The Lightweight Boat Races are a series of annual

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically atta ...

races between men's and women's lightweight crews representing 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 ...

. The first men's race took place in 1975, being joined by the women's race in 1984. Both races are currently held on the 4.2-mile (6.8 km)

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 ...

from Putney to Mortlake, although they previously formed 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 ...

, along with various other rowing races between the two universities, including the openweight women's Boat Race. Members of both teams are traditionally known as ''

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 ...

'' or half blues and each boat as a ''

Blue Boat The Blue Boat is the highest level boat representing the University of Oxford or the University of Cambridge in the universities' annual rowing races on the River Thames, The Boat Race and Women's Boat Race. As of 2016, the women's first VIII ...

''. Competitors at the events have gone on to compete at international and Olympic levels.

History

Richard Bates, a Cambridge undergraduate, organised a Boat Race between lightweight men's crews of Oxford and Cambridge universities in 1975, to take place at

Henley-on-Thames Henley-on-Thames ( ) is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England, northeast of Reading, west of Maidenhead, southeast of Oxford and west of London (by road), near the tripoint of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buc ...

. The race was joined by the openweight women's Boat Race two years later, thus forming the

, and the first lightweight women's boat race took place at the same event in 1984. Reserve races have taken place on-and-off since 2000 for the lightweight men (''Nephthys'' vs ''Granta'') and since 2012 for the lightweight women (''Tethys'' vs CUWBC Lightweight Reserves). In 2019, the lightweight men's race moved to the

from Putney to Mortlake, where it has been held since. The lightweight women's race made the same move the following year in 2020. For the men's race the average weight of the crew must be 70 kg (154.3 lb / 11 st 0.3 lb), with no rower weighing over 72.5 kg (159.8 lb / 11 st 5.8 lb). For the women's race no rower can exceed 59 kg (130.0 lb / 9 st 4 lb). The races receive annual press coverage, and competitors from both Universities have gone on to compete at international and Olympic levels.

Results

The history of the results of the races are as follows.

Lightweight Men's Boat Race

*Cambridge: 29 wins *Oxford: 19 wins

Lightweight Women's Boat Race

*Cambridge: 22 wins *Oxford: 17 wins

Lightweight Men's Reserves (Nephthys vs Granta)

*Oxford: 12 wins *Cambridge: 5 wins

Lightweight Women's Reserves (Tethys vs CUBC Lightweight Women's Reserves)

*Cambridge: 4 *Oxford: 2 Raced on the Friday before the main event in a 4+ in 2012, and incorporated into main race day in 2016.

References

External links

Official website
{{Rowing (sport) Rowing at the University of Oxford Rowing at the University of Cambridge Recurring sporting events established in 1975 Rowing in the United Kingdom Annual sporting events in the United Kingdom Annual events in England 1975 establishments in England