| 75th Boat Race | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Date | 24 March 1923 (1923-03-24) | ||
| Winner | Oxford | ||
| Margin of victory | 3/4 length | ||
| Winning time | 20 minutes 54 seconds | ||
| Overall record (Cambridge–Oxford) | 34–40 | ||
| Umpire | Frederick I. Pitman (Cambridge) | ||
| |||
The75th Boat Race took place on 24 March 1923. Held annually, the Boat Race is aside-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities ofOxford andCambridge along theRiver Thames. Cambridge's crew was marginally heavier than Oxford's, the latter included an Olympic silver medallist. Cambridge went into the race as reigning champions, having won theprevious year's race. In this year's race, umpired by former rowerFrederick I. Pitman, Oxford won by three-quarters of a length (the narrowest margin of victory since 1913) in a time of 20 minutes 54 seconds, securing their first win in five years. The victory took the overall record in the event to 40–34 in their favour.
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] The rivalry is a major point of honour between the two universities and followed throughout the United Kingdom and worldwide.[4] Cambridge went into the race as reigning champions, having won the1922 race by one length, while Oxford led overall with 39 victories to Cambridge's 34 (excluding the"dead heat" of 1877).[5][6]
Oxford were coached by G. C. Bourne who had rowed for the university in the1882 and1883 races,Harcourt Gilbey Gold (Dark Blue president for the1900 race and four-time Blue) and E. D. Horsfall (who had rowed in the three races prior to theFirst World War). Cambridge's coaches were Harald Peake (who had participated in the Peace Regattas of 1919), G. L. Thomson and David Alexander Wauchope (who had rowed in the1895 race).[7] For the fifteenth year the umpire was oldEtonianFrederick I. Pitman who rowed for Cambridge in the1884,1885 and1886 races.[8]
According to author and former Oxford rower G. C. Drinkwater, the Oxfordtrial eights were "of a better average than those of the preceding years" and after they arrived atPutney, the Dark Blue crew "improved rapidly up to the day of the race".[9] Conversely he reported that Cambridge suffered "a dearth of good heavy-wrights" and that the crew "were not of very high class".[9]
The Cambridge crew weighed an average of 12 st 8.875 lb (80.0 kg), 0.375 pounds (0.2 kg) per rower more than their opponents.[10] Oxford's crew included four rowers with Boat Race experience, including P. C. Mallam andGuy Oliver Nickalls who were both participating in their third consecutive event. Nickalls was a silver medallist in themen's eight at the1920 Summer Olympics.[11] Cambridge's crew included three rowers who had represented the university in the previous year's race: K. N. Craig, B. G. Ivory andDavid Collet.[10] Two of the participants in the race were registered as non-British: Cambridge's Kane and Mellen were from the United States.[12]
| Seat | Oxford | Cambridge | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | College | Weight | Name | College | Weight | |
| Bow | P. C. Mallam | Queen's | 11 st 12 lb | W. F. Smith | 1st Trinity | 11 st 7.5 lb |
| 2 | P. R. Wace | Brasenose | 12 st 6.5 lb | F. W. Law | Lady Margaret Boat Club | 12 st 12 lb |
| 3 | A. C. Irvine | Merton | 12 st 10.5 lb | K. N. Craig | Pembroke | 13 st 0 lb |
| 4 | R. K. Kane | Balliol | 13 st 9.5 lb | S. H. Heap | Jesus | 13 st 7.5 lb |
| 5 | G. J. Mower-White | Brasenose | 13 st 11.5 lb | B. G. Ivory (P) | Pembroke | 13 st 10 lb |
| 6 | J. E. Pedder | Worcester | 13 st 3.5 lb | T. D. A. Collet | Pembroke | 12 st 7 lb |
| 7 | G. O. Nickalls (P) | Magdalen | 12 st 12 lb | R. E. Morrison | 3rd Trinity | 12 st 1 lb |
| Stroke | W. P. Mellen | Brasenose | 10 st 12 lb | T. R. B. Sanders | 3rd Trinity | 11 st 12 lb |
| Cox | G. D. Clapperton | Magdalen | 7 st 11 lb | R. A. L. Balfour | 3rd Trinity | 8 st 8 lb |
| Source:[13] (P) – boat club president[14] | ||||||
Oxford won thetoss and elected to start from the Surrey station, handing the Middlesex side of the river to Cambridge. Umpire Pitman started the race in calm conditions at 5:10 p.m.[15] Apparently disrupted by the wake of a nearby mooredsteamer, Oxford's start was poor, allowing Cambridge to lead by acanvas' length after a minute. Despite this, Oxford had drawn level a minute later, to hold a small lead by the time the crews commenced the long bend. By the Mile Post, the Dark Blues held a quarter-length lead and byHammersmith Bridge had extended this to three-quarters of a length. Spurting at The Doves pub, Oxford began to draw clear of Cambridge.[9]
ByChiswick Eyot, Oxford accelerated away from the Light Blues and were two lengths clear before a spurt from Cambridge ahead ofBarnes Bridge reduced the lead to a length and a quarter by the time the crews passed below the bridge. With the bend in the river in their favour, and pushing hard, Cambridge slowly gained on the Dark Blues but could not level terms.[9] Oxford passed the finishing post with a lead of three-quarters of a length in a time of 20 minutes 54 seconds. It was their first victory in five years, the narrowest winning margin since the1913 race and the slowest winning time since the1920 race. The win took the overall record in the event to 40–34 in their favour.[5]
Notes
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