| 53rd Boat Race | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 28 March 1896 (1896-03-28) | ||
| Winner | Oxford | ||
| Margin of victory | 2/5 of a length | ||
| Winning time | 20 minutes 1 second | ||
| Overall record (Cambridge–Oxford) | 22–30 | ||
| Umpire | Frank Willan (Oxford) | ||
| |||
The53rd Boat Race took place on 28 March 1896.The Boat Race is an annualside-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities ofOxford andCambridge along theRiver Thames. In a race umpired by former rowerFrank Willan, Oxford won by two-fifths of a length in a time of 20 minutes 1 second, taking the overall record in the event to 30–22 in their favour. It was their seventh consecutive victory and the narrowest winning margin since 1877.
The Boat Race is aside-by-side rowing competition between the boat clubs ofUniversity 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] The rivalry is a major point of honour between the two universities, as of 2014 it is followed throughout the United Kingdom and broadcast worldwide.[4][5][6] Oxford went into the race as reigning champions, having beaten Cambridge by2+1⁄4 lengths in theprevious year's race, and held the overall lead, with 29 victories to Cambridge's 22 (excluding the"dead heat" of 1877).[7][8]
Oxford's coaches were G. C. Bourne who had rowed for Oxford in the1882 and1883 races,R. C. Lehmann, the former president of theCambridge Union Society and captain of the1st Trinity Boat Club (although he had rowed in the trials eights for Cambridge, he was never selected for theBlue boat)[9] andDouglas McLean (an Oxford Blue five times between 1883 and 1887). Cambridge were coached byStanley Muttlebury who had rowed for Cambridge five times between the1886 and1890 races.[10] The umpire for the race for the eighth year in a row wasFrank Willan who won the event four consecutive times, rowing for Oxford in the1866,1867,1868 and1869 races.[11]
The Oxford crew weighed an average of 12 st 6.5 lb (79.0 kg), 1 pound (0.5 kg) per rower more than their opponents.[12] Five of the Cambridge crew had rowed in the previous year's race: boat club president Theodore Byram Hope, Herbert Aylward Game, Richard Yerburgh Bonsey, Thomas Jones Gibb Duncanson and Adam Searle Bell.[12] The Oxford crew contained three formerBlues, including Walter Erskine Crum who was making his third consecutive appearance in the event. Six of the Oxford crew and twoCantabrigians were educated atEton College.[12]
| Seat | Oxford | Cambridge | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | College | Weight | Name | College | Weight | |
| Bow | J. J. J. de Knoop | New College | 11 st 1.5 lb | T. B. Hope (P) | Trinity Hall | 11 st 1 lb |
| 2 | C. K. Phillips | New College | 12 st 5.5 lb | H. A. Game | 1st Trinity | 12 st 4 lb |
| 3 | E. C. Sherwood | Magdalen | 12 st 12 lb | D. Pennington | Gonville and Caius | 12 st 7 lb |
| 4 | C. D. Burnell | Magdalen | 13 st 10 lb | R. Y. Bonsey | Lady Margaret Boat Club | 12 st 10 lb |
| 5 | E. R. Balfour | University | 13 st 6 lb | W. A. Bieber | Trinity Hall | 12 st 12 lb |
| 6 | R. Carr | Magdalen | 12 st 8.5 lb | T. J. G. Duncanson | Emmanuel | 13 st 12 lb |
| 7 | W. E. Crum | New College | 12 st 3 lb | A. S. Bell | Trinity Hall | 11 st 13 lb |
| Stroke | H. G. Gold | Magdalen | 11 st 5.5 lb | W. J. Fernie | Trinity Hall | 11 st 13 lb |
| Cox | H. R. K. Pechell | Brasenose | 8 st 1 lb | T. R. Paget-Tomlinson | Trinity Hall | 8 st 4.5 lb |
| Source:[13] (P) – boat club president[14] M. C. Pilkington acted as non-rowing president for Oxford. | ||||||
Cambridge, the pre-race favourites,[15] won thetoss and elected to start from the Surrey station, handing the Middlesex side of the river to Oxford.[12] Starting at 1:03 p.m., the race was conducted in strong westerly winds and rain showers. Cambridge started the faster of the crews andoutrated Oxford by two strokes per minute, and by Craven Steps (approximately 1,000 yards (910 m)) along the course) they held a one-third length lead. With the bend in the river in their favour, Oxford drew level by the Mile Post, but byHarrods Furniture Depository Cambridge were ahead, holding a three-quarter length advantage byHammersmith Bridge. Into the rough water past the bridge, Oxford struggled and the Light Blues were clear at The Doves pub. By Chiswick Steps they had extended the lead to one and a half lengths.[15]
Despite being behind for most of the race, the OxfordstrokeHarcourt Gilbey Gold maintained his crew's pace and rhythm and along Corney Reach (around 3 miles (4.8 km) into the race) they were overlapping the Light Blue boat. Encountering a challenging combination of wind and tide, Cambridge began to struggle by the brewery atMortlake, and the Dark Blues took advantage,[16] overtaking Cambridge and passed the finishing post two-fifths of a length ahead in a time of 20 minutes 1 second. It was their seventh consecutive victory and the narrowest margin of victory since the 1877 race.[8] Author and former Oxford rower George Drinkwater described the race as "one of the most stubbornly contested that has ever been rowed".[15]
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