ROWING CLASSIC

Evening Star, Issue 22004, 13 April 1935, Page 20

ROWING CLASSIC

CENTURY OF CONTESTS SOME CURIOUS INCIDENTS CHANGES OF STYLE It is safe to say that there is no more well established amateur sporting event in tlie world than the annual boat race between Oxford and Cambridge Universities, which, since it originated in 1829, has been contested 87 times. As in all such institutions, there is a good deal of interesting, not to mention amusing, history attached to its evolution. One of the most intriguing facts is that Cambridge’s first racing colour was pink! It was not until the 1836 raceactually the second to have taken place—was rowed that Cambridge adopted light blue as their ribbon. And this was done only because at the last moment, when the crews were about to start, it was discovered that the pink colours were missing, and a hurried visit was paid to a nearby shop by one of the Cambridge supporters. The best he could obtain was Eton light blue. In subsequent contests Oxford University darkened its original blue ribbon and the “ blues ” became part of established universisty tradition. It was on the evening of June 10, 1829, that the first race took place in the old-fashioned inrigged boats over a course from Hambledon Lock to Henley Bridge—a different course from that used now. The boats fouled soon after the start and were brought back for another start (in those days there was no pistol shot to send the men off), and Oxford won by seven lengths. Cambridge won the second and third races in 1836 and 1839, but in 1840 they missed the word “ Off ” and were left at the start. This resulted in the pistol shot being introduced the following year. CHALLENGE TO WORLD. Cambridge University had ideas early. In 1842 they issued a challenge to the world. This was because negotiations had fallen through with Oxford. The challenge was, nowever, accepted later by Oxford, and the race was won by them. It is reliably reported that the world, as represented that day at Henley, ‘‘went mad.” . The present course was adopted in 1845, when on a bitterly cold March day the crews contested honours from Putney to Mortlake._ The race has not always been rowed in the same direction, however; in 1846, 1856, and 1863 the course was reversed and made from Mortlake to Putney because of the state of the tides. It is of interest to note that outrigged boats were first introduced in 1846, but Cambridge, which had had an outstanding string of successes to that date, were loath to adopt the new style. “ The first specimens of outrigged racing boats occupied a sort of halfway position between the old-fash* ioned inrigged 'craft and the exceedingly light, koelless boats now used, wrote Richard A. Proctor in 1879. For the next seven races honours were well divided: Oxford won four races, one of them on a foul, and Cambridge won three. But in 1857 another change of boat was made, this time to a type which is somewhat like that used today. It lacked sliding seats, however. The value of the sliding seat was discovered in a rather unusual way. Oarsmen had found that by wearing ouckskin breeches and plastering the fixed seats of tho boats with butter they had a big advantage over their competitors. Whether the butter was too expensive or the buckskins too uncomfortable to continue in this manner aro facts lost in history, but in 1873 _ the sliding seat was adopted in a primitive form. ■ There has been only one year in which more than one interuniversity boat race has been held. That was in 1849, one contest being held m March (won by Cambridge) and the other in December. The latter race was marred by a foul and was awarded to Oxford. Only once has the race been rowed without a decision; in 1877 when the judge, “Honest” John Phelps, the waterman, declared a dead heat. It aroused a. great deal of controversy and resulted in a better finishing line being provided. _ As there had never been any definite rules covering the contests they had often been rowed under difficulties, not the least of them being that pleasure craft and onlookers paraded the course much as they pleased. The course was actually first controlled in 1870 because boats' of spectators had previously not only endangered the university crews on several occasions, but had greatly interfered with the race.

One of the most picturesque contests took place in 1872 when it was rowed in a blinding snowstorm that almost obscured the boats and crews throughout. It is still referred to to-day as the “snowstorm boat race.” Another race worthy of mention was that of 1912, when at the first attempt both boats sank and the race was contested the following Monday. Once, and this will probably be remembered as long as the races are held, Cambridge won by a margin of two miles! That occurred on March 28, 1925, when the Oxford boat became waterlogged and the crew had to abandon their effort halfway.

CAMBRIDGE AHEAD ON WINS

Over the past thirty years Oxford has had a very bad run of success since 1914. They have won only one race in twenty years (there wore no contests from 1915 to 1919), that being in 1923, when they defeated Cambridge by less than a length. But success did not always run Cambridge’s way in this manner. Twice Oxford has had a sequence of nine victories, from 1861 to 1869 and from 1890 to 1898. The net result of the contests places Cambridge in the lead with 46 wins to 40.

There was once a woman novelist who had a university crew which “ tightened their belts for another spurt,” but that is scarcely more humorous than an authenticated account of the race in 1842: taken by the careful Oxford captain against the danger of his men collapsing through the heat. In Chelsea, Reach, 7, who had lost his straw hat, began to look faint when the coxswain reminded him that a slice of lemon was placed in each man’s thwart. This revived him, and at the same moment the captain took off his own straw hat and gave it to him. A second danger threatened Oxford • owing to the dense cramming of boats a little below Putney bridge, where the Leander crew came so nearly athwart the racing boat’s bow that the coxswain stood up and by his shouting cleared the course.” In the graceful and slim eight-oared boats of to-day one could scarcely imagine straw hats and coxswains standing up. But as in all things evolution takes place and change treads slowly and inevitably towards a refinement of sporting - - ■