| 40th Boat Race | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 15 March 1883 (1883-3-15) | ||
| Winner | Oxford | ||
| Margin of victory | 3+1⁄2 lengths | ||
| Winning time | 21 minutes 18 seconds | ||
| Overall record (Cambridge–Oxford) | 17–22 | ||
| Umpire | Robert Lewis-Lloyd (Cambridge) | ||
| |||
The40th Boat Race, an annualside-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities ofOxford andCambridge along theRiver Thames, took place on 15 March 1883. Following confusion at the start of the race and a snow storm during the event, Oxford won by a margin of3+1⁄2 lengths in a time of 21 minutes 18 seconds.
The Boat Race is aside-by-side rowing competition between theUniversity of Oxford (sometimes referred to as the "Dark Blues")[1] and theUniversity of Cambridge (sometimes referred to as the "Light Blues").[1] The race was first held in 1829, and since 1845 has taken place on the 4.2-mile (6.8 km)Championship Course on theRiver Thames in southwest London.[2][3] Oxford went into the race as reigning champions, having won theprevious year's race by seven lengths, and held the overall lead, with 21 victories to Cambridge's 17 (excluding the"dead heat" of 1877).[4][5]
Cambridge's coaches wereJohn Goldie (who had rowed for Cambridge four times in the1869,1870,1871 and1872 races) andHerbert Edward Rhodes (who was also a four-time Blue, rowing in each race between 1873 and 1876).[6] Oxford were coached byWilliam Grenfell (who rowed for Oxford in the1877 and1878 races)[7] andWalter Bradford Woodgate (who represented Oxford in the1862 and1863 races).[8] Woodgate also briefly coached the Light Blues the same year.[9] The umpire for the race wasRobert Lewis-Lloyd (who had rowed for Cambridge four times between 1856 and 1859)[10] and the starter was Edward Searle, who had fulfilled that position since the1840 race.[11]
Oxford chose to discard their old boat which they had used since the1878 race in favour of one built byHarry Clasper. The Cambridge crew was subject to several late changes to thestroke seat; three times in quick succession the occupant was replaced as a result of illness and tactical decisions.[12]
The Cambridge crew weighed an average of 12 st 2.75 lb (77.3 kg), 4.75 pounds (2.2 kg) more than their opponents.[13] Oxford's crew contained six formerBlues, including A. R. Paterson, L. R. West andcox E. H. Lyon, all of whom were making their third appearance in the event. Cambridge saw five participants return, including theCambridge University Boat Club president Charles William Moore and Peter Wilson Atkin who were rowing in their third Boat Race.[14] The race featured two non-British participants: Cambridge'sSteve Fairbairn (whose brother Charles had competed in the1879 race) was born inVictoria in Australia, while Oxford'sGeorge Quinlan Roberts hailed fromTasmania.[15]
| Seat | Oxford | Cambridge | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | College | Weight | Name | College | Weight | |
| Bow | G. C. Bourne | New College | 10 st 11.5 lb | R. C. M. G. Gridley | 3rd Trinity | 10 st 7 lb |
| 2 | R. S. de Haviland | Corpus Christi | 11 st 4 lb | F. W. Fox | 1st Trinity | 12 st 2 lb |
| 3 | G. S. Fort | Hertford | 12 st 0 lb | C. W. Moore | Christ's | 11 st 13 lb |
| 4 | E. L. Puxley | Brasenose | 12 st 6.5 lb | P. W. Atkin | Jesus | 12 st 1 lb |
| 5 | D. H. McClean | New College | 13 st 2.5 lb | F. E. Churchill | 3rd Trinity | 13 st 4 lb |
| 6 | A. R. Paterson | Hertford | 13 st 1 lb | S. Swann | Trinity Hall | 12 st 12 lb |
| 7 | G. Q. Roberts | Hertford | 11 st 1 lb | S. Fairbairn | Jesus | 13 st 4 lb |
| Stroke | L. R. West | Christ Church | 11 st 0 lb | F. C. Meyrick | Trinity Hall | 11 st 7 lb |
| Cox | E. H. Lyon | Hertford | 8 st 1 lb | P. L. Hunt | Cavendish | 8 st 1 lb |
| Source:[13] (P) – boat club president[16] | ||||||
Cambridge were pre-race favourites although former Oxford rower and author George Drinkwater noted that the public had been unaware of the significant improvements from Oxford following their transition to the Clasper vessel.[12] Oxford won thetoss and elected to start from the Surrey station, handing the Middlesex side of the river to Cambridge.[13] The race started at 5:39 p.m. and quickly descended into chaos: darkness was falling and it became quickly apparent that the Cambridge crew had not heard the command to "go" from the starter Searle. By now, according to Oxford's bow G. C. Bourne, he was "old with a feeble voice",[12] and although the Oxford stroke L. R. West saw Searle drop his handkerchief, and set off, the Cambridge boat did not move.[17]
West seized the initiative and took the Dark Blue crew off to an immediate lead which, despite a "blinding snowstorm",[18] they extended to three lengths byHammersmith Bridge. They went on to win by3+1⁄2 lengths in a time of 21 minutes 18 seconds.[13] It was Oxford's fourth consecutive victory and took the overall record to 22–17 in their favour.[5]
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