:The Boat Race 1896
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
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{{Infobox University Boat Race
| name= 53rd Boat Race
| winner =Oxford
| margin = 2/5 of a length
| winning_time= 20 minutes 1 second
| date= {{Start date|1896|3|28|df=y}}
| umpire =Frank Willan
(Oxford)
| prevseason= 1895
| nextseason= 1897
| overall =22–30
}}
The 53rd Boat Race took place on 28 March 1896. 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 rower Frank Willan, Oxford won by two-fifths of a length in a time of 20 minutes 1 second, taking the overall record in the event to 30–22 in their favour. It was their seventh consecutive victory and the narrowest winning margin since 1877.
Background
File:Frank Willan, Oxford.png was umpire of the Boat Race for the eighth time.]]
The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing competition between the boat clubs of 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 = 11 September 2014 }} and the University of Cambridge (sometimes referred to as the "Light Blues"). The race was first held in 1829, and since 1845 has taken place on the {{convert|4.2|mi|km|adj=on}} 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 = 20 August 2014 | date = 25 March 2014 |title = University Boat Race 2014: spectators' guide | first = Oliver |last =Smith}}{{Cite web | url = http://theboatraces.org/the-course | title = The Course| access-date = 20 August 2014 | publisher = The Boat Race Company Limited}} The rivalry is a major point of honour between the two universities, as of 2014 it is followed throughout the United Kingdom and 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=20 August 2014}}{{Cite web | url = http://theboatraces.org/tv-and-radio | title = TV and radio | publisher = The Boat Race Company Limited | access-date = 5 July 2014 | archive-date = 8 August 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160808043710/http://theboatraces.org/tv-and-radio | url-status = dead }}{{Cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=o2QpA0fGyiIC&q=%22boat+race%22+%22united+kingdom%22+audience&pg=PA287 | title=Gaming the World: How Sports Are Reshaping Global Politics and Culture| first1 = Andrei |last1=Markovits|first2=Lars |last2=Rensmann| publisher = Princeton University Press| date= 6 June 2010 | isbn=978-0691137513|pages=287–288}} Oxford went into the race as reigning champions, having beaten Cambridge by {{frac|2|1|4}} lengths in the previous year's race, and held the overall lead, with 29 victories to Cambridge's 22 (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 | title =Men – Results | publisher = The Boat Race Company Limited | access-date = 27 September 2014}}
Oxford's coaches were G. C. Bourne who had rowed for Oxford in the 1882 and 1883 races, R. C. Lehmann, the former president of the Cambridge Union Society and captain of the 1st Trinity Boat Club (although he had rowed in the trials eights for Cambridge, he was never selected for the Blue boat){{Cite book | title = A History of the University of Cambridge: Volume 3, 1750–1870 | first = Peter | last = Searby| publisher = Cambridge University Press | date = 6 November 1997 | isbn = 978-0521350600 | page = 664 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=VoMPRz8nYQEC&pg=PA664}} and Douglas McLean (an Oxford Blue five times between 1883 and 1887). Cambridge were coached by Stanley Muttlebury who had rowed for Cambridge five times between the 1886 and 1890 races.Burnell, pp. 110–111 The umpire for the race for the eighth year in a row was Frank Willan who won the event four consecutive times, rowing for Oxford in the 1866, 1867, 1868 and 1869 races.Burnell, pp. 49, 59
Crews
The Oxford crew weighed an average of 12 st 6.5 lb (79.0 kg), {{convert|1|lb|kg|1}} per rower more than their opponents.Burnell, p. 66 Five of the Cambridge crew had rowed in the previous year's race: boat club president Theodore Byram Hope, Herbert Aylward Game, Richard Yerburgh Bonsey, Thomas Jones Gibb Duncanson and Adam Searle Bell. The Oxford crew contained three former Blues, including Walter Erskine Crum who was making his third consecutive appearance in the event. Six of the Oxford crew and two Cantabrigians were educated at Eton College.
File:Harcourt Gilbey Gold, Vanity Fair, 1899-03-23.jpg (caricatured in 1899) rowed for Oxford.]]
| class="wikitable" | ||||||
| rowspan="2" scope="col| Seat
! colspan="3" scope="col| Oxford ! colspan="3" scope="col| Cambridge | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name
! College ! Weight ! Name ! College ! Weight | ||||||
| Bow | J. J. J. de Knoop | New College | 11 st 1.5 lb | T. B. Hope (P) | Trinity Hall | 11 st 1 lb |
| 2 | C. K. Phillips | New College | 12 st 5.5 lb | H. A. Game | 1st Trinity | 12 st 4 lb |
| 3 | E. C. Sherwood | Magdalen | 12 st 12 lb | D. Pennington | Gonville and Caius | 12 st 7 lb |
| 4 | C. D. Burnell | Magdalen | 13 st 10 lb | R. Y. Bonsey | Lady Margaret Boat Club | 12 st 10 lb |
| 5 | E. R. Balfour | University | 13 st 6 lb | W. A. Bieber | Trinity Hall | 12 st 12 lb |
| 6 | R. Carr | Magdalen | 12 st 8.5 lb | T. J. G. Duncanson | Emmanuel | 13 st 12 lb |
| 7 | W. E. Crum | New College | 12 st 3 lb | A. S. Bell | Trinity Hall | 11 st 13 lb |
| Stroke | H. G. Gold | Magdalen | 11 st 5.5 lb | W. J. Fernie | Trinity Hall | 11 st 13 lb |
| Cox | H. R. K. Pechell | Brasenose | 8 st 1 lb | T. R. Paget-Tomlinson | Trinity Hall | 8 st 4.5 lb |
| colspan="7"|Source:Dodd, p. 312 (P) – boat club presidentBurnell, pp. 50–51 M. C. Pilkington acted as non-rowing president for Oxford. |
Race
File:University Boat Race Thames map.svg, along which the race is conducted]]
Cambridge, the pre-race favourites, won the toss and elected to start from the Surrey station, handing the Middlesex side of the river to Oxford. Starting at 1:03 p.m., the race was conducted in strong westerly winds and rain showers. Cambridge started the faster of the crews and outrated Oxford by two strokes per minute, and by Craven Steps (approximately {{convert|1000|yd|m}}) along the course) they held a one-third length lead. With the bend in the river in their favour, Oxford drew level by the Mile Post, but by Harrods Furniture Depository Cambridge were ahead, holding a three-quarter length advantage by Hammersmith Bridge. Into the rough water past the bridge, Oxford struggled and the Light Blues were clear at The Doves pub. By Chiswick Steps they had extended the lead to one and a half lengths.
Despite being behind for most of the race, the Oxford stroke Harcourt Gilbey Gold maintained his crew's pace and rhythm and along Corney Reach (around {{convert|3|mi|km}} into the race) they were overlapping the Light Blue boat. Encountering a challenging combination of wind and tide, Cambridge began to struggle by the brewery at Mortlake, and the Dark Blues took advantage,Drinkwater, p. 103 overtaking Cambridge and passed the finishing post two-fifths of a length ahead in a time of 20 minutes 1 second. It was their seventh consecutive victory and the narrowest margin of victory since the 1877 race. Author and former Oxford rower George Drinkwater described the race as "one of the most stubbornly contested that has ever been rowed".Drinkwater, p. 102
References
Notes
{{reflist|30em}}
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= 0-09-151340-5 | publisher =Stanley Paul |year= 1983}}
- {{Cite book | title = The University Boat Race – Official Centenary History | first1 = G. C. |last1 = Drinkwater | first2= T. R. B. |last2=Sanders |publisher = Cassell & Company, Ltd.| year = 1929}}
External links
- [http://theboatraces.org/ Official website]
{{The Boat Race}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boat Race 1896}}
Category:1896 in English sport