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The 26th Boat Race between 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 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 ...
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 17 March 1869. Oxford won by three lengths in a time of 20 minutes and 4 seconds. It was their ninth consecutive victory and was, at that point, the fastest time ever recorded in the event.


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
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 ...
in southwest London. Oxford went into the race as reigning champions, having defeated Cambridge by six lengths in the previous year's race and led overall with fifteen wins to Cambridge's ten. Having lost the last eight Boat Races, the
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 ...
president William Anderson wrote to G. Morrison of
Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...
, inviting him to coach the trials eights and the University eight.MacMichael, p. 351 Morrison had rowed in the 1859,
1860 Events January–March * January 2 – The discovery of a hypothetical planet Vulcan is announced at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, France. * January 10 – The Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, Massachusett ...
and 1861 races and had also acted as a non-rowing president for the 1862 race. The decision to engage a member of the opposing university was greeted with consternation and considered by many Cantabrigians as "a disgrace to the Club". Indeed, five Old Blues refused to row, only William MacMIchael agreed to row again.Drinkwater, p. 62 After the usual difficulty to agree arrangements, Cambridge eventually sent the traditional challenge and the date of the race was set for 17 March 1869.MacMichael, p. 354 Cambridge arrived at Putney a fortnight beforehand and made several practice rows in variable conditions, the worst of which included heavy snow, three days prior to the race. The race was umpired by
Joseph William Chitty Sir Joseph William Chitty (28 May 1828 – 15 February 1899) was an English cricketer, rower, judge and Liberal politician. Early life Chitty was born in London, the second son of Thomas Chitty (himself son and brother of well-known lawye ...
who had rowed for Oxford twice in 1849 (in 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) and the 1852 race, while the starter was Edward Searle.


Crews

The Oxford crewed weighed an average of 12  st 0.25  lb (76.1 kg), more than their opponents.Burnell, p. 59 The Cambridge crew contained three returning
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 ...
, William MacMichael, William Anderson (for his third Boat Race) and John Still (his fourth), while Oxford saw the return of five rowers, including their
boat club A boat club is a sports club serving boat owners, particularly those interested in rowing and yachting, but also kayaking, canoeing, motor boats and other small boats. See also *Rowing club *Yacht club A yacht club is a sports club specifi ...
president J. C. Tinné for his third appearance and
Frank Willan Group Captain Frank Andrew Willan, (21 December 1915 – 12 November 1981) was an English aviator, Royal Air Force officer and Conservative politician. He was Chairman of Wiltshire County Council from 1973 to 1979. Early life The son of Briga ...
in his fourth Boat Race.


Race

According to '' The Field'', "the weather was not the most agreeable for a boat-race ... a raw wind ... leaden-coloured clouds overhanging the river". Oxford, who were strong pre-race favourites, won the toss and elected to start from the Middlesex station, handing the Surrey station to Cambridge. Although the Light Blues made the faster start, Oxford soon pulled alongside them and by the
London Rowing Club London Rowing Club (LRC, or colloquially, 'London') is the second-oldest of the non-academic active rowing clubs on the Thames in London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1856 by members of the long-disbanded Argonauts Club wishing to compete at ...
boathouse, held a lead of around . Cambridge closed the gap but Oxford pulled away again. The lead was exchanged once again and Oxford took the lead at
Craven Cottage Craven Cottage is a football ground in Fulham, West London, England, which has been the home of Fulham F.C. since 1896.According to the club'official website The ground's capacity is 22,384; the record attendance is 49,335, for a game against M ...
. Despite erratic steering from Oxford's
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 ** ...
Darbishire, Oxford held the advantage until the crews shot
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 ...
, at which point the Light Blues held the lead by one third of a length. Still in the lead by The Doves pub, Cambridge steered too close to the bank and allowed Oxford to close the gap and passed
Chiswick Eyot Chiswick Eyot is a narrow, uninhabited ait (river island) of the Thames. It is a tree- and reed-covered rise on the Tideway by Chiswick, in London, England and is overlooked by Chiswick Mall and by some of the Barnes riverside on the far ban ...
in the lead, with a half-length advantage by Chiswick Church. The Dark Blues passed under
Barnes Bridge Barnes Bridge railway station, in Travelcard Zone 3, is on The Terrace, Barnes in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, in south west London. The station and all trains serving it are operated by South Western Railway. It is on the Houn ...
with a two-length lead and completed the course, passing the Ship Tavern three lengths clear in a time of 20 minutes 4 seconds. It was their ninth consecutive victory and took the overall record to 16–10 in their favour. The winning time was the fastest ever, beating the previous record set in 1868 by 52 seconds, although some doubt was cast over the positioning of the finish which was believed to have made the course approximately shorter. The record would stand until the 1873 race.Drinkwater, p. 63


References

Notes Bibliography * * * *


External links


Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boat Race 1869 1869 in English sport The Boat Race 1869 in sports March 1869 events