The Boat Race 1948

Background

The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing competition between the University of Oxford (sometimes referred to as the "Dark Blues") and the University of Cambridge (sometimes referred to as the "Light Blues"). First held in 1829, the race takes place on the 4.2 miles (6.8 km) Championship Course on the River Thames in southwest London. The rivalry is a major point of honour between the two universities; it is followed throughout the United Kingdom and, as of 2014, broadcast worldwide. Cambridge went into the race as reigning champions, having won the 1947 race by ten lengths, and led overall with 50 victories to Oxford's 43 (excluding the "dead heat" of 1877).

Oxford's coaches were R. E. Eason (who rowed for the Dark Blues in the 1924 race), J. H. Page and D. T. Raikes (who represented Oxford in the 1920, 1921 and 1922 races). Cambridge were coached by F. E. Hellyer (who rowed for the Light Blues in the 1910 and 1911 races), Kenneth Payne (who rowed for Cambridge in the 1932 and 1934 races), Harold Rickett (a Light Blue three times between 1930 and 1932) and Peter Haig-Thomas (a four-time Light Blue between 1902 and 1905). The umpire for the race was the former Cambridge rower Claude Taylor who had represented the Light Blues in the 1901, 1902 and 1903 races.

The rowing correspondent for The Manchester Guardian anticipated a close race: "the prospects of Oxford and Cambridge for this year's University Boat-race on Saturday have now become much more even". His counterpart at The Times was in agreement: "it really seems that whichever crew gets off best in the first two minutes will probably win the race."

Crews

The Oxford crew weighed an average of 12 st 9.375 lb (80.3 kg), 1.375 pounds (0.62 kg) per rower more than their opponents. Cambridge saw three rowers return to the crew with Boat Race experience, including their stroke A. P. Mellows. Oxford's boat also contained three former Blues, J. R. W. Gleave, P. N. Brodie and A. J. R. Purssell, all of whom were making their third appearances. Three of the participants were registered as non-British: Oxford's G. C. Fisk and W. W. Woodward, and Cambridge's Brian Harrison were all from Australia.

Race

Cambridge won the toss and elected to start from the Middlesex station, handing the Surrey side of the river to Oxford. The race was started at 3:30 p.m. by Taylor. The Light Blues out-rated their opponents from the start but soon after their number six, Paul Bircher "caught a crab", allowing Oxford to take a half-length lead which they extended to three-quarters of a length by Craven Steps. Despite having stopped to allow Bircher to recover his oar, Cambridge drew level and were over a quarter of a length ahead by the time the crews passed the Mile Post, yet nine seconds off record pace and rowing into a head wind. Cambridge were a length ahead at Harrods Furniture Depository and drew clear as the boats passed below Hammersmith Bridge.

As the crews passed the HMS Stork training ship, Cambridge began to draw away and were two lengths ahead by Chiswick Steps. With a strong tailwind along Corney Reach, the Light Blues continued to pull ahead and passed below Barnes Bridge four lengths ahead, and six seconds ahead of the course record. Cambridge passed the finishing post five lengths ahead in a time of 17 minutes 50 seconds. The victory, Cambridge's second in a row, and third in the last four races, took the overall record in the race to 50–43 in their favour. The special correspondent writing in The Observer called it "the maddest Boat Race for years". The Times's rowing correspondent suggested it was "a great triumph for the Cambridge coaches, who so often seem able to produce something out of the bag which has not been apparent in practice." Writing in The Manchester Guardian, the rowing correspondent noted that it was "strange that Cambridge had never shown anything like this form in practice".