The Boat Race 1980

{{Infobox University Boat Race

| name= 126th Boat Race

| winner = Oxford

| margin = Canvas

| winning_time= 19 minutes 20 seconds

| date= 5 April 1980

| umpire = Alan Burrough

| prevseason= 1979

| nextseason= 1981

| overall =68–57

| reserve_winner =Isis

| women_winner =Oxford

}}

The 126th Boat Race took place on 5 April 1980. Held annually, the Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. It was won by Oxford in the closest finish for a century, despite one of its oarsmen collapsing before the end of the race.

In the reserve race, Isis beat Goldie by five lengths, and in the Women's Boat Race, Oxford were victorious.

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 = 8 April 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 = 3 June 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 and 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=7 April 2014}}{{Cite web | url = http://theboatraces.org/tv-and-radio | title = TV and radio | publisher = The Boat Race Company Ltd | 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 }} Oxford went into the race as reigning champions, having beaten Cambridge by {{frac|3|1|2}} lengths in the previous year's race. However Cambridge held the overall lead, with 68 victories to Oxford's 56 (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 = 6 June 2014| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141028142809/http://theboatraces.org/classic-moments-the-1877-dead-heat | archive-date= 28 October 2014}} The race was sponsored for fourth time by Ladbrokes. It was the last race to be commentated on BBC Radio by John Snagge.{{Cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=wAEk9veAhpAC&q=%22John+Snagge%22+1980&pg=PA256 | title = The A to Z of British Radio | access-date = 31 May 2014 | page = 256 | first = Seán |last = Street | date = 4 August 2009 | publisher = Scarecrow Press| isbn=978-0-8108-6847-2}}

The first Women's Boat Race took place in 1927, but did not become an annual fixture until the 1960s. 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}} The reserve race, contested between Oxford's Isis boat and Cambridge's Goldie boat has been held since 1965. It usually takes place on the Tideway, prior to the main Boat Race.

Cambridge coach Graeme Hall was stroke for the Light Blues in the 1968 race, racing against Oxford coach Daniel Topolski who was bowman for the Dark Blues that year.{{Cite news | title = Tideway matchmakers | work = The Guardian | date = 5 April 1980|first = Christopher | last = Dodd | page = 22}} Cambridge Boat Club president John Woodhouse noted: "We have cut down the number of formal dinners with old Blues and old coaches, and we have tried to keep the evenings quiet."

Crews

The Oxford crew featured three Old Blues, Chris Mahoney, Mike Diserens, and Boris Rankov, who was rowing in his third University Boat Race.{{Cite web | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/rowing/5062749/60-Second-Interview-Boris-Rankov-Boat-Race-Umpire.html | work = The Daily Telegraph | title = 60 Second Interview: Boris Rankov, Boat Race Umpire | first = Gareth A. | last = Davies | access-date = 31 May 2014 | date = 27 March 2009}} In J.S. Palmer and A.G. Phillips, Cambridge's crew contained two Blues returning from the previous year's race. Hugh Laurie was following the tradition of his father, former Light Blue president and Olympic gold medallist Ran, who had won the Boat Race in 1934, 1935 and 1936.Dodd pp. 328–29

File:Hugh Laurie Actors Guild.jpg rowed for Cambridge in 1980.]]

File:Boat Race 2015 - Boris Rankov.jpg (pictured in 2015) made the third of his six appearances for Oxford.]]

rowspan="2" scope="col\| Seat ! colspan="3" scope="col\| Oxford 30px ! colspan="3" scope="col\| Cambridge 30px
class="wikitable"
Name ! College ! Weight ! Name ! College ! Weight
Bow	S. R. W. Francis	Corpus Christi	13 st 12 lb	L. W. J. Baart	Gonville and Caius	13 st 4 lb
2	N. A. Conington	Oriel	13 st 0 lb	M. F. Panter	Lady Margaret Boat Club	14 st 1 lb
3	M. D. Andrews	Magdalen	14 st 0.5 lb	T. W. Whitney	Jesus	13 st 7 lb
4	J. L. Bland	Merton	13 st 11 lb	J. H. C. Laurie	Selwyn	13 st 12 lb
5	N. B. Rankov (P)	Corpus Christi	14 st 3 lb	A. G. Phillips	Jesus	13 st 5.5 lb
6	C. J. Mahoney	Oriel	13 st 6 lb	J. W. Woodhouse (P)	Selwyn	13 st 9 lb
7	T. C. M Barry	Oriel	13 st 4.5 lb	J. S. Palmer	Pembroke	14 st 8 lb
Stroke	M. J. Diserens	Keble	12 st 13 lb	A. D. Dalrymple	Downing	12 st 8 lb
Cox	J. S Mead	St Edmund Hall	8 st 3.5 lb	C. J. Wigglesworth	Jesus	7 st 13.5 lb
colspan="7"\| Source: (P) – Boat club president

Race

File:University Boat Race Thames map.svg along which the Boat Race is contested]]

Oxford won the toss and elected to start on the Surrey station.Dodd, p. 348 The race started at 4.45 pm. Following a clash soon after the start, and another at Harrods, the crews were level. Despite Oxford's number seven, Thomas Barry, losing part of his blade, his crew established a lead and defended it against a higher rating Cambridge. Umpire Alan Burrough allowed the race to continue, despite the clash and close steering.{{Cite news | title = Magnificent seven beat brave eight| first = Jim | last = Railton | work = The Times | page = 11 | issue = 60594 | date = 7 April 1980}} By Barnes Bridge, Oxford's bowman, Steve Francis, was exhausted and "had more or less stopped rowing".Dodd, p. 242 Cambridge's push continued but Oxford passed the finishing post with a canvas' advantage, the closest finish of the century.{{Cite web | url = http://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/news.php?id=1129777 | work = Henley Standard | title = Actor's 'feeble' bid to follow in father's shoes | date = 2 July 2012 | access-date = 7 June 2014 | archive-date = 15 July 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140715064234/http://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/news.php?id=1129777 | url-status = dead }} Francis was treated for exhaustion, but was later diagnosed with hepatitis.{{Cite web | url = http://theboatraces.org/report/professionalism-arrives | publisher = The Boat Race Company Limited | title = Professionalism arrives | access-date = 31 May 2014 | archive-date = 29 November 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141129020140/http://theboatraces.org/report/professionalism-arrives | url-status = dead }}

In the reserve race, Isis beat Goldie by five lengths, their first victory in four years.{{Cite web | url = http://theboatraces.org/results | title =Men – Results | publisher = The Boat Race Company Limited | access-date = 31 May 2014}} In the 35th running of the Women's Boat Race, Oxford triumphed, only their second victory in twenty years.

Reaction

It was the first time Oxford had won five consecutive races since 1913 and was the "closest finish since at least the turn of the century."{{Cite news | title = Oxford battle to fifth win | first = Roger | last = Jennings| work = The Observer| date = 6 April 1980 | page = 1}} Laurie recalls his attempts to emulate his father's rowing career as "feeble". Rankov, rowing in the third of his six Boat Races, recalls the race as one of his most memorable.{{Cite web | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/rowing/5062749/60-Second-Interview-Boris-Rankov-Boat-Race-Umpire.html | work = The Daily Telegraph | title = 60 Second Interview: Boris Rankov, Boat Race Umpire | first = Gareth A. | last = Davies | access-date = 7 June 2014 | date = 27 March 2009}} He continued: "It was unbelievable. They kept coming at us and every time we tried to get away nothing happened." Woodhouse lamented: "All I can say is that we shouldn't have lost by so much."{{Cite news | title = On the canvas ... | work = The Guardian | first = Christopher |last = Dodd | date = 7 April 1980 | page = 14}}

BBC reporter Snagge, commentating on his last Boat Race, remarked: "An absolutely cracking race ... a grand battle."{{Cite news | title = Oxford bags it again | work = The Observer | page = 31| date = 6 April 1980}}

References

Notes

Bibliography

{{Cite book | title = The Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race | first = Christopher| last = Dodd | isbn= 0-09-151340-5 | publisher =Stanley Paul |year= 1983}}

External links

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

Category:The Boat Race

Category:1980 in English sport

Category:1980 in rowing

Category:1980 in sport in London

Category:April 1980 sports events in the United Kingdom