Hertford 12 st 5.5 lbA. H. S. Bird 1st Trinity 11 st 8 lb
4H. B. Southwell Pembroke 12 st 9 lb C. Gurdon Jesus 13 st 2 lb
5T. C. Burrowes Trinity 12 st 9 lbT. E. Hockin Jesus 12 st 1 lb
6G. D. Rowe University 11 st 12 lbC. Fairbairn Jesus 12 st 4 lb
7W. H. Hobart Exeter 11 st 11 lbT. Routledge Emmanuel 12 st 6 lb
Stroke H. P. Marriott Brasenose 12 st 3 lbR. D. Davis 1st Trinity 12 st 4 lb
Cox F. M. Beaumont New College 7 st 4 lbG. L. Davis Clare 7 st 7 lb
Source: [10]
(P) – boat club president (William Grenfell was Oxford's non-rowing president) [13]

Race

The Championship Course, along which the race is conducted University Boat Race Thames map.svg
The Championship Course, along which the race is conducted

Oxford won the toss and elected to start from the Surrey station, handing the Middlesex side of the river to Cambridge. [11] Cambridge made the better start and were clear of Oxford within the first 90 seconds of the race. Despite a lower stroke rate, the Light Blues had extended their lead to three lengths by Hammersmith Bridge. Encountering rough water in Corney Reach, Cambridge slowed and allowed Oxford to gain on them, but as the crews passed under Barnes Bridge into smoother water, the Light Blues reasserted their dominance. They passed the finishing post three lengths ahead in a time of 21 minutes 18 seconds. [10] It was Cambridge's first victory since the 1876 race, and their seventh in the last ten races, taking the overall record to 18–17 in Oxford's favour. [5]

Related Research Articles

The 33rd Boat Race between crews from the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge took place on the River Thames on 8 April 1876. Six of the Oxford crew had Boat Race experience while Cambridge's crew contained three Blues. Umpired by Joseph William Chitty, Cambridge won the race "easily" in a time of 20 minutes 20 seconds, following confusion as to the positioning of the finish. The victory took the overall record to 17–16 in Oxford's favour.

The 22nd Boat Race between crews from the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge took place on the River Thames on 8 April 1865. Oxford won by four lengths in a time of 21 minutes 24 seconds. The race, described as "one of the most sensational races in this history" thus far, was umpired by Joseph William Chitty. It was the first time that a crew had won the Boat Race after being behind at Hammersmith Bridge.

The 28th Boat Race between crews from the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge took place on the River Thames on the 1 April 1871. The race, umpired by Joseph William Chitty, was won by Cambridge by one length in a time of 23 minutes 10 seconds for their second consecutive victory.

The 29th Boat Race took place on the 27 March 1872. The Boat Race is an annual side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. In a race umpired by Robert Lewis-Lloyd, Cambridge won by two lengths in a time of 21 minutes 15 seconds taking the overall record to 16–13 in Oxford's favour.

The 30th Boat Race took place on the 29 March 1873. The Boat Race is an annual side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. In a race umpired by former Oxford rower Joseph William Chitty, Cambridge won by three lengths in a time of 19 minutes and 35 seconds, the fastest time in the history of the event. It was the first time that rowers raced on sliding seats.

The 31st Boat Race took place on the 28 March 1874. The Boat Race is an annual side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. In a race umpired by former Oxford rower Joseph William Chitty, Cambridge won by three and a half lengths in their fifth consecutive victory.

The 35th Boat Race took place on 13 April 1878. The Boat Race is an annual side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. In total, ten former Blues took part in the contest. The race was umpired by former rower Joseph William Chitty and Oxford won by a margin of 10 lengths in a time of 22 minutes 15 seconds. The victory took the overall record to 18–16 in Oxford's favour.

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The 40th Boat Race, an annual side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames, took place on 15 March 1883. Following confusion at the start of the race and a snow storm during the event, Oxford won by a margin of 3+1⁄2 lengths in a time of 21 minutes 18 seconds.

The 43rd Boat Race took place on 3 April 1886. The Boat Race is an annual side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. Repairs to Hammersmith Bridge restricted the crews to pass through a single arch. Umpired by Robert Lewis-Lloyd, Cambridge won the race by two-thirds of a length in a time of 22 minutes 30 seconds, becoming the first crew to come from behind at Barnes Bridge to win.

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The 61st Boat Race took place on 26 March 1904. Held annually, the Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. Neither boat club president was able to row through injury. In a race umpired by former rower Frederick I. Pitman, Cambridge won by 4+1⁄2 lengths in a time of 21 minutes 37 seconds. Their third victory in a row, it took the overall record in the event to 33–27 in Oxford's favour.

The 62nd Boat Race took place on 1 April 1905. Held annually, the Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. Cambridge went into the race as reigning champions, having won the previous year's race. In this year's race, umpired by former rower Frederick I. Pitman, Oxford won by three lengths in a time of 20 minutes 35 seconds. The victory took the overall record to 34–27 in their favour.

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The 65th Boat Race took place on 4 April 1908. Held annually, the Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. Cambridge were reigning champions, having won the previous year's race. In a race umpired by Frederick I. Pitman, Cambridge won by 2+1⁄2 lengths in a time of 19 minutes 20 seconds. It was their third consecutive victory and their sixth win in seven races, taking the overall record in the event to 34–30 in Oxford's favour.

The 67th Boat Race took place on 23 March 1910. Held annually, the Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. Oxford were reigning champions, having won the previous year's race. In a race umpired by Frederick I. Pitman, Oxford won by 3+1⁄2 lengths in a time of 20 minutes 14 seconds, taking their overall lead in the competition to 36–30.

The 73rd Boat Race took place on 30 March 1921. Held annually, the Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. Cambridge, with the heavier crew, went into the race as reigning champions, having won the previous year's race. In total, nine of the participants in this year's race had previous Boat Race experience, and five had won a silver medal in the 1920 Summer Olympics. In this year's race, umpired by former rower Frederick I. Pitman, Cambridge won by one length in a time of 19 minutes 45 seconds. It was Cambridge's third consecutive win, the fastest winning time since 1913 and the narrowest margin of victory since 1913. The result took the overall record to 39–33 in Oxford's favour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Boat Race 1924</span> Oxford versus Cambridge rowing race

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The 78th Boat Race took place on 27 March 1926. Held annually, the Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. Umpired by former rower Frederick I. Pitman, Cambridge won by five lengths in a time of 19 minutes 29 seconds in the largest winning margin since 1912. It was Cambridge's third consecutive victory and took the overall record in the event to 40–37 in Oxford's favour.

The 79th Boat Race took place on 2 April 1927. Held annually, the Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. Oxford's crew was marginally heavier than their opponents, and saw five participants return with Boat Race experience, compared to Cambridge's four. Umpired for the first time by former Oxford rower Charles Burnell, Cambridge won by three lengths in a time of 20 minutes 14 seconds. It was the first race in the history of the event to be broadcast live on BBC Radio. The victory took the overall record in the event to 40–38 in Oxford's favour. The inaugural Women's Boat Race was contested this year, with Oxford securing the victory.

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 "Dark Blues aim to punch above their weight". The Observer . 6 April 2003. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  2. ↑ Smith, Oliver (25 March 2014). "University Boat Race 2014: spectators' guide". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  3. ↑ "The Course". The Boat Race Company Limited. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  4. ↑ "Classic moments – the 1877 dead heat". The Boat Race Company Limited. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Boat Race – Results". The Boat Race Company Limited. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  6. ↑ Burnell, p. 104
  7. ↑ Burnell, p. 108
  8. ↑ Burnell, pp. 110–111
  9. ↑ Burnell, pp. 49, 97
  10. 1 2 3 4 Burnell, p. 62
  11. 1 2 Drinkwater, p. 74
  12. ↑ "Charles Fairbairn". University of Cambridge. Archived from the original on 10 December 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  13. ↑ Burnell, pp. 50–51

Bibliography

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