UNIVERSITY BOAT RACE.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVI, Issue 119, 17 May 1912, Page 7

UNIVERSITY BOAT RACE.

BOTH CREWS SWAMPED

JFIRST RACE DECLARED VOID.

: (N-Z. Herald Correspondent.) I LONDON, April. 3.'■ ' ; This, year's beat race between the ( aivai Universities provided unusual 1 .and sensational incidents, the crews1 : haying to row twice, fin order to de<»de the issue. • ': ..,'■" ";'''■''■'■::. ' From. Putney Bridge to the \ mile ;^pi3st.,on| thp. first day the wind was ;.L flowing' dead against the tide, and, i • -:;<;:3W^!Uc^,.,a.,^ B.pipij; ■^';.'.|)l^^rs:^wo'''-un^r'";;eacn seat"—-witih ;: .'/::&:'; :#iew;>tq' minimising the danger of? ■ : jjsinTsing.' -These undoubtedly enabled if-.;..: -;ihß\ crews to keep afloat longer than ;;- r/ihey : might otherwise have done;, but ; ?:3;'afl^..wOT^'-;uisel^s''i<|i./tite. long raxL j '^'•^^*-Affer:::.thki^4u^:^sK<J f' & mile the t ; blues forged ahead, but it was /.■;. apparent" that the. Cantabs were in ' ': (difficulties. Their boat was low; in ;v/.ihe water, and; it was '. in a sinking r .condition at the mile post. Gradually "the water crept; up the: legs <:of the "light blues, and notwithstanding the - apparent hopelessness of th^ir- posi/tion, Swarm kept his men going until fhe craft was on the verge of disappearing to the bottom of .the, river, j, Skinner, the coxswain, was sitting in ! ■ a. pool of water. - They terminated ' , iiheir- participation in the race by getting ashore at Harrods. Their boat was tied to a Thames police1 fcoat, and towed back to Putney. The Oxonians could not have failed ' to observe the plight of their rivals, ''."■'And Bourne took the,crew gently, or • at about 24 strokes to the minute. -■ There'was- a large quantity of water in their boat; Jbut no doubt they idped, by proceeding carefully j to avoid the fate of the light blues. Their hopes were not realised. They had reached' the point of Chiswiek Eyot nearest to Hammersmith, when ! they found it impossible to drag their j fcoat another foot.. Every stroke the : men pulled sent the craft, further under water, and when Wells eventually took them to the. bank every man was wet through to the skim. At , this; juncture the crew was helped by outside handstand the referee consequently fdeclared that it was "no race." \ Tlie Oxford men, however, emptied the water out of the boat,. reembarked and, completed the course. A sporting writer puts the following puzzle to'^ the Cantabs:—"Why did not Cambridge attempt to: do the ■V same as Oxford-r-empty. stheir boat • and continue as soon as possible? No ■•..,' doubt majiy 'people have asked the . question. They were at thY time of 5 ' .the disaster a considerable distance

behind their opponents; and r/rob- ,: r ably did not-think". : a \similar/ misfortune mi£fht overtake Oxford. It certainly did appear futile to make any -effort to e;et within an appreciable distance of the dark blues, but, viewingthe situation in the light of what actually happened, the Cantabs might have won had they proceeded without violating the laws of boat racing. The race would then have been even xnore sensational, if that wfire pos-/-jrfbie.",,./:;-.:;.-' ■;■"■■:•■: ' . ■■-, .■. ••■■ : ■'■' [The rscißc-oi! bempc re-rowed, was -won' by .Oxford: by eight., lengths.] .