The 37th Boat Race, 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 ...

, took place on 22 March 1880 following a postponement two days earlier as a result of thick fog. It is the only time in the history of the event that the race has been rescheduled. Oxford won by a margin of lengths in a time of 21 minutes 23 seconds.

Background

The Boat Race is an annual

rowing eight An eight is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing (crew). It is designed for eight rowers, who propel the boat with sweep oars, and is steered by a coxswain, or "cox". Each of the eight rowers has one oar. The rowers, who sit in ...

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 ...

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 ...

. First held in 1829, the competition is a race along The Championship Course on the

in southwest London. The rivalry is a major point of honour between the two universities and followed throughout the United Kingdom and worldwide. Cambridge went into the race as reigning champions, having won the previous year's race by three lengths. However, Oxford held the overall lead, with 18 victories to Cambridge's 17 (excluding the "dead heat" of 1877). Oxford's coaches were George Drinkwater Bourne (who rowed in the 1842 race) and

Tom Edwards-Moss Tom Cottingham Edwards-Moss, (7 April 1855 – 16 December 1893), was a British amateur oarsman who rowed in the Boat Race four times and twice won the Diamond Challenge Sculls, and a Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1 ...

(who rowed four times for Oxford between the

1875 Events January–March * January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of the ...

and 1878 race). There is no record of Cambridge's coaches. The race was umpired, for the final time, 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 and December races) and the 1852 race, while the starter was Edward Searle. The race was originally scheduled for the preceding Saturday, 20 March, but was postponed until the Monday by the umpire as a result of thick fog.Drinkwater, p. 75 It is the only time the history of the event that such a course of action has been taken.

Crews

The Oxford crew weighed an average of 11 st 13 lb (75.6 kg), more than their opponents. The Cambridge crew contained three rowers with previous Boat Race experience, including 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 Edward Henry Prest who was participating in his third race. Similarly Oxford saw three 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 ...

return, including H. B. Southwell rowing for a third time. For the first time in the history of the event, two of the competitors were registered as non-British, both rowing for Cambridge. Their number three, William Barton, was born in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, New Zealand, while the number five, C. N. L. Armytage (whose cousin George had rowed in the 1874 race), was recorded as being Australian.Burnell, pp. 38, 42

Race

Oxford won the toss and elected to start from the Middlesex station, handing the Surrey side of the river to Cambridge. At the time of the race, which commenced at 10.40 a.m.,Drinkwater, p. 76 there was a strong easterly wind. With a higher

stroke rate In competitive rowing, the following specialized terms are important in the corresponding aspects of the sport: Boat classes In competitive rowing events, abbreviations are used for different boat classes. ;Weight: *L, LWT or Lt: Lightweight ...

than their opponents, the Light Blues took the lead from the start and by Craven Steps were almost clear. At the Mile Post, Oxford had cut the lead to half a length, but were forced to take evasive action to avoid a collision with river traffic. By Hammersmith Bridge, Cambridge were nearly clear again, but at The Doves pub, Oxford's

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 ...

L. R. West increased the rate and reduced the deficit. Despite catching a "crab", the Dark Blues continued to overhaul Cambridge and were level by the bottom of

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 ...

. They took the lead along Chiswick Reach, held a two length advantage at

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 ...

and passed the finishing post "fairly comfortably". They won by lengths in a time of 21 minutes 23 seconds,Burnell, p. 62 securing their second victory in three years and taking the overall record to 19–17 in their favour.

References

Notes Bibliography * * *

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boat Race 1880 The Boat Race 1880 in English sport March 1880 sports events