The 51st Boat Race took place on 17 March 1894. The Boat Race 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 ...

. Oxford went into the race leading by 27–22 in the event, and of the eighteen participants, half had previous Boat Race experience. Umpired by former rower

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 ...

, Oxford won the race by lengths in a time of 21 minutes 39 seconds, for their fifth consecutive victory in the event. It was the largest margin of victory since the 1883 race.

Background

The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing competition between the boat clubs of

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. The rivalry is a major point of honour between the two universities, as of 2014 it is followed throughout the United Kingdom and broadcast worldwide. Oxford went into the race as reigning champions, having beaten Cambridge by lengths in the previous year's race, and held the overall lead, with 27 victories to Cambridge's 22 (excluding the "dead heat" of 1877). Oxford were coached by William Fletcher (who rowed for Oxford in the

1890 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony, in the Horn of Africa. ** In Michigan, the wooden steamer ''Mackinaw'' burns in a fire on the Black River. * January 2 ** The steamship ...

1891 Events January–March * January 1 ** Paying of old age pensions begins in Germany. ** A strike of 500 Hungarian steel workers occurs; 3,000 men are out of work as a consequence. **Germany takes formal possession of its new Africa ...

1892 Events January–March * January 1 – Ellis Island begins accommodating immigrants to the United States. * February 1 - The historic Enterprise Bar and Grill was established in Rico, Colorado. * February 27 – Rudolf Diesel applies for ...

and 1893 races),

R. C. Lehmann Rudolph Chambers "R.C." Lehmann (3 January 1856 – 22 January 1929) was an English writer and Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1906 to 1910. As a writer he was best known for three decades in which he was a major c ...

(former president of the Cambridge Union Society and captain of the 1st Trinity Boat Club; although he had rowed in the trials eights for Cambridge, he was never selected for the Blue boat) and Douglas McLean (an Oxford Blue five times between 1883 and 1887). Cambridge's coach was Charles William Moore (who represented Cambridge in the

1881 Events January–March * January 1– 24 – Siege of Geok Tepe: Russian troops under General Mikhail Skobelev defeat the Turkomans. * January 13 – War of the Pacific – Battle of San Juan and Chorrillos: The C ...

1882 Events January–March * January 2 ** The Standard Oil Trust is secretly created in the United States to control multiple corporations set up by John D. Rockefeller and his associates. ** Irish-born author Oscar Wilde arrives in ...

1883 Events January–March * January 4 – ''Life'' magazine is founded in Los Angeles, California, United States. * January 10 – A fire at the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, kills 73 people. * Ja ...

and 1884 races).Burnelll, pp. 110–111 The umpire for the race for the sixth year in a row was

who won the event four consecutive times, rowing for Oxford in 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 ...

1867 Events January–March * January 1 – The Covington–Cincinnati Suspension Bridge opens between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky, in the United States, becoming the longest single-span bridge in the world. It was renamed a ...

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 ...

and 1869 races.

Crews

The Oxford crew weighed an average of 12 st 3 lb (77.3 kg), per rower more than their opponents. Cambridge's crew contained four rowers who had previously participated in the Boat Race, including Lionel Arthur Edward Ollivant, Charles Thurstan Fogg-Elliiot, Robert Orme Kerrison and Trevor Gwyn Elliot Lewis. Oxford saw five members of the previous year's crew return, including Charles Murray Pitman and Hugh Benjamin Cotton who were rowing in their third consecutive Boat Race.Burnell, p. 65 The Dark Blues also saw the introduction of William Burton Stewart, a

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...

who Drinkwater described as "a useful heavy-weight" who had rowed for

Brasenose Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the mi ...

and Leander Club at 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 ...

. Eleven of the sixteen rowers were educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

. All of the competitors in the race were registered as British.Burnell, p. 38

Race

Oxford won the toss and elected to start from the Surrey station, handing the Middlesex side of the river to Cambridge.Burnell, p. 65 The umpire was accompanied on his launch by the

Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was Du ...

(later to become

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...

).Drinkwater, p. 99 Despite a poor tide, weather conditions were good and the race commenced at 9:12 a.m.

Rating A rating is an evaluation or assessment of something, in terms of quality, quantity, or some combination of both. Rating or ratings may also refer to: Business and economics * Credit rating, estimating the credit worthiness of an individual, c ...

41 strokes per minute, Cambridge took a brief early lead but were soon overhauled by Oxford who led by half a length by the Mile Post.Drinkwater, p. 100 Taking advantage of the bend in the river, the Dark Blues continued to pull away and were clear of Cambridge by the time the crews passed below Hammersmith Bridge. At The Doves pub, Oxford were more than a length clear, and had extended that to three lengths clear by Chiswick and five by

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 ...

. Relaxing down to a paddle, Oxford passed the finishing post with a three-and-a-half length advantage, in a winning time of 21 minutes 39 seconds. It was Oxford's fifth consecutive win, was their largest margin of victory since the 1883 race, and took the overall record in the event to 28–22 in their favour.

References

Notes Bibliography * * *

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boat Race 1894 1894 in English sport The Boat Race 1894 in sports March 1894 events 1894 sports events in London