The Championship Course

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Championship Course on a flood tide (e.g. for the Boat Race). The Start and Finish are reversed when racing on an ebb tide. "Middlesex" and "Surrey" denote banks of the Thames along this stretch, named for the historic counties University Boat Race Thames map.svg
Championship Course on a flood tide (e.g. for the Boat Race). The Start and Finish are reversed when racing on an ebb tide. "Middlesex" and "Surrey" denote banks of the Thames along this stretch, named for the historic counties
Putney Bridge Putney Bridge.jpg
Putney Bridge

The Championship Course is a stretch of the River Thames between Mortlake and Putney in London, England. It is a well-established course for rowing races, particularly the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. The course is on the tidal reaches of the river often referred to as the Tideway. Due to the iconic shape of the Championship Course, in orthopaedic surgery, an S-shaped incision along the crease of the elbow is commonly referred to as "a boat-race incision resembling the River Thames from Putney to Mortlake." [1]

Contents

History

In 1845, it was agreed to stage the Boat Race (which had on five previous occasions been rowed from Westminster Bridge to Putney) on a course from 'Putney Bridge to Mortlake Church tower'. [2] The aim was to reduce the interference from heavy river traffic.

The following year, a race for the Professional World Sculling Championship moved to the course for the first time. The Wingfield Sculls followed in 1861.

The course was later defined by two stones on the southern bank of the river, marked "U.B.R." for University Boat Race: one just downstream of Chiswick Bridge, close to The Ship public house, and the other just upstream of Putney Bridge. The course distance is 4 miles and 374 yards (6,779 m), as measured along the centre of the river's stream.

Races are always rowed in the same direction as the tide: from Mortlake to Putney on an ebb tide or from Putney to Mortlake on a flood tide.

Since the Boat Race moved to this course in 1845, it has always been raced on a flood tide from Putney to Mortlake except in 1846, 1856 and 1863. The Wingfield Sculls is also raced from Putney to Mortlake. Most other events race on an ebb tide from Mortlake to Putney.

In April 1869, the Harvard University Boat Club challenged the Oxford University Boat Club to an "International University Boat-Race" of coxed fours on the Boat Race course. The race took place on 27 August 1869 and was narrowly won by Oxford. The new Atlantic cable allowed daily reports to be received by all major newspapers across America within 23 minutes of the finish. U.S. public interest in the event was huge, with more publicity than any sporting event to date, and within two years of the event the "newly awakened interest in rowing at many of the most noted seats of learning" doubled the number of boat clubs in the US, and led to the formation of the Rowing Association of American Colleges. [3]

Landmarks

Principal landmarks, often used when racing, include (in order from Mortlake to Putney):

LandmarkBank Coordinates Comments
The University Stone South 51°28′22″N0°16′05″W / 51.472861°N 0.268151°W / 51.472861; -0.268151 (The Boat Race Finish)
Boat Race Finish posts.jpg
Boat Race Finish post 800x533.jpg
Marked by a post on the north bank opposite the stone on the south bank, the finish of the Boat Race and the start of the Head of the River race. Just downstream of Chiswick Bridge.
Stag BrewerySouth 51°28′14″N0°15′59″W / 51.470474°N 0.266376°W / 51.470474; -0.266376 (Stag Brewery)
Boat Race Mortlake Brewery.jpg
Previously owned by Watneys, and later by Anheuser-Busch, the brewery closed in December 2015 and is now earmarked for residential development.
Barnes Railway Bridge n/a 51°28′22″N0°15′14″W / 51.472736°N 0.253758°W / 51.472736; -0.253758 (Barnes Railway Bridge)
Boat Race Barnes Railway Bridge centre span.jpg
When racing, crews must pass through the centre arch.
The BandstandNorth 51°28′36″N0°15′08″W / 51.476572°N 0.252149°W / 51.476572; -0.252149 (The Bandstand)
Boat Race Bandstand.jpg
The Crossingn/a 51°28′44″N0°15′02″W / 51.47879°N 0.250583°W / 51.47879; -0.250583 (The Crossing) Marks the start of the long Surrey bend.
Chiswick PierNorth 51°28′57″N0°15′03″W / 51.482452°N 0.250937°W / 51.482452; -0.250937 (Chiswick Pier)
Boat Race Chiswick Pier.jpg
Chiswick StepsSouth 51°29′04″N0°14′51″W / 51.484581°N 0.247463°W / 51.484581; -0.247463 (Chiswick Steps) Steps for the ferry which used to run across to the slipway in front of St Nicholas' Church on the North side.
Chiswick Eyot North 51°29′15″N0°14′45″W / 51.487596°N 0.245814°W / 51.487596; -0.245814 (Chiswick Eyot)
Chiswick Eyot.jpg
An uninhabited river island. There is a channel behind (north of) the eyot navigable at high tide, but it is never used for racing.
Fuller's Brewery North 51°29′14″N0°15′01″W / 51.487182°N 0.250411°W / 51.487182; -0.250411 (Chiswick Eyot)
Boat Race Fullers Brewery.jpg
Just visible to crews, behind the eyot.
St Paul's School South 51°29′20″N0°14′09″W / 51.488983°N 0.235855°W / 51.488983; -0.235855 (St Paul's School)
Boat Race St Paul's.jpg
Hammersmith Bridge n/a 51°29′17″N0°13′50″W / 51.488129°N 0.230536°W / 51.488129; -0.230536 (Hammersmith Bridge)
HORR 05.jpg
Coxes use a particular lamp-post that shows[ clarification needed ] the deepest part of the river and therefore the fastest line.
Harrods Furniture Depository South 51°29′05″N0°13′41″W / 51.484633°N 0.227956°W / 51.484633; -0.227956 (Harrods' Furniture Repository)
Boat Race Harrod's Depositary.jpg
Previously the warehouse for the famous shop, now apartments.
The CrabtreeNorth 51°28′55″N0°13′25″W / 51.482041°N 0.223482°W / 51.482041; -0.223482 (The Crabtree)
Boat Race Crabtree Reach.jpg
A pub.
The Mile PostSouth 51°28′43″N0°13′37″W / 51.47852°N 0.226987°W / 51.47852; -0.226987 (The Mile Post)
Boat Race 1st Milestone and bust.jpg
A stone obelisk forming a memorial to Steve Fairbairn, founder of the Head of the River Race. It was erected by members of Jesus College Boat Club (Cambridge), Thames Rowing Club and London Rowing Club and is precisely a mile from the Putney stone marking the end of the course.
Fulham Football Club North 51°28′30″N0°13′18″W / 51.474895°N 0.221655°W / 51.474895; -0.221655 (Fulham Football Club)
Boat Race Craven Cottage.jpg
The stadium is known as 'Craven Cottage': crews stay wide round the bend as the area in front of the ground is shallow, with slack water.
The Black BuoySouth 51°28′16″N0°13′16″W / 51.471211°N 0.221132°W / 51.471211; -0.221132 (The Black Buoy)
Boat Race Black Buoy.jpg
The large buoy marks the start of the area of the Putney Boat Houses. It has a reputation for ensnaring inexperienced crews when there is a fast ebb tide, for example during the various Head of the River races.
The Putney Stone South 51°28′02″N0°12′50″W / 51.467319°N 0.213756°W / 51.467319; -0.213756 (Boat Race start)
Boat Race Start stone.jpg
The University Stone lies on the south bank, marking the end of the Championship Course and the start of the Boat Race, just upstream of Putney Bridge.

Events

Rowing clubs along the course

Boat houses on the river bank near Putney PutneyRclubs01.JPG
Boat houses on the river bank near Putney

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Head of the River Race</span> Annual rowing event for eights in London

The Head of the River Race (HORR) is an against-the-clock ('processional') rowing race held annually on the River Thames in London, England between eights, other such races being the Schools' Head of the River Race, Women's Head of the River Race and Veterans' Head of the River Race. Its competitors are, with a few experienced junior exceptions, seniors of UK or overseas competitors and it runs with the ebb tide down the 4.25 mile (6.8 km) Championship Course from Mortlake to Putney which hosts the Oxford and Cambridge head-to-head races usually between one and two weeks later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vesta Rowing Club</span>

Vesta Rowing Club is a rowing club based on the Tideway of the River Thames in Putney, London, England. It was founded in 1870.

The Scullers Head of the River Race is a rowing race held annually on the River Thames Championship Course from Mortlake to Putney, open to single scullers only. The race is held in November or early December each year on a week usually to suit the mid-morning or mid-afternoon timing of the ebb tide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University Boat Race Stones</span> Rowing markers in London, England

The University Boat Race Stones are two tapered, granite cuboids on southern embankments of the Tideway in west London, one 129 metres west of Putney Bridge and the other at Mortlake, 112 metres east of Chiswick Bridge.

The Fuller's Head of the River Fours (HOR4s) is a processional rowing race held annually on the Tideway of the River Thames in London on the 4+14-mile (6.8 km) Championship Course from Mortlake to Putney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's Eights Head of the River Race</span>

The Women's Eights Head of the River Race (WEHoRR) is a processional rowing race held annually on the Tideway of the River Thames in London on the 4+14-mile (6.8 km) Championship Course from Mortlake to Putney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wingfield Sculls</span>

The Wingfield Sculls is a rowing race held annually on the River Thames in London, England, on the 4+14 miles (6.8 km) Championship Course from Putney to Mortlake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boustead Cup</span>

The Boustead Cup is an annual challenge of the Men's Eight of London Rowing Club and Thames Rowing Club.

The Thames is one of the main rowing rivers in Europe. Several annual competitions are held along its course, including the Henley Royal Regatta, The Boat Race and other long-distance events, called Head of the River races (Heads).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tideway Scullers School</span> British rowing club

Tideway Scullers School is a rowing club on the Tideway of the River Thames next to Chiswick Bridge in Chiswick, London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Putney Town Rowing Club</span>

Putney Town Rowing Club (PTRC) is a rowing club on the Tideway, the tidal reach of the River Thames in England. Its official British Rowing registered colours are navy and white.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxford University Women's Boat Club</span> British rowing club

Oxford University Women's Boat Club (OUWBC) is the rowing club for female rowers who are students at the University of Oxford. The club was founded in 1926 and is now based in Wallingford at the Fleming Boat House, along with OUBC, OUWLRC and OULRC.

The 2nd Boat Race took place on the River Thames on 17 June 1836. It was the first of the University Boat Races to be held in London, on a five-and-three-quarter-mile stretch between Westminster and Putney. For the first time, Cambridge sported light blue livery in the form of a ribbon on their boat while Oxford rowed in dark blue jerseys. In a race umpired by Lord Loftus and Mr Hiceson, Cambridge won the race by 20 lengths to level the overall record at 1–1.

The 7th Boat Race took place on the River Thames on 17 March 1845. The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. It was the first time the event was contested along The Championship Course, from Putney to Mortlake. The race was won by Cambridge who beat Oxford by a distance of ten lengths.

The 8th Boat Race between crews from the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge took place on the River Thames on 3 April 1846. Umpired by Charles Jasper Selwyn, Cambridge won in a time of 21 minutes 5 seconds, with a winning margin of three lengths. The race was held on the ebb tide, starting in Mortlake and ending in Putney. For the first time, outriggers were used by both crews.

The 13th Boat Race took place on the River Thames on 15 March 1856. Typically held annually, the event is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. The race, the second to be held on the ebb tide, was won by Cambridge who beat Oxford by half a length.

The 20th Boat Race between crews from the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge took place on the River Thames on 28 March 1863. Oxford won by 15 lengths in a time of 23 minutes 6 seconds. It took the overall record to ten wins each, the first time since the 1836 race that the scores were level. The race was the third to be held on the ebb tide, along the Championship Course in reverse, from Mortlake to Putney. It was the first time since the race was held in the fashion since the 1856 race.

The 21st 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 14 March 1864. Umpired by Joseph William Chitty, Oxford won by nine lengths in a time of 21 minutes 4 seconds, the fastest winning time since the event was held on The Championship Course in 1845. The race, whose start was moved in order to avoid interruptions from river traffic, was witnessed by the Prince of Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Boat Races 2015</span> Annual race between Oxford and Cambridge universities

The 2015 Boat Races took place on 11 April 2015. Held annually, The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along a 4.2-mile (6.8 km) tidal stretch of the River Thames in south-west London. For the first time in the history of the event, the men's, women's and both reserves' races were all held on the Tideway; in the men's reserve race, Cambridge's Goldie faced Oxford's Isis after the women's race, as a preliminary to the main men's race, while the women's reserve race, held the day before, saw Oxford's Osiris race against Cambridge's Blondie.

References

  1. Wolfe, Scott (2017). Green's Operative Hand Surgery. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier. p. 875. ISBN   9781455774272.
  2. Parishes: Putney, A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 4 (1912), pp. 78–83. Date accessed: 31 March 2010
  3. Miller, Bill (2006). "1869 – The Great International Boat Race". Friends of Rowing History. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2008.
  4. "Lightweight Boat Races Oxford vs Cambridge".