THE UNIVERSITY BOAT RACE.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XIV, Issue 1845, 2 June 1885, Page 2

THE UNIVERSITY BOAT RACE.

The Daily News says] — On the whole, the boat race of 1885 will be memorable. The race was won by the superior condition, strength, and style of "the Oxford crew and for the first mile the contest was keenly interesting. The Oxford stroke deserves great commendation for the steady self-control and judgment with which he resisted the temptation to answer Pitman's opening burst. • Pitman's judgment, ou the other hand, is certainly open to discussions With a half-trained man in the boat, he attempted to cat his adversaries down a i the start jif lie had succeeded this would have been praised as perfect generalship, ' but he failed, and^ was blamed accordingly. It ought to be remembered, however, that Hardacre has rowed very well during his brief training, that the Cambridge stroke knew liis rr.en and their powers, and that he could not reasonably hare calculated upon the possession by Girdlestone of such cool judgment as wasdisplayed. Hammersmith bridge did nob prove as formidable as was expected for the issue was decided earlier in the course, and Oxford did Dot require the full length of advantage which the station gave them. Seldom has there heen a race of which so many different forecasts have been given and accepted, Seldom has that index of publio opinion, the betting, been subject to such, rapid variations. These, however, were the result partly of accident and partly perhaps oi tiulusion. The illness of Browne caused Oxford to be the favourites, and they almost lost their position when number 5 '• caught a orab" on the day before the race. But, notwithstanding this, when the Dark Blues were known to have won the choice of station they immediately became strong favourites, and shortly proved themselves deserving of favour, The gloomy aspect of .the affair is to be found in the bad rowing which marked the last two-thirds of the course, which those who witnessed the memorable struggle at the beginning did not find it difficult to pardon.