The 141st Boat Race took place on 1 April 1995. Held annually, the Boat Race 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 College town, 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. Cam ...

along the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

. Marko Banovic became the first rower from Croatia to participate in the event. Cambridge won by four lengths. In the reserve race, Cambridge's

Goldie Clifford Joseph Price MBE (born 19 September 1965), better known as Goldie, is a British music producer and DJ. Initially gaining exposure for his work as a graffiti artist, Goldie became well known for his pioneering role as a musician in t ...

defeated Oxford's Isis, while Cambridge won the

Women's Boat Race The Women's Boat Race is an annual rowing race between Cambridge University Women's Boat Club and Oxford University Women's Boat Club. First rowed in 1927, the race has taken place annually since 1964. Since the 2015 race it has been rowed on ...

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 The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

(sometimes referred to as the "Light Blues"). First held in 1829, the race takes place on 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 broadcast worldwide. Cambridge went into the race as reigning champions, having won the 1994 race by lengths, with Cambridge leading overall with 71 victories to Oxford's 68 (excluding the "dead heat" of 1877). The race was sponsored by Beefeater Gin for the ninth consecutive year. The first

took place in 1927, but did not become an annual fixture until the 1960s. Until 2014, the contest was conducted as part of the

Henley Boat Races The Henley Boat Races were a series of annual rowing races between various crews representing the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. The event included the Lightweight Men's Boat Race from 1975 to 2018, the Women's Boat ...

, but as of the 2015 race, it is held on the River Thames, on the same day as the men's main and reserve races. The reserve race, contested between Oxford's Isis boat and Cambridge's Goldie boat has been held since 1965. It usually takes place on the Tideway, prior to the main Boat Race. Oxford saw former coach and

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 ...

Dan Topolski return as director of coaching following his departure after the 1992 race. Topolski, who rowed for the Dark Blues in the 1967 race, had coached Oxford to ten consecutive victories from 1976 to 1985. He noted: "We know we are underdogs. We started with only one man from a previous Blues race and no internationals. Nothing but big hearts and lungs". Cambridge's boat club president Richard Phelps was upbeat: "We're buoyant, tails up, the boat's been going fast." Cambridge were coached by

Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...

who was reserved in his assessment, noting his crew needed to be "comfortable with the situation of rowing side-by-side."

Crews

The official weigh-in took place at

The Hurlingham Club The Hurlingham Club is an exclusive private social and athletic club located in the Fulham area of London, England. Founded in 1869, it has a Georgian-style clubhouse set in of grounds. It is a member of the Association of London Clubs. Hist ...

five days before the race. The Oxford crew weighed on average more than their opponents. Cambridge saw the return of four former Blues while Oxford's crew featured two. The Oxford crew contained two native British rowers to Cambridge's five. Cambridge's crew also featured the first rower from Croatia in the Boat Race, in Marko Banovic. Oxford's cox, 19-year-old Abbie Chapman, became the ninth female cox in the history of the contest, and as a result of her diminutive stature, standing tall, her seat was raised to afford her the visibility required to steer.

Race

Cambridge won the toss and elected to start from the Surrey station. In a stiff headwind, Oxford took an early lead but as Cambridge's rhythm improved, they closed the gap and took the lead. Aggressive steering from Oxford's Chapman resulted in warnings from the umpire, yet by

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 ...

, Cambridge held a lead of two-thirds of a length, and were a second ahead at the Mile Post. A length ahead by Harrods Furniture Depository, a push at

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 ...

increased the lead to a length-and-a-half and allowed Cambridge a clear water advantage by

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 b ...

. Although rating considerably lower than Oxford, Cambridge held their lead and passed the finishing post four lengths ahead, in a time of 18 minutes 4 seconds. In the reserve race, Cambridge's

won by fourteen lengths over Isis, the largest margin of victory since the 1971 race, and Cambridge's eighth victory in nine years. Cambridge won the 50th Women's Boat Race by lengths in a time of 6 minutes and 2 seconds, their sixth victory in seven years.

Reaction

Cambridge's Croatian international Banovic said "Matching them over the first two minutes and delaying our effort to Hammersmith was part of our plan." His president, Phelps, confirmed "We knew they had four or five minutes in them ... we waited for them to crack." Topolski reflected: "We had a great first seven minutes ... Cambridge are on a roll that has taken years to build up." He continued: "You cannot expect our system to bear fruit in just a year". The race was watched by around seven million viewers in the United Kingdom, the fifth most-viewed sports event of the year.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boat Race 1995 The Boat Race 1995 in English sport 1995 in rowing 1995 sports events in London April 1995 sports events in the United Kingdom