The 12th Boat Race took place 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 ...

on 8 April 1854. Typically held annually, the event is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

. The race was won by Oxford who triumphed over Cambridge by seven lengths.

Background

The Boat Race The Boat Race is an annual set of rowing races between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, traditionally rowed between open-weight eights on the River Thames in London, England. There are separate men's ...

is a side-by-side rowing competition between 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 ...

(sometimes referred to as the "Dark Blues") 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 ...

(sometimes referred to as the "Light Blues"). The race was first held in 1829, and since 1845 has taken place 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 th ...

on the

in southwest London. Oxford went into the race as reigning champions, having defeated Cambridge by nine lengths in the previous race. Cambridge led overall with seven wins to Oxford's four. There was no Boat Race in 1853 as 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 ...

was scheduled for the same time as that proposed by Cambridge in their challenge to Oxford. The universities did however race each other that year, in the

Grand Challenge Cup The Grand Challenge Cup is a rowing competition for men's eights. It is the oldest and best-known event at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing cl ...

, which was won by Oxford. On 11 February 1854, a challenge was sent to Oxford by the former Light Blue

cox Cox may refer to: * Cox (surname), including people with the name Companies * Cox Enterprises, a media and communications company ** Cox Communications, cable provider ** Cox Media Group, a company that owns television and radio stations ** ...

Thomas Selby Egan Thomas Selby Egan (25 December 1814 – 11 May 1893) was a coxswain, a rowing coach, and a German scholar. As a coxswain for Cambridge University, he coxed the first Cambridge boat to win The Boat Race. Egan was born in London, the son ...

, who had assumed temporary captaincy of

Cambridge University Boat Club The Cambridge University Boat Club (CUBC) is the rowing club of the University of Cambridge, England. The club was founded in 1828 and has been located at the Goldie Boathouse on the River Cam, Cambridge since 1882. Nowadays, training primarily ...

, despite having coached the Dark Blues to victory in the 1852 race. Although Oxford arrived at Putney as favourites to win the race, Cambridge's style was enough to force the odds to evens. However, in a practice race, the Dark Blues defeated a

watermen A waterman is a river worker who transfers passengers across and along city centre rivers and estuaries in the United Kingdom and its colonies. Most notable are those on the River Thames and River Medway in England, but other rivers such as the ...

scratch crew easily and restored their position as pre-race favourites.Drinkwater, p. 40 Both crews rowed in long boats manufactured by Searle. The umpire for the race was

Charles Jasper Selwyn Sir Charles Jasper Selwyn PC (13 October 1813 – 11 August 1869) was an English lawyer, politician and Lord Justice of Appeal. Background and education Selwyn was born at Church Row, Hampstead, Middlesex, the third and youngest son of Will ...

and the starter was Edward Searle.Burnell p. 49

Crews

The Oxford crew weighed an average of 11 st 1 lb (70.1 kg), per rower more than their opponents. Cambridge saw one rower return from the 1852 race in F. Johnson, while Oxford's crew contained two former

Blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

in Nind and the

Oxford University Boat Club Oxford University Boat Club (OUBC) is the rowing club for male, heavyweight oarsman of the University of Oxford, England, located on the River Thames at Oxford. The club was founded in the early 19th century. The Boat Race The club races agai ...

president Olliver Meade King.

Race

Oxford were pre-race favourites. They won the toss and elected to start from the Middlesex station, handing Cambridge the Surrey side of the river. The race commenced at 10.40 a.m., with Oxford pulling away from the start. The Dark Blues were clear of Cambridge by the time the crews reached the Crab Tree. By

Hammersmith Bridge Hammersmith Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the River Thames in west London. It links the southern part of Hammersmith in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, on the north side of the river, and Barnes in the London Borough ...

both coxes were forced to take evasive action as a result of a barge blocking their route. With a lead of two lengths after the bridge, Oxford continued to increase their lead, eventually passing the flag-boat with a seven-length advantage in a time of 25 minutes 29 seconds. It was their third consecutive victory and took the overall record to 7–5 in Cambridge's favour. In a speech in the evening's celebrations, Charles Selwyn, who had umpired this and the previous four Boat Races, declared that he was "no longer young and active enough" to continue to act in the capacity of umpire; he would be replaced in 1856 by W. G. Rich, the former

president who had rowed in both the

March March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Marc ...

and December races of 1849.MacMichael, pp. 150, 160

References

Notes Bibliography * * *

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boat Race 1854) 1854 in English sport The Boat Race 1854 in sports April 1854 events