The Boat Race 1949

Last updated

95th Boat Race
Date26 March 1949
WinnerCambridge
Margin of victory1⁄4 length
Winning time18 minutes 57 seconds
Overall record
(Cambridge–Oxford)		51–43
Umpire Guy Oliver Nickalls
(Oxford)
Other races
Women's winnerOxford
← 1948 1950 →

The 95th Boat Race took place on 26 March 1949. 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 in London. The race, umpired by the former Oxford rower Guy Oliver Nickalls, was notable as the commentator for the BBC, John Snagge announced "I can't see who's in the lead, but it's either Oxford or Cambridge." [1] Cambridge won by a quarter of a length, the narrowest margin of victory since the 1877 race, which was officially recorded as a dead heat. The victory took the overall record in the event to 51–43 in their favour.

Contents

Background

The Championship Course along which the Boat Race is contested University Boat Race Thames map.svg
The Championship Course along which the Boat Race is contested

The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing competition between the University of Oxford (sometimes referred to as the "Dark Blues") [2] and the University of Cambridge (sometimes referred to as the "Light Blues"). [2] First held in 1829, the race takes place on the 4.2-mile (6.8 km) Championship Course on the River Thames in southwest London. [3] The rivalry is a major point of honour between the two universities; it is followed throughout the United Kingdom and, as of 2014, broadcast worldwide. [4] [5] Cambridge went into the race as reigning champions, having won the 1948 race by five lengths, with Cambridge leading overall with 50 victories to Oxford's 43 (excluding the "dead heat" of 1877). [6] [7]

Cambridge were coached by R. Beesly (who had rowed for the Light Blues in the 1927, 1928 and 1929 races), W. L. S. Flemming, Mike Nicholson (non-rowing boat club president for the 1947 race), Harold Rickett (who had rowed three times between 1930 and 1932), and M. H. Warriner (a three-time Blue between 1928 and 1930). Oxford's coaches were Hugh "Jumbo" Edwards (who had rowed for Oxford in 1926 and 1930), F. E. Hellyer (who had coached Cambridge on five previous occasions), A. McCulloch (who had rowed in the 1908 race) and J. MacNabb (who had coached Cambridge between 1930 and 1932). [8] The race was umpired by Guy Oliver Nickalls who had rowed for Oxford in the 1921, 1922 and 1923 races. [9]

Writing in The Observer , G. I. F. Thomson noted that "neither crew contains an oarsman of any exceptional power, distinction or reputation" yet both crews had improved in form since their arrival at Putney. [10] The rowing correspondent for The Manchester Guardian praised the quality of the final coaching on the Thames, and stated that "there has been no threat of influenza, and no last-minute change in the constitution of either crew". [11] He went on to claim that "Oxford should win". [11] The Times ' rowing correspondent suggested that the crews were "extraordinarily evenly matched". [12]

Crews

The Cambridge crew weighed an average of 12  st 10.75  lb (80.9 kg), 2 pounds (0.9 kg) per rower more than their opponents. Oxford's crew contained five participants with prior Boat Race experience, including cox Alastair Palsgrave-Brown. Cambridge saw one rower return to the crew in number five Paul Bircher. [13] The Light Blue's crew contained three Olympic medallists: Brian Lloyd, Bircher and Paul Massey won silver when they finished second in the men's eight at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. [14]

SeatOxford
Oxford-University-Circlet.svg 		Cambridge
University of Cambridge coat of arms.svg
NameCollegeWeightNameCollegeWeight
Bow G. C. Fisk Oriel 11 st 9.5 lbG. S. S. Ludford Jesus 11 st 2 lb
2A. J. M. Cavenagh Magdalen 11 st 1 lbA. L. Macleod Lady Margaret Boat Club 13 st 0 lb
3W. J. H. Leckie Brasenose 12 st 12 lb C. B. M. Lloyd Lady Margaret Boat Club 13 st 0 lb
4R. L. Arundel Merton 14 st 0 lbJ. R. la T. Corrie 1st & 3rd Trinity 13 st 3 lb
5 A. D. Rowe (P) Trinity 12 st 11.5 lb E. A. P. Bircher (P) Christ's 13 st 7 lb
6T. D. Raikes Trinity 12 st 10.5 lb P. M. O. Massey Lady Margaret Boat Club 13 st 8 lb
7J. M. Clay Magdalen 12 st 12.5 lbD. V. Lynch Odhams Jesus 13 st 1 lb
Stroke C. G. V. Davidge Trinity 12 st 13 lb D. M. Jennens Clare 12 st 4.5 lb
Cox A. Palgrave-Brown Queen's 8 st 9 lbT. R. Ashton Christ's 9 st 3 lb
Source: [13]
(P) – boat club president [15]

Race

John Snagge, commentating on the radio for the BBC, announced "I can't see who's in the lead, but it's either Oxford or Cambridge." John Snagge.jpg
John Snagge, commentating on the radio for the BBC, announced "I can't see who's in the lead, but it's either Oxford or Cambridge."

Oxford won the toss and elected to start from the Middlesex station, handing the Surrey side of the river to Cambridge. [16] The umpire, Nickalls, started the race at 11:30 a.m. [10] The Dark Blues took an early lead and were half a length ahead after the first minute of the race. [17] They were clear of Cambridge by Craven Steps, [18] and by the time the crews passed the Mile Post, were a length ahead. In the headwind along Chiswick Reach, and with the bend in the river in their favour, Cambridge slowly redressed the balance and by Chiswick Eyot they had begun to overlap Oxford's boat. [17]

By the bottom of Dukes Meadows, Oxford's lead was down to half a length and as Cambridge out-rated their opponents, they drew level and passed under Barnes Bridge side by side. Despite numerous spurts from Oxford's stroke Davidge, Cambridge kept in touch and "were fighting every inch of the way". [18] Commentating for the BBC on a launch whose engine had failed, [19] John Snagge announced "I can't see who's in the lead, but it's either Oxford or Cambridge." [1] Both crews were rating over 33 strokes per minute as they approached the finishing post, with the Light Blues just edging ahead to win by a quarter of a length in a time of 18 minutes 57 seconds. [18] The winning distance was the narrowest since the "dead heat" result of the 1877 Race. It was Cambridge's third consecutive victory and took the overall record in the event to 51–43 in their favour. [6] The rowing correspondent for The Manchester Guardian suggested that this was a race that "will never be forgotten", [16] while the correspondent for The Times claimed that "1949 must go down in Boat Race history as having provided one of the epic struggles of all time." [18] G. I. F. Thomson, writing in The Observer , stated that "heroic determination on both sides ... produced perhaps the most exciting Boat Race of all time." [17]

Related Research Articles

The 87th Boat Race took place on 6 April 1935. 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 Oxford rower Robert Bourne, Cambridge won by four and a half lengths in a time of 19 minutes 48 seconds. The record twelfth consecutive victory took the overall record in the event to 46–40 in Cambridge's favour.

The 83rd Boat Race took place on 21 March 1931. 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. In a race umpired by the former rower John Houghton Gibbon, Cambridge won by two and a half lengths in a time of 19 minutes 26 seconds. The victory took the overall record to 42–40 in their favour. It was the first race for which John Snagge provided a radio commentary for the BBC.

The 81st Boat Race took place on 23 March 1929. 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. The event featured three Olympic medallists and included the first Danish rower ever to participate in the Boat Race. In a race umpired by former Oxford rower Charles Burnell, Cambridge won by seven lengths in a time of 19 minutes 24 seconds, the fastest winning time since the 1924 race. The victory, their sixth in a row and their tenth in the previous eleven years, levelled the overall record for the first time since 1863, at 40 wins each.

The 94th Boat Race took place on 27 March 1948. 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. In a race umpired by the former rower Claude Taylor, Cambridge won by five lengths in a record time of 17 minutes and 50 seconds, beating the existing record set in the 1934 race. The victory, their second in a row, took the overall record in the race to 50–43 in Cambridge's favour.

The 109th Boat Race took place on 23 March 1963. Held annually, the event is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. The race, umpired by Gerald Ellison, the Bishop of Chester, was won by Oxford with a winning margin of five lengths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Boat Race 1922</span> Oxford versus Cambridge rowing race

The 74th Boat Race took place on 1 April 1922. 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, and had the significantly heavier crew. Four of the Oxford crew and three of the Cambridge crew had previous Boat Race experience. In this year's race, umpired by former rower Frederick I. Pitman, Cambridge won by 4+1⁄2 lengths in a time of 19 minutes 27 seconds. It was Cambridge's fourth consecutive victory, the largest winning margin since 1914 and the fastest winning time since 1911.

The 82nd Boat Race took place on 12 April 1930. 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. In a race umpired by former Oxford rower Charles Burnell, Cambridge won by two lengths in a time of 19 minutes 9 seconds. Their seventh consecutive victory, it took the overall record to 41–40 in their favour, the first time for 68 years that they held the lead in the event.

The 85th Boat Race took place on 1 April 1933. 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 the former rower Herbert Aylward Game, Cambridge won by 2+1⁄4 lengths in a time of 20 minutes 57 seconds. The record tenth consecutive victory took the overall record in the event to 44–40 in Cambridge's favour.

The 89th Boat Race took place on 24 March 1937. 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. In a race umpired by the former Cambridge rower and coach Harold Rickett, Oxford won by three lengths in a time of 22 minutes 39 seconds. It was their first success since the 1923 race and ended Cambridge's record streak of 13 wins. The victory took the overall record in the event to 47–41 in Cambridge's favour.

The 90th Boat Race took place on 2 April 1938. 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. It was the first Boat Race to be televised. In a race umpired by the former Cambridge rower and coach Harold Rickett, Oxford won by two lengths in a time of 20 minutes 30 seconds. The victory took the overall record in the event to 47–42 in Cambridge's favour.

The 91st Boat Race took place on 1 April 1939. 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. In a race umpired by the former Oxford rower William Rathbone, Cambridge won by four lengths in a time of 19 minutes 3 seconds. The victory took the overall record in the event to 48–42 in Cambridge's favour. It would be the last race for seven years as following the outbreak of the Second World War.

The 92nd Boat Race took place on 30 March 1946. 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 in London. In a race umpired by former Cambridge rower Kenneth Payne, Oxford won by three lengths in a time of 19 minutes 54 seconds. The victory took the overall record in the event to 48–43 in Cambridge's favour.

The 93rd Boat Race took place on 29 March 1947. 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 in London. In a race umpired by former Oxford rower D. T. Raikes, Cambridge won by ten lengths in a time of 23 minutes 1 second, taking the overall record in the event to 49–43 in their favour.

The 96th Boat Race took place on 1 April 1950. 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. The Cambridge crew contained three Olympic silver medallists from the 1948 Summer Olympics; six of their crew rowed for Lady Margaret Boat Club. In a race umpired by the Olympic medallist and former Cantabrigian rower Kenneth Payne, Cambridge won by 3+1⁄2 lengths in a time of 20 minutes 15 seconds, taking the overall record in the event to 52–43 in their favour.

The 97th Boat Race took place on 24 and 26 March 1951. 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. After Oxford sank in the first race held on 24 March, a re-row was ordered by the umpire and took place two days later. It was the first time one of the crews had sunk during the race since the 1925 race. In a race umpired by former Oxford rower Gerald Ellison, Cambridge won the re-row by twelve lengths in a time of 20 minutes 50 seconds, taking the overall record in the event to 53–43 in their favour.

The 98th Boat Race took place on 29 March 1952. 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. In a race umpired by former Cambridge rower Kenneth Payne, Oxford won by a canvas in a time of 20 minutes 23 seconds. At no point during the contest was there clear water between the boats. The race, described as "one of the closest fought of all time", was their second win in seven years and took the overall record in the event to 53–44 in Cambridge's favour.

The 99th Boat Race took place on 28 March 1953. 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. The race, in which the Oxford crew was slightly heavier than their opponents, was umpired by former rower Gerald Ellison. Cambridge won by eight lengths in a time of 19 minutes 54 seconds. It was their sixth win in seven years and took the overall record in the event to 54–44 in their favour.

The 101st Boat Race took place on 26 March 1955. 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. The race, in which the Cambridge crew was substantially heavier than their opponents and where there were more non-British participants than ever before, was umpired by former Oxford rower Gerald Ellison. Cambridge won by sixteen lengths, the second largest margin of victory in the history of the Boat Race, in a time of 19 minutes 10 seconds. It was their second win in three years and took the overall record in the event to 55–45 in their favour.

The 102nd Boat Race took place on 24 March 1956. 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. In a race umpired by former rower Kenneth Payne, Cambridge won by 1+1⁄4 lengths in a time of 18 minutes 36 seconds, the fourth-quickest time in the history of the event. The victory took the overall record to 56–45 in their favour.

The 106th The Boat Race took place on 2 April 1960. 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 went into the race as reigning champions, having won the previous year's race. In a race umpired by former Cambridge rower Kenneth Payne and attended by Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, it was won by Oxford by 1+1⁄4 lengths in a time of 18 minutes 59 seconds, their second consecutive victory, which took the overall record in the event to 58–47 in Cambridge's favour.

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Elmes, Simon (2013). Hello Again: Nine Decades of Radio Voices. Arrow. p. 82. ISBN   978-0099559788.
  2. 1 2 "Dark Blues aim to punch above their weight". The Observer . 6 April 2003. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  3. ↑ Smith, Oliver (25 March 2014). "University Boat Race 2014: spectators' guide". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  4. ↑ "Former Winnipegger in winning Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race crew". CBC News. 6 April 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  5. ↑ "TV and radio". The Boat Race Company Limited. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Boat Race – Results". The Boat Race Company Limited. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  7. ↑ "Classic moments – the 1877 dead heat". The Boat Race Company Limited. Archived from the original on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  8. ↑ Burnell, pp. 110–111.
  9. ↑ Burnell, p. 49.
  10. 1 2 Thomson, G. I. F. (20 March 1949). "Boat Race outlook". The Observer . p. 8.
  11. 1 2 "Oxford's excellent chance". The Manchester Guardian . 25 March 1949. p. 6.
  12. ↑ "A close finish in prospect this morning". The Times . No. 51340. 26 March 1949. p. 5.
  13. 1 2 Dodd, p. 333.
  14. ↑ "Rowing at the 1948 London Summer Games: Men's Coxed Eight". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  15. ↑ Burnell, pp. 50, 52.
  16. 1 2 "Cambridge's remarkable feat". The Manchester Guardian . 28 March 1949. p. 6.
  17. 1 2 3 Thomson, G. I. F. (27 March 1949). "Honours even in the Boat Race". The Observer . p. 8.
  18. 1 2 3 4 "Cambridge win in last 10 strokes". The Times . No. 51341. 28 March 1949. p. 4.
  19. ↑ Miall, Leonard (28 March 1996). "Obituary: John Snagge". The Independent . Retrieved 7 March 2015.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.