:The Boat Race 1888

The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing competition between the University of Oxford (sometimes referred to as the "Dark Blues"){{Cite web | url = https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2003/apr/06/theobserver | work = The Observer | title = Dark Blues aim to punch above their weight | date = 6 April 2003 | access-date = 12 July 2014 }} and the University of Cambridge (sometimes referred to as the "Light Blues"). First held in 1829, the race takes place on the {{convert|4.2|mi|km}} Championship Course on the River Thames in southwest London.{{Cite web | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/london/10719622/University-Boat-Race-2014-spectators-guide.html | work = The Daily Telegraph | access-date = 12 July 2014 | date = 25 March 2014 |title = University Boat Race 2014: spectators' guide | first = Oliver |last =Smith}} 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.{{cite news|title=Former Winnipegger in winning Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race crew|date=6 April 2014|publisher=CBC News|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/former-winnipegger-in-winning-oxford-cambridge-boat-race-crew-1.2600176|access-date=9 July 2014}}{{Cite web | url = http://theboatraces.org/tv-and-radio | title = TV and radio | publisher = The Boat Race Company Limited | access-date = 12 July 2014 | archive-date = 8 August 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160808043710/http://theboatraces.org/tv-and-radio | url-status = dead }} Cambridge went into the race as reigning champions, having won the previous year's race by {{frac|2|1|2}} lengths, while Oxford held the overall lead, with 23 victories to Cambridge's 20 (excluding the "dead heat" of 1877).{{Cite web | url= http://theboatraces.org/classic-moments-the-1877-dead-heat | publisher = The Boat Race Company Limited | title = Classic moments – the 1877 dead heat | access-date = 11 November 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141028142809/http://theboatraces.org/classic-moments-the-1877-dead-heat | archive-date= 28 October 2014}}{{Cite web | url = http://theboatraces.org/results| publisher = The Boat Race Company Limited| title = Boat Race – Results| access-date = 11 November 2014}}

Oxford's boat club president Hector McLean died of typhoid fever in January 1888 and while the Dark Blues recruited "good men", according to Drinkwater, they also "did not develop into a good crew and were never looked on as possible winners", while Cambridge "had a surplus of excellent material".Drinkwater, p. 91 Oxford's coaches were G. C. Bourne (who had rowed for the Dark Blues in the 1882 and 1883 races, and coached them for the 1885 race), F. P. Bully (who had coached Oxford in 1886 race), and Tom Edwards-Moss (who rowed for the Dark Blues four times between the 1875 and the 1878 races).Burnell, pp. 110–111 There is no record of who coached Cambridge. According to Drinkwater, during practice, the weather conditions were "very bad ... rough and stormy, and bitterly cold". He also noted that the Light Blue crew was "undoubtedly one of the fastest that have ever appeared at Putney."

The umpire for the race was Robert Lewis-Lloyd (who had rowed for Cambridge four times between 1856 and 1859) and had umpired every year since the 1881 race.Burnell, p. 106

The Oxford crew weighed an average of 11 st 13.75 lb (75.9 kg), {{convert|1.75|lb|kg|1}} more than their opponents.Burnell, p. 64 Cambridge saw two former Blues return in Percy Landale and Stanley Muttlebury, the latter of whom was making his third Boat Race appearance. Oxford's crew contained three rowers with experience in the event, including bow W. F. C. Holland, H. R Parker and Guy Nickalls. All competitors in the race were British.Burnell, p. 38

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| footer =Stanley Muttlebury (caricature left) rowed for Cambridge for the third time, while Guy Nickalls (right) occupied the number seven seat for Oxford.

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File:University Boat Race Thames map.svg, along which the race is conducted]]

Oxford won the toss and elected to start from the Middlesex station, handing the Surrey side of the river to Cambridge. Commencing at 10.56 a.m., Cambridge took an early lead, and led from the start, holding a six-length lead by Hammersmith Bridge. They extended their lead by a further length to win by seven lengths in a time of 20 minutes 48 seconds.Dodd, p. 308 It was their third consecutive victory, and their fourth in five years, and took the overall record to 23–21 in Oxford's favour. The winning time was four seconds quicker than the previous year's race. It was the last time the race was umpired by Lewis-Lloyd, who was replaced the following year by Frank Willan who had rowed for Cambridge four times between the 1866 and 1869 races.Drinkwater, p. 92Burnell, p.102

Notes

{{Reflist}}

Bibliography

• {{Cite book | title = One Hundred and Fifty Years of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race | first = Richard | last = Burnell | author-link = Dickie Burnell | year=1979| isbn= 0950063878 | publisher = Precision Press}}
• {{Cite book | title = The Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race | first = Christopher| last = Dodd | isbn= 0091513405 | publisher =Stanley Paul |year= 1983}}
• {{Cite book | title = The University Boat Race – Official Centenary History | first = G. C. |last = Drinkwater | first2= T. R. B. |last2=Sanders |publisher = Cassell & Company, Ltd.| year = 1929}}

• [http://theboatraces.org/ Official website]

{{The Boat Race}}

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Category:The Boat Race

Category:1888 in English sport

Category:1888 in British sport

Category:March 1888