The 29th Boat Race took place on the 27 March 1872.

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 an annual 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 ...

along 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 a race umpired by

Robert Lewis-Lloyd Robert Lewis-Lloyd (9 January 1836 – 7 September 1915) was a Welsh rower and barrister who was High Sheriff of Radnorshire and who umpired the Boat Race between 1881 and 1888. Lewis-Lloyd was born at Cardigan, Ceredigion, the son of Thomas Le ...

, Cambridge won by two lengths in a time of 21 minutes 15 seconds taking the overall record to 16–13 in Oxford's favour.

Background

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. Cambridge went into the race as reigning champions, having defeated Oxford by one length in the previous year's race, while Oxford led overall with sixteen wins to Cambridge's twelve. During the build-up to the race, Oxford's boat club president, Robert Lesley of Pembroke College, strained his side and was prohibited from practice. Worse still, four days before the race, the number two rower Armistead "broke down and was replaced by C. C. Knollys, also an untrained man".Drinkwater, p. 65 Conversely, Cambridge saw John Goldie return as president for the third consecutive year, and while all the previous year's

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 ...

were available, four were selected for the race.Drinkwater, p. 66 Oxford were coached by E. G. Banks of

Worcester College Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in 1714 by the benefaction of Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet (1648–1701) of Norgrove, Worcestershire, whose coat of arms w ...

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 ...

who had rowed for the Dark Blues four times between the

1866 Events January–March * January 1 ** Fisk University, a historically black university, is established in Nashville, Tennessee. ** The last issue of the abolitionist magazine '' The Liberator'' is published. * January 6 – Ottoman tr ...

and 1869 races.Burnell pp. 110–111 Cambridge's coaches were John Graham Chambers (who rowed for Cambridge in the

1862 Events January–March * January 1 – The United Kingdom annexes Lagos Island, in modern-day Nigeria. * January 6 – French intervention in Mexico: French, Spanish and British forces arrive in Veracruz, Mexico. * January ...

and 1863 races, and was non-rowing boat club president for the 1865 race) and William Henry Lowe (who rowed in three times, in the

1868 Events January–March * January 2 – British Expedition to Abyssinia: Robert Napier leads an expedition to free captive British officials and missionaries. * January 3 – The 15-year-old Mutsuhito, Emperor Meiji of Jap ...

, 1870 and 1871 races). While sliding seats had started to come to prominence, having been first used by a crew from Pembroke College, Goldie was reluctant to allow them to be tried for the race and disallowed the Light Blue boat manufacturer

Harry Clasper Harry Clasper (5 July 1812 – 12 July 1870) was a professional rower and boat builder from Tyneside in England. He was an innovative boat designer who pioneered the development of the racing shell and the use of outriggers. He is said to have ...

from fitting them. The umpire for the race was

, the first time since The Boat Race 1856 that the event was not overseen 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 ...

. Lewis-Lloyd had rowed for Cambridge four times, between the 1856 and the 1859 races inclusively. Edward Searle once again performed the duties of the starter.

Crews

The Cambridge crew weighed an average of 11 st 12.875 lb (75.6 kg), more than their opponents. Oxford's crew contained three rowers with Boat Race experience, and saw F. H. Hall return to

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 ** ...

the Dark Blue boat for the third time. Along with

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

and president Goldie, Cambridge's crew included Edmund Spencer and Edward Randolph (each rowing their third race), and John Brooks Close who had rowed in 1871.

Race

Cambridge won the toss and elected to start from the Middlesex station, handing the Surrey side of the river to Oxford. The race started at 1.35 p.m. "in the teeth of a bitter north-easterly gale and snow-storm", and proved uneventful with the Light Blues winning by two lengths in a time of 21 minutes 15 seconds. Partway through the race, Goldie had broken a bolt in his rigging; although he could no longer contribute to the power of the Light Blue boat, he continued to stroke and provide the required rhythm to lead Cambridge to the victory. It was Cambridge's third consecutive win and took the overall record to 16–13 in Oxford's favour.

References

Notes Bibliography * *

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boat Race 1872 1872 in English sport The Boat Race 1872 in sports March 1872 events