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The Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race
It may not actually take place in Oxford, but there’s no denying that this is one of the city’s most famous events.
This annual demonstration of strength, endurance and inter-university competitiveness has become a part of our history, offering competitors the opportunity to ‘rise to the challenge’ and spectators the chance to down a fine pint of bitter and shout from the riverbank.
The idea for a rowing race between the universities came from two friends - Charles Merival, a student at Cambridge, and his Harrow school friend Charles Wordsworth (nephew of the poet William Wordsworth), who was at Oxford.
On 12 March 1829 the tradition was born and Cambridge sent a challenge to Oxford. To ensure that the whole thing is kept to a sporting manner, the loser of the previous year’s race challenges the opposition to a re-match.
The first Boat Race took place at Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire and contemporary newspapers report crowds of twenty thousand travelled to watch.
The event was such a resounding success that the townspeople later decided to organise a regatta of their own which duly became Henley Royal Regatta. After the first year, the early Boat Races took place at Westminster in , but by 1845, when Westminster had become too crowded, the Boat Race moved six miles up-stream to the then country village of Putney.
The current Course Record is 16 mins 19 secs - set by Cambridge in 1998, whilst for the more unfortunate teams, there have also been six sinkings, in 1912 both boats sank and the race had to be rescheduled.
The next Boat Race is on Saturday April 7th 2007 For more information:
