The 11th Boat Race took place on 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 ...

on 3 April 1852. Typically held annually, the event 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 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 ...

. Former Cambridge cox

Thomas Selby Egan Thomas Selby Egan (25 December 1814 – 11 May 1893) was a coxswain, a rowing coach, and a German scholar. As a coxswain for Cambridge University, he coxed the first Cambridge boat to win The Boat Race. Egan was born in London, the son ...

coached Oxford, the first time that either crew had been trained by a member of the opposing university. The race was won by Oxford, their first Boat Race victory at Easter, who triumphed over Cambridge by nine lengths.

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 , 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. Oxford went into the race as reigning champions, having defeated Cambridge, who were disqualified, in the previous race held in December 1849. Cambridge led overall with seven wins to Oxford's three. The universities were unable to agree on a date for race in both 1850 and 1851. The challenge to race from Cambridge was received by Oxford in December 1851 and was finally accepted that a race be conducted around Easter the following year. Oxford were coached by the former Cambridge

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, who had represented the Light Blues in the

1836 Events January–March * January 1 – Queen Maria II of Portugal marries Prince Ferdinand Augustus Francis Anthony of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. * January 5 – Davy Crockett arrives in Texas. * January 12 ** , with Charles Darwin on board, r ...

, 1839 and 1840 races, in protest at the use of

watermen A waterman is a river worker who transfers passengers across and along city centre rivers and estuaries in the United Kingdom and its colonies. Most notable are those on the River Thames and River Medway in England, but other rivers such as th ...

as Boat Race coaches. Oxford had prevented their use since 1841 but Cambridge would not do so until 1873 and were coached by the Thames waterman and world champion sculler Bob Coombes. It was the first time a crew was coached by a member of the other university.MacMichael, p. 181 The umpire for the race was

Charles Jasper Selwyn Sir Charles Jasper Selwyn PC (13 October 1813 – 11 August 1869) was an English lawyer, politician and Lord Justice of Appeal. Background and education Selwyn was born at Church Row, Hampstead, Middlesex, the third and youngest son of Willi ...

and the starter was Edward Searle.

Crews

Three members of the Oxford crew had participated in the previous meeting of the universities in December 1849, Houghton,

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 ...

and the cox, Cotton. None of the Cambridge crew had Boat Race experience. The Cambridge crew weighed an average of 11 st 8.5 lb (73.5 kg), per rower more than their opponents.

Race

Cambridge won the toss and elected to start on the Surrey side of the river, handing the Middlesex station to Oxford. The race started under Searle's command at 1.45 p.m. with Oxford taking a slight lead. On the approach to

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 ...

the gap was closing and Oxford passed through the central arch. Cambridge, following Coombe's advice, opted to shoot the bridge towards the Surrey side and in doing so "lost the stream" and allowed Oxford to extend their lead. 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 ...

the lead was around four lengths,MacMichael, p. 184 and Oxford kept increasing their margin, winning by nine lengths in a time of 21 minutes 36 seconds. It was their second consecutive victory and took the overall record to 7–4 in favour of Cambridge.

References

Footnotes Sources * *

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boat Race 1852) The Boat Race 1852 in sports April 1852 events 1852 in English sport