The Henley Boat Races were a series of annual

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...

races between various crews representing the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

and the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. The event included the Lightweight Men's Boat Race from 1975 to 2018, the

Women's Boat Race The Women's Boat Race is an annual rowing race between Cambridge University Women's Boat Club and Oxford University Women's Boat Club. First rowed in 1927, the race has taken place annually since 1964. Since the 2015 race it has been rowed on ...

from 1977 to 2014, the Lightweight Women's Boat Race from 1984 to 2019 and the Collegiate Boat Races from 2010 to 2019. Between 2015 and 2020, the openweight and lightweight Varsity races previously held at Henley were relocated to the

Championship Course The Championship Course is a stretch of the River Thames between Mortlake and Putney in London, England. It is a well-established course for rowing races, particularly the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. The course is on the tidal reaches of th ...

to match the openweight men's

Boat Race Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

, at which point the Collegiate Boat Races were scrapped.

History

Henley Boat Races took place annually in late March or early April the week before the University Boat Races, which are held on

the Championship Course The Championship Course is a stretch of the River Thames between Mortlake and Putney in London, England. It is a well-established course for rowing races, particularly the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. The course is on the tidal reaches of t ...

on the Thames in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The Henley Boat Races began as men's lightweight races in 1975 and enlarged to incorporate the

and their reserve crew race from 1977 and the women's lightweight race from 1984. In 2000, the lightweight men added a race for their reserve crews, Nephthys (Oxford) and Granta (Cambridge). The races took place in 2001, at the

Holme Pierrepont National Watersports Centre Holme Pierrepont Country Park, home of The National Water Sports Centre is located in the hamlet of Holme Pierrepont near Nottingham, England and on the River Trent. It is used for many different types of sports and has recently received sign ...

in Nottingham. The lightweight men's race fell into abeyance after 2009 as a result of Cambridge not fielding a Granta crew from 2007, giving Oxford a row over for three years. From 2016, Nephthys and Granta raced again, sometimes on a different date or location to the main Henley Boat Races. A women's lightweight reserve race was held in 2012 prior to race day and took place from 2016 on race day. The 2013 event was moved to

Dorney Lake Dorney Lake (also known as Eton College Rowing Centre, and as Eton Dorney as a 2012 Summer Olympics venue) is a purpose-built rowing lake in England. It is near the village of Dorney, Buckinghamshire, and is around 3 km (2 miles) west of Wi ...

as a result of flooding on the Thames. In 2015, the

moved further down the River Thames to the

Tideway The Tideway is a part of the River Thames in England which is subject to tides. This stretch of water is downstream from Teddington Lock. The Tideway comprises the upper Thames Estuary including the Pool of London. Tidal activity Depending on ...

to take place as a combined men's and women's

. The event was moved to Dorney Lake again in 2018 due to "adverse river conditions on the Thames at Henley" and the collegiate races were cancelled. The Lightweight Men's Boat Race made the same move to the Tideway in 2019, followed by the Lightweight Women's Boat Race in 2020, although the Lightweight Boat Races continue to operate separately to their openweight counterparts. The races received annual press coverage, and competitors from both Universities have gone on to compete at international and Olympic levels.

Events

Crews from the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

and

raced side by side over a 2000-meter course on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

Henley-on-Thames Henley-on-Thames ( ) is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England, northeast of Reading, west of Maidenhead, southeast of Oxford and west of London (by road), near the tripoint of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buc ...

, racing downstream — the opposite direction to the

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the thre ...

course — and finishing halfway down

Temple Island Temple Island is an eyot (being a small riverine island) in the River Thames in England just north (downstream) of Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. The island is on the reach above Hambleden Lock between the Buckinghamshire and Berkshire banks, ...

. The collegiate races took place over a shorter 1750 m course. The races typically included: *

( OUWBC vs

CUWBC Cambridge University Women's Boat Club (CUWBC) was the rowing club for women at the University of Cambridge. CUWBC fielded both a lightweight eight that races against Oxford at the Henley Boat Races, and two openweight eights that race at the W ...

) * Lightweight Men's Boat Race ( OULRC vs

CULRC Cambridge University Lightweight Rowing Club (CULRC) was the University rowing club for lightweight male oarsmen at the University of Cambridge, principally to race against Oxford University Lightweight Rowing Club (OULRC) annually in the Lightw ...

) * Lightweight Women's Boat Race ( OUWLRC vs CUWBC Lightweights) * Women's Reserves (Osiris vs Blondie) * Lightweight Men's Reserves (Nephthys vs Granta) eld separately on an earlier date* Lightweight Women's Reserves (Tethys vs CUWBC Lightweight Reserves) * Men's Intercollegiate Boat Race (between one college representing Oxford and one representing Cambridge) * Women's Intercollegiate Boat Race (between one college representing Oxford and one representing Cambridge) An Alumnae race was typically held in later years. The lightweight races constituted the varsity race. The first crew received university half-blues, and was therefore more commonly known as the Lightweight Blue Boat. The reserve crew received university colours. The intercollegiate races were between the fastest crews from the Oxford

Torpids Torpids is one of two series of bumping races, a type of rowing race, held yearly at Oxford University; the other is Eights Week. Over 130 men's and women's crews race for their colleges in six men's divisions and five women's; almost 1,200 pa ...

and the Cambridge

Lent Bumps The Lent Bumps (also Lent Races, Lents) are a set of rowing races held annually on the River Cam in Cambridge. They began in 1887, after separating from the May Bumps, which are bumping races held in mid-June. Prior to the separation there had be ...

; Oxford selection being done by time trial and Cambridge giving right of first refusal to headship crews.

Results

The history of the results of the races are as follows.

Women's Boat Race

The Women's Boat Race and its Reserve race became part of the Henley Boat Races in 1977. With the Women's Boat Race moving to the Tideway

and forming part of

The Boat Races 2015 The 2015 Boat Races took place on 11 April 2015. Held annually, The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along a tidal stretch of the River Thames in south-west London. For the ...

, the race as well as the race of the reserve boats Osiris and Blondie ceased to be part of the Henley Boat Races. For the full results tables, see the main article on the Women's Boat Race. *Cambridge: 21 wins at Henley *Oxford: 17 wins at Henley Notes – The course was shortened in 2007 due to rough water during the Henley Boat Races. It was reduced from 2000 m to less than 1500 m with the start between the Upper Thames Rowing Club and Old Blades.

Lightweight Men's Boat Race

*Cambridge: 28 wins *Oxford: 16 wins

Lightweight Women's Boat Race

*Cambridge: 19 wins *Oxford: 17 wins

Women's Reserves (Osiris vs Blondie)

*Cambridge: 19 wins at Henley *Oxford: 19 wins at Henley

Lightweight Men's Reserves (Nephthys vs Granta)

*Oxford: 9 wins *Cambridge: 4 wins

Lightweight Women's Reserves (Tethys vs CUWBC Lightweight Reserves)

*Cambridge: 4 *Oxford: 1 Raced on the Friday before the main event in a 4+ in 2012, and incorporated into main race day in 2016.

Men's Collegiate Boat Race

*Cambridge: 7 *Oxford: 2

Women's Collegiate Boat Race

*Cambridge: 5 *Oxford: 4

References

External links

Official website
{{Rowing (sport) Rowing at the University of Oxford Rowing at the University of Cambridge Sport in Oxfordshire Boat Races Recurring sporting events established in 1975 Women's rowing in the United Kingdom Events in Oxfordshire Annual sporting events in the United Kingdom Annual events in England 1975 establishments in England