The Boat Race 1964
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Good article}}
{{Infobox University Boat Race
| name= 110th Boat Race
| winner = Cambridge
| margin = {{frac|6|1|2}} lengths
| winning_time= 19 minutes 18 seconds
| date= {{Start date|1964|3|28|df=y}}
| umpire = K. M. Payne
(Cambridge)
| prevseason= 1963
| nextseason= 1965
| overall =61–48
| women_winner =Cambridge
}}
The 110th Boat Race took place on 28 March 1964. 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 Oxford crew was the heaviest in Boat Race history. The race was won by Cambridge by six-and-half lengths. Cambridge won the Women's Boat Race.
Background
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 = 24 August 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 = 24 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, 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=24 August 2014}}{{Cite web | url = http://theboatraces.org/tv-and-radio | title = TV and radio | publisher = The Boat Race Company Limited | access-date = 24 August 2014 | archive-date = 8 August 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160808043710/http://theboatraces.org/tv-and-radio | url-status = dead }} Oxford went into the race as reigning champions, having won the previous year's race by five lengths, while Cambridge led overall in the event with 60 victories to Oxford's 48 (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 = 12 October 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 = 24 August 2014}}
The first Women's Boat Race took place in 1927, but did not become an annual fixture until the 1960s. Up until 2014, the contest was conducted as part of the Henley Boat Races, but as of the 2015 race, it is held on the River Thames, on the same day as the men's main and reserve races.{{Cite web | url = http://theboatraces.org/women/history | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141006112628/http://theboatrace.org/women/history| archive-date= 6 October 2014| title = A brief history of the Women's Boat Race | publisher = The Boat Race Company Limited| access-date = 5 July 2014}} This year's women's race was the first to be held since 1952.
Writing in the Financial Times, Joseph Mallalieu noted that the Boat Race was subsidised by The Varsity Match every year.{{Cite news | title = Two losers on the Tideway | first = Joseph | last= Mallalieu| author-link=Joseph Mallalieu | date = 28 March 1964 | page = 9 | issue = 23,273}} Despite Oxford being "firm favourites" upon their arrival at the Tideway, Cambridge put in better performances in training, and by the time of the race were considered the favourites themselves.{{Cite news | title = Cambridge need an early lead in Boat Race | work = The Times | issue = 55971 | date = 28 March 1964 | page = 3}} The main race was umpired for the eighth and final time by the former Olympian Kenneth Payne who had rowed for Cambridge in the 1932 and 1934 races.Burnell, pp. 49, 74{{Cite web | url = https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/pa/kenneth-payne-1.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200418042641/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/pa/kenneth-payne-1.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 18 April 2020 | publisher = Sports Reference | title = Kenneth Payne Bio, Stats, and Results| access-date = 10 October 2014}}
Crews
Although it was the heaviest Cambridge crew ever, they weighed an average of 13 st 4.75 lb (84.5 kg), almost {{convert|3|lb|kg|1}} per rower less than Oxford, who were the heaviest crew in Boat Race history.{{Cite news | title = Oxford are likely to win | work = The Guardian | date = 28 March 1964 | page = 10}} Oxford saw two former Blues return in Miles Morland and Duncan Spencer,Dodd, p. 169 while Cambridge's crew included four Boat Race veterans in Donald Legget, Mike Bevan, John Lecky and Christopher Davey. Lecky was a Canadian international rower who had won a silver medal in the men's eight at the 1960 Summer Olympics.{{Cite web | url = https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/le/john-lecky-1.html| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200418091503/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/le/john-lecky-1.html| url-status = dead| archive-date = 18 April 2020| title = John Lecky Bio, Stats, and Results| access-date = 22 October 2014 | publisher = Sports Reference}} Six of Oxford's crew came from Keble College, five of those schooled at Eton College.Dodd, p. 340
| 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. Leigh-Wood | Keble | 12 st 3 lb | D. F. Legget | Trinity Hall | 12 st 10 lb |
| 2 | D. W. Steel | Keble | 13 st 7 lb | M. V. Bevan | Downing | 13 st 2 lb |
| 3 | D. W. A. Cox | St Peter's | 13 st 7 lb | M. Muir-Smith | Christ's | 14 st 0 lb |
| 4 | M. Q. Morland | Lincoln | 14 st 6 lb | J. W. Fraser | Jesus | 14 st 2 lb |
| 5 | R. C. T. Mead | Keble | 14 st 0 lb | J. M. S. Lecky | 1st & 3rd Trinity | 14 st 3 lb |
| 6 | D. D. S. Skailes (P) | Keble | 14 st 3 lb | J. R. Kiely | 1st & 3rd Trinity | 14 st 0 lb |
| 7 | D. G. Bray | Keble | 13 st 1 lb | A. Simpson | Queens' | 12 st 13 lb |
| Stroke | D. C. Spencer | Christ Church | 13 st 5 lb | C. J. T. Davey (P) | Jesus | 11 st 8 lb |
| Cox | M. J. Leigh | Keble | 8 st 12 lb | R. G. Stanbury | Lady Margaret Boat Club | 8 st 10 lb |
| colspan="7"|Source: (P) – Boat club presidentBurnell, pp. 51–52 |
Race
File:University Boat Race Thames map.svg along which the Boat Race is contested]]
Cambridge won the toss and elected to start from the Surrey station, handing the Middlesex side of the river to Oxford.Burnell, p. 80 With a "calm, following wind",{{Cite news | title = Cambridge virtue rewarded | work = The Guardian | date = 30 March 1964 | page =10}} the race commenced at 2.20 p.m., and within a minute, Cambridge had a quarter-length lead before Oxford closed the gap at Craven Cottage. The Light Blues reached the Mile Post three seconds ahead and crossed over to the midstream. By Harrods Furniture Depository they had extended their lead out to two lengths and passed below Hammersmith Bridge a further half-length ahead. Despite a surge from Oxford, Cambridge were sixteen seconds ahead at Chiswick Steps and increased the gap to twenty seconds by Barnes Bridge. Cambridge won by {{frac|6|1|2}} lengths in a time of 19 minutes 18 seconds, 23 seconds ahead of Oxford.{{Cite news | title = Cambridge win 110th Boat Race in a canter| first = Ian | last = Thomson | date = 29 March 1964 | work = The Guardian}}
The victory was Cambridge's 61st in the contest, taking the overall score to 61–48. The Cambridge boat club president and stroke Christopher Davey said: "Everything went as planned, but Oxford hung on more than I would have liked at the end. I would have liked to have taken it to 10 lengths if possible but Oxford kept going splendidly at the end."
In the 20th running of the Women's Boat Race, Cambridge triumphed, their third consecutive victory.{{Cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140407065044/http://theboatrace.org/women/results | url = http://theboatrace.org/women/results | title = Results – Women | publisher = The Boat Race Company Limited | access-date = 19 November 2014 | archive-date = 7 April 2014}}
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= 0091513405 | publisher =Stanley Paul |year= 1983}}
External links
- [http://theboatraces.org/ Official website]
- [http://www.eafa.org.uk/catalogue/212844 Film of the Cambridge team training and tea at the Cutter in Ely (East Anglian Film Archive)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014034729/http://www.eafa.org.uk/catalogue/212844 |date=14 October 2017 }}
{{The Boat Race}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boat Race 1964}}
Category:1964 in English sport