Cambridge Wins Again

Southland Times, Issue 22859, 7 April 1936, Page 6

Cambridge Wins Again

Once again Cambridge has defeated Oxford in the boat race. Dark Blue supporters may have hoped that fate would frown upon Cambridge in her bid for thirteen successive victories, but the Light Blues overcame the obstacle of the “devil’s number” and rowed to victory with five lengths to spare. It certainly seems that Oxford has said a long farewell to the superiority she showed in the races rowed last century. What is the cause of her decline? Experts quoted before the race declared that her slavish insistence on “a chuck-up of the upper body at the beginning and an unnatural stomach reaction at the end of the stroke” would bring disaster. Cambridge coaches, they said, had more natural methods of training. Rather than strain a man until he looked like “an animated ramrod” they had realized that the motive power was the action of leg-straighten-ing, given which blade and body could be trusted to find their- due place and most economical function. Imbued with the ideal and practice of natural rowing Cambridge has flourished: wedded to ancient methods Oxford has been outstripped. That is what experts say. But there are ardent Light Blue supporters who contend that success in the boat race is just another illustration of the superiority of Cambridge over her ancient rival. They recall all that great men have said in praise of Cambridge and in dispraise of Oxford, and assure themselves that in intellectual activity as in sport Cambridge is dominant. Oxford supporters will have a very different tale to tell. They can point to many illustrious graduates and can testify to the virility of Oxford men by saying that only once in the last six years has Cambridge won at “rugger.” They may even re-open the question of antiquity. Should this happen, both sides may find some satisfaction in Mr F. W. Maitland’s memorable remark: The oldest of all inter-university sports is lying. Oxford was founded by Mempricius in the days of Samuel the Prophet, and Cambridge by the Spanish Cantaber in the days of Gurguntius Brabtruc.