The Boat Race 1938

The 90th Boat Race took place on 2 April 1938. Held annually, the Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. It was the first Boat Race to be televised. In a race umpired by the former Cambridge rower and coach Harold Rickett, Oxford won by two lengths in a time of 20 minutes 30 seconds. The victory took the overall record in the event to 47–42 in Cambridge's favour.

Background

The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing competition between the University of Oxford (sometimes referred to as the "Dark Blues")^[1] and the University 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 the River Thames in southwest London.^[2][3] 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.^[4] Oxford went into the race as reigning champions, having won the 1937 race by three lengths, with Cambridge leading overall with 47 victories to Oxford's 41 (excluding the "dead heat" of 1877).^[5][6]

Cambridge were coached by D. H. E. McCowen (who had rowed in the 1932 race), Derek Mays-Smith, R. H. H. Symonds (who had rowed in the 1931 race) and C. W. Wise. Oxford's coaches were P. C. Mallam (a four-time Dark Blue who had rowed in the 1921, 1922, 1923 and 1924 races), Guy Oliver Nickalls (who had rowed three times between 1921 and 1923) and J. H. Page.^[7] The umpire for the race wast the former Cambridge rower Harold Rickett who had rowed for the Light Blues three times, in the 1930, 1931 and 1932 races.^[8] He had also coached them for the 1933 race, and had umpired the race the previous year.^[9]

Oxford had been rated as favourites to win the race throughout their three months of training.^[10] The rowing correspondent for The Times noted that "both crews are absolutely first-rate exponents of their respective styles" and that "both coxes are first-rate".^[11] Oxford elected to use the same boat as they raced in for the previous year's event,^[12] while Cambridge used a new vessel; both were built by George Sims Boatbuilding Company of Hammersmith.^[11] It was the first year that the Boat Race was televised, which, according to the television correspondent for The Observer, "was a great success" and "not even the umpire knew more about the race than we [the viewers]".^[13]

Crews

The Oxford crew weighed an average of 12 st 13.75 lb (82.2 kg), 7.25 pounds (3.3 kg) per rower more than their opponents. Cambridge's crew contained three participants with Boat Race experience, in A. Burrough, T. B. Langton and T. H. Hunter. Oxford saw five former Blues return to the crew, including John Cherry who was making his third consecutive appearance in the event.^[14] Two of the participants were registered as non-British, both in the Cambridge crew: number six G. Keppel and cox T. H. Hunter were both American.^[15]

Seat	Oxford			Cambridge
	Name	College	Weight	Name	College	Weight
Bow	J. L. Garton	Magdalen	11 st 12 lb	B. T. Coulton	Jesus	10 st 13 lb
2	H. M. Young	Trinity	12 st 12 lb	A. M. Turner	Corpus Christi College	11 st 12 lb
3	R. R. Stewart	Magdalen	12 st 13 lb	A. Burrough	Jesus	12 st 7 lb
4	H. A. W. Forbes	Magdalen	13 st 2 lb	T. B. Langton (P)	Jesus	13 st 9 lb
5	J. P. Burrough	St Edmund Hall	13 st 7 lb	J. L. L. Savill	Jesus	12 st 13 lb
6	F. A. L. Waldron	Trinity	13 st 10 lb	G. Keppel	Trinity Hall	13 st 6 lb
7	J. C. Cherry (P)	Brasenose	13 st 11 lb	A. Campbell	Selwyn	12 st 4 lb
Stroke	A. B. Hodgson	Oriel	12 st 0 lb	D. S. M. Eadie	1st Trinity	12 st 1 lb
Cox	G. J. P. Merrifield	St Edmund Hall	8 st 1 lb	T. H. Hunter	Trinity Hall	8 st 7 lb
Source:[14] (P) – boat club president[16]

Race

The Championship Course along which the Boat Race is contested

Cambridge won the toss and elected to start from the Surrey station, handing the Middlesex side of the river to Oxford.^[14] Umpire Rickett started the race at 2 p.m. in "fine" weather conditions and with a strong tide.^[17][18] Despite being out-rated by three strokes per minute, Oxford took an immediate lead and were over half a length ahead by the time they passed Fulham Wall. With the Middlesex bend in their favour, Oxford increased their lead to a length and a half ahead by the Mile Post. Cambridge's stroke Eadie called for a push just before Harrods Furniture Depository and the Light Blues began to reduce the deficit, and although the Dark Blues responded, by the time the crews passed below Hammersmith Bridge, Oxford's lead was down to half a length.^[19]

Cambridge's faster stroke rate saw them gain on the Dark Blues and by the time the passed HMS Stork, they held a quarter-length lead, although by Chiswick Steps the lead was gone and Oxford led by a quarter of a length. They passed below Barnes Bridge with that lead as both crews headed into rough water. According to the special correspondent writing in the The Manchester Guardian, "a sea awaited them".^[19] Both crews took on water in the difficult conditions but the Dark Blues prevailed. Oxford won by two lengths in a time of 20 minutes 30 seconds, their second consecutive win. It was the narrowest margin of victory since the 1930 race and the fastest since the 1935 race. The victory took the overall record in the event to 47–42 in Cambridge's favour.^[5] The correspondent for The Manchester Guardian described it as "excellent",^[17] and "a great race in the best traditions"^[19] The Observer's correspondent suggested that "the race will rank as one of the closest and most exciting in which the two Universities have ever engaged."^[20] The former Oxford rower, G. I. F. Thomson, writing in The Observer, claimed "one can scarcely have hoped for a more interesting or thrilling race".^[10] Oxford's number seven and boat club president Cherry said "I hope this will show that last year's victory was not a flash in the pan".^[20] His counterpart, T. B. Langton noted that his crew "had an excellent race and enjoyed every minute of it".^[20]

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Burnell, Richard (1979). One Hundred and Fifty Years of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. Precision Press. ISBN 0950063878. 
• Dodd, Christopher (1983). The Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race. Stanley Paul. ISBN 0091513405. 

External links

• Official website
• Meet the Cambridge crew at British Pathé

The Boat Race
	Oxford University Boat Club (crews) Oxford University Women's Boat Club Cambridge University Boat Club (crews) Cambridge University Women's Boat Club
	The Championship Course Results Blue Boat Goldie Stones
	Henley Boat Races OU Lightweight Rowing Club OU Women's Lightweight Rowing Club CU Lightweight Rowing Club CU Women's Lightweights
	The Boat Race 1829 1836 1839 1840 1841 1842 1845 1846 1849 1849 1852 1854 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
	Women's Boat Race 1927 1929 1930 1934 1935 1936 1939 1941 1973 1974 1975 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1993 1994 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
	The Boat Races 2015 2016 2017
Category Commons