The Lightweight Boat Races

Last updated

The Lightweight Boat Races
Contested by
Cambridge University Boat Club Rowing Blade.svg Oxford University Boat Club.svg
CUBC
(formerly CULRC / CUWBC)
OULRC / OUWLRC
Lightweight Mencontested since 1975 [1]
Lightweight Womencontested since 1984 [1]
Lightweight Men's reservescontested 2000–2009 and 2016–2019 [1]
Lightweight Women's reservescontested 2012 and 2016–2019
Course The Championship Course [2]
Formerly Henley Regatta course (downstream) [3]
Course length4.2 miles (6.8 km) [2]
Number of wins [4]
CUBC Men OULRC
3019
CUBC Women OUWLRC
2317
Official website
www.lightweightboatraces.co.uk

The Lightweight Boat Races are a series of annual rowing races between men's and women's lightweight crews representing the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge.

Contents

The first men's race took place in 1975, being joined by the women's race in 1984. Both races are currently held on the 4.2-mile (6.8 km) Championship Course from Putney to Mortlake, although they previously formed part of the Henley Boat Races, along with various other rowing races between the two universities, including the openweight women's Boat Race. Members of both teams are traditionally known as blues or half blues and each boat as a Blue Boat . Competitors at the events have gone on to compete at international and Olympic levels.

History

Richard Bates, a Cambridge undergraduate, organised a Boat Race between lightweight men's crews of Oxford and Cambridge universities in 1975, to take place at Henley-on-Thames. The race was joined by the openweight women's Boat Race two years later, thus forming the Henley Boat Races, and the first lightweight women's boat race took place at the same event in 1984. [1] Reserve races have taken place on-and-off since 2000 for the lightweight men (Nephthys vs Granta) and since 2012 for the lightweight women (Tethys vs CUWBC Lightweight Reserves).

In 2019, the lightweight men's race moved to the Championship Course from Putney to Mortlake, where it has been held since. The lightweight women's race made the same move the following year in 2020. [2]

For the men's race the average weight of the crew must not exceed 70 kg (154.3 lb / 11 st 0.3 lb), with no rower weighing over 72.5 kg (159.8 lb / 11 st 5.8 lb). For the women's race, no rower can exceed 59 kg (130.0 lb / 9 st 4 lb).

The races receive annual press coverage, [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] and competitors from both Universities have gone on to compete at international and Olympic levels. [10] [11] [12] [13]

Results

The history of the results of the races are as follows. [4] [14] [15] [16]

Lightweight Men's Boat Race

No.DateWinnerTimeWinning Margin (Lengths)Oxford WinsCambridge Wins
11975Cambridge6:18-1
21976Oxford6:3211
31977Oxford6:19121
41978Cambridge5.482322
51979Cambridge5.392/323
61980Cambridge6:1524
71981Cambridge6:2125
81982CambridgeNTT26
91983Cambridge5:5327
101984Cambridge5:401+1328
111985Cambridge6:006 ft29
121986Cambridge6:242210
131987Cambridge6:0912211
141988Cambridge5:50212
151989Cambridge5:514+12213
161990Cambridge6:404+34214
171991Cambridge6:3913215
181992Oxford5:402+12315
191993Cambridge5:3912316
201994Oxford5:3534416
211995Cambridge5:2913417
221996OxfordNRO disq517
231997Oxford5:491617
241998Cambridge5:4512618
251999Oxford5:311+12718
262000Cambridge5:402719
272001Cambridge6:334 (raced at Holme Pierrepont)720
282002Oxford5:212820
292003Oxford5:551+14920
302004Oxford5:36121020
312005Oxford5:5131120
321 April 2006Oxford5:182+141220
331 April 2007Oxford3:441 (raced over a shortened course)1320
3423 March 2008Oxford6:152+121420
3522 March 2009Cambridge5:4931421
3628 March 2010Cambridge5:282 ft1422
3727 March 2011Oxford5:54Canvas1522
3825 March 2012Cambridge6:00341523
3924 March 2013Oxford6:491+23 (raced at Dorney)1623
4030 March 2014Cambridge5:303+121624
415 April 2015Cambridge5:554 ft1625
4219 March 2016Cambridge6:19Easily1626
4326 March 2017Cambridge6:071+341627
4418 March 2018Cambridge6:2613 (raced at Dorney)1628
4524 March 2019Oxford17:432+13 (first race on the Tideway)1728
4615 March 2020Oxford18:503+121828
4723 May 2021Oxford14:191+12 (raced at Ely)1928
4820 March 2022Cambridge18:0151929
4920 March 2023Cambridge18:18111930

Lightweight Women's Boat Race

No.DateWinnerTimeWinning Margin (Lengths)Oxford WinsCambridge Wins
11984Cambridge-1
21985Cambridge-2
31986Oxford12
41987Cambridge13
51988Cambridge14
61989Cambridge6:37115
71990Cambridge7:352+1316
81991Cambridge7:482+1417
91992Cambridge6:35318
101993Cambridge6:18Easily19
111994Cambridge6:231 ft.110
121995Oxford6:192210
131996Cambridge6:36Canvas211
141997Cambridge6:37Canvas212
151998Oxford6:36Canvas312
161999Oxford6:01+122+34412
172000Oxford6:222+12512
182001Cambridge7:373 (raced at Holme Pierrepont)513
192002Oxford6:064613
202003Oxford6:512713
212004Oxford6:0834813
222005Oxford6:5512913
231 April 2006Cambridge6:00Canvas914
241 April 2007Oxford4:111 (raced over a shortened course)1014
2523 March 2008Cambridge7:01131015
2622 March 2009Oxford6:302+121115
2728 March 2010Oxford6:012+341215
2827 March 2011Cambridge6:431+121216
2925 March 2012Oxford6:481+131316
3024 March 2013Oxford7:334+34 (raced at Dorney)1416
3129 March 2014Oxford6:083+121516
325 April 2015Cambridge6:263 ft.1517
3319 March 2016Oxford6:54Canvas1617
3426 March 2017Cambridge6:4531618
3518 March 2018Cambridge7:2412 (raced at Dorney)1619
3630 March 2019Oxford6:282+121719
3715 March 2020Cambridge23:246 (first race on the Tideway)1720
3818 May 2021Cambridge18:082+12 (raced at Ely)1721
3920 March 2022Cambridge19:59151722
4020 March 2023Cambridge23:3461723

Lightweight Men's Reserves (Nephthys vs Granta)

DateWinnerTimeWinning Margin (Lengths)Oxford WinsCambridge Wins
2000Cambridge5:502+34-1
2001Oxford71211
2002Oxford5:33221
2003Cambridge6:192+1222
2004Oxford5:45Canvas32
2005Oxford6:074+1242
1 April 2006Oxford5:26552
1 April 2007Oxford4:08R/O due to no Cambridge crew. Lost to Old Boys.62
23 March 2008Oxford6:29R/O due to no Cambridge crew. Lost to Old Boys.72
22 March 2009Oxford6:15R/O due to no Cambridge crew. Beat Durham.82
Race in abeyance 2010 - 2015
13 March 2016Cambridge-1+14 (Raced in 4x)83
19 March 2017Oxford6:1912 (Raced in 4+) [17] 93
18 March 2018Cambridge7:2434 (Raced in 4+ at Dorney)94
22 March 2019Oxford1 (Raced in 2– from Putney to Mile Post)104
14 March 2020OxfordCanvas (Raced in 2- from Putney to Mile Post)114
23 May 2021Oxford1 (Raced in 2- at Ely)124
18 March 2022Cambridge2 (Raced in 2- from Putney to Mile Post)125
18 March 2023Cambridge5 (Raced in 2- from Harrods to Putney)126

Lightweight Women's Reserves (Tethys vs CUBC Lightweight Women's Reserves)

Raced on the Friday before the main event in a 4+ in 2012, and incorporated into main race day in 2016.

DateWinnerTimeWinning Margin (Lengths)Oxford WinsCambridge Wins
2012Cambridge(Raced in 4+)-1
19 March 2016Cambridge8:5534 (Raced in 2-)-2
26 March 2017Cambridgeeasily (Raced in 2-)-3
18 March 2018Oxford8:15easily (Raced in 4+ at Dorney)13
30 March 2019Cambridge1+12 (Raced in 2-)14
14 March 2020Oxford7 (Raced in 4+ from Putney to Hammersmith)24
18 May 2021CambridgeOxford unable to field a crew25
19 March 2022OxfordCambridge unable field a crew35
18 March 2023Cambridge3 (Raced in 4+ from Harrods to Putney, CUBC boat had 3 openweight rowers who did not weigh-in)36

See also

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References

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