The Boat Race
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The Boat Race is an annual rowing race between the Oxford University Boat Club and the Cambridge University Boat Club, rowed between competing eights on the River Thames in London, England. It is also known as the University Boat Race and the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, from 2010–2012 for sponsorship reasons as the Xchanging Boat Race, and from 2013 as the BNY Mellon Boat Race. It usually takes place on the last Saturday of March or the first Saturday of April.
The first race was in 1829 and the event has been held annually since 1856, except during World War I and World War II. The course covers a 4.2-mile (6.8 km) stretch of the Thames in West London, from Putney to Mortlake. Members of both teams are traditionally known as blues and each boat as a " Blue Boat", with Cambridge in light blue and Oxford dark blue. As of 2012 Cambridge have won the race 81 times and Oxford 76 times, with one dead heat.
The race is a well-established and popular fixture in the British sporting calendar. In 2010 an estimated quarter of a million people watched the race live from the banks of the river and millions on television.
History
Origin
The tradition was started in 1829 by Charles Merivale, a student at St John's College, Cambridge, and his Old Harrovian schoolfriend Charles Wordsworth who was studying at Christ Church, Oxford. Cambridge challenged Oxford to a race at Henley-on-Thames but went on to lose easily. As the Oxford Strokeman, Staniforth, and four of his crew were from Christ Church, then Head of the River, the decision was – eventually – taken to race in the Dark Blue of that college, which still pertains. There is dispute as to the exact source of the colours chosen by Cambridge. The second race occurred in 1836, with the venue moved to be a course from Westminster to Putney. Over the next couple of years, there was disagreement over where the race should be held, with Oxford preferring Henley and Cambridge preferring London. Cambridge therefore raced Leander Club in 1837 and 1838. Following the official formation of the Oxford University Boat Club in 1839, racing between the two universities resumed on the Tideway and the tradition continues to the present day, with the loser challenging the winner to a re-match annually.
The race is governed by a Joint Understanding between Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Clubs.
1877 dead heat
The race in 1877 was declared a dead heat. Legend in Oxford has it that the judge, "Honest John" Phelps, was asleep under a bush when the race finished, leading him to announce the result as a "dead heat to Oxford by four feet". This is not borne out, however, by contemporary reports.
Oxford, partially disabled, were making effort after effort to hold their rapidly waning lead, while Cambridge, who, curiously enough, had settled together again, and were rowing almost as one man, were putting on a magnificent spurt at 40 strokes to the minute, with a view of catching their opponents before reaching the winning-post. Thus struggling over the remaining portion of the course, the two eights raced passed the flag alongside one another, and the gun fired amid a scene of excitement rarely equalled and never exceeded. Cheers for one crew were succeeded by counter-cheers for the other, and it was impossible to tell what the result was until the Press boat backed down to the Judge and inquired the issue. John Phelps, the waterman, who officiated, replied that the noses of the boats passed the post strictly level, and that the result was a dead heat.— The Times
Stanley Muttlebury
Cambridge produced one of the legends of the Boat Race and of rowing worldwide, Stanley Muttlebury ("Muttle"), whose crew won the race in the first four of the five years he was a member, 1886–1890. Contemporaries writing to The Times to add to his 1933 obituary called attention to his extraordinary physical prowess and natural aptitude for rowing, traits accompanied by mildness, good manners, and natural kindness. R.P.P. Rowe wrote:
Muttlebury had a natural aptitude which amounted to a genius for rowing, and, as he was not only massively large and full of courage but herculean in muscular strength, it was inevitable that he should be an outstanding exponent of oarsmanship. Added to this, he came to his prime when rowing was in a transitional stage, when the old methods of the straight back and the body catch suited to the fixed seat and the short slide, had necessarily to be superseded by methods required by the long-slide. I consider that long-slide rowing sprang suddenly to perfection in Muttlebury, that on him this new (or partially new) art was built...
1959 Oxford mutiny
Oxford in Autumn 1958 had a large and talented squad. It included eleven returning Blues plus Yale oarsmen Reed Rubin and Charlie Grimes, a gold medallist at the 1956 Olympics. Ronnie Howard was elected OUBC President by the College Captains, beating Rubin. In 1958, Howard had rowed in the Isis crew coached by H.R.A. "Jumbo" Edwards, which had frequently beaten the Blue Boat in training.
Howard's first act was to appoint Edwards as coach. Edwards was a coach with a strong record, but he also imposed strict standards of obedience, behaviour and dress on the triallists which many of them found childish. As an example, Grimes withdrew from the squad after Edwards insisted he remove his "locomotive driver's hat" in training.
With selection for the crew highly competitive, the squad split along the lines of the presidential election. A group of dissidents called a press conference, announcing that they wanted to form a separate crew, led by Rubin and with a different coach. They then wished to race off with Howard's crew to decide who would face Cambridge.
Faced with this challenge, Ronnie Howard returned to the College Captains and asked for a vote of confidence in his selected crew and the decision not to race off with the Rubin crew. He won the vote decisively and the Cambridge president also declared that his crew would only race the Howard eight.
Three of the dissidents returned and Oxford went on to win by six lengths.
1987 Oxford mutiny
In 1987, another disagreement arose amongst the Oxford team. A number of top class American oarsmen refused to row when a fellow American was dropped in preference for the Scottish President, Donald Macdonald. They became embroiled in a conflict with Macdonald and with coach Dan Topolski over his training and selection methods. This eventually led most of the Americans to protest what they perceived to be the president's abuse of power, by withdrawing six weeks before the race was due to start.
To the surprise of many, Oxford, with a crew partially composed of oarsmen from the reserve team, went on to win the race. One aspect of the race was Topolski's tactic, communicated to the cox while the crews were on the start, for Oxford to take shelter from the rough water in the middle of the river at the start of the race, ignoring conventional wisdom that centre stream is fastest even if rowing conditions are poor.
A further surprise was that the captains of the Oxford college boat clubs, who had voted in support of Macdonald and Topolski and precipitated the Americans' withdrawal during the mutiny, voted one of those Americans, Chris Penny, as OUBC president for 1988, a break with the tradition that the president is a returning Blue (the other candidate being Tom Cadoux-Hudson, who was a British member of the 1987 winning crew).
Topolski wrote a book entitled True Blue: The Oxford Boat Race Mutiny on the incident. A movie based on the book, True Blue, was released in 1996. Topolski's account was seen by some as one-sided, and Ali Gill, who had been a member of the university women's Boat Club at the time of the mutiny, wrote a book The Yanks at Oxford to present the other side of the story.
Reported facts of the "mutiny" still differ greatly depending on the source, and with the historians having been personally involved in the events or the small community in which they occurred, a definitive, unbiased version has never been agreed upon. Captain Donald Macdonald and the Americans long refused to contribute to any debate on the event, including a 2007 BBC radio programme to mark the 20th anniversary. However, in 2012 after 25 years Macdonald gave his own account of the dispute in a newspaper interview.
Sinkings
In the 1912 race both crews sank, and the race was re-run. Cambridge also sank in 1859 and 1978, while Oxford did so in 1925, and again in 1951, when the race was then re-run on the following Monday. In 1984 the Cambridge boat sank after colliding with a barge before the start of the race, which was then rescheduled for the next day.
Cambridge's sinking in 1978 was named in 79th place on Channel 4's list of the 100 Greatest Sporting Moments.
Notable races since 2000
Recent years have seen especially dramatic races. In 2001 the race was halted by umpire Rupert Obholzer just over a minute after the start, following repeated warnings to both crews to move apart, and then a clash of blades. The blade of Cambridge bowman Colin Swainson dislodged from his hand and in consequence the umpire immediately stopped the race. Despite Oxford having a lead when the race was stopped, the boats were restarted level with each other; this decision was highly contentious, especially when Cambridge went on to win after the restart.
In 2002 the favoured Cambridge crew led with only a few hundred metres to go, when a Cambridge oarsman ( Sebastian Mayer, who was later part of the winning 2004 Cambridge crew) collapsed from exhaustion and Oxford rowed through to win by three-quarters of a length. They did so on the outside of the last river bend, a feat last accomplished in 1952.
In 2003 Cambridge were substantially heavier and appeared to be the favourites. Two days prior to the race, however, the Cambridge crew suffered a collision on the river in which oarsman Wayne Pommen was injured. With a replacement (Ben Smith) in Pommen's seat, Cambridge went on to lose by a record slim margin of one foot. In that year, there were two sets of brothers rowing: Matt Smith and David Livingston for Oxford, and Ben Smith and James Livingston for Cambridge. All four had been pupils together at Hampton School in south-west London. Cambridge gained revenge in 2004 in a race marred by dramatic clashes of oars in the early stages, and the unseating of Oxford's bowman.
The 2006 race was won by Oxford. Cambridge had started as strong favourites but, despite rough rain, made a tactical decision not to use a pump to remove excess water in the boat. Oxford did use a pump and overtook Cambridge to win. Cambridge had in fact introduced pumps as early as 1987 (the year of the Oxford mutiny, and a day of rough conditions).
In 2007 Cambridge were again strong favourites based on the team members' individual successes, and 9 lb heavier per man on average. The Cambridge crew had five returning blues compared to Oxford's one. Furthermore, the international achievement of Cambridge's rowers far exceeded that of Oxford's: the World Champion stern pair of Germans Thorsten Engelmann – the heaviest ever boat race oarsman at 110.8 kilograms (244 lb) – and Sebastian Schulte; Olympic Gold medallist Kieran West MBE and GB medal winner Tom James. Although Oxford rowed strongly at the beginning, the light blues showed their class by holding Oxford while they had the advantage, and pushing on with tidier rowing from Chiswick steps. Despite their weight and technical superiority, Cambridge won by only a length and a quarter in a time of 17 minutes and 49 seconds.
In 2012 after almost three quarters of the course was completed, the race was halted for over 30 minutes when a man, who had got into the water from Chiswick Eyot, deliberately swam between the boats near Chiswick Pier. Once spotted by assistant umpire Sir Matthew Pinsent, both boats were required to stop for safety reasons. The swimmer, Trenton Oldfield, was later convicted of causing a public nuisance and jailed for six months. The umpire, John Garrett, made the decision to restart the race from the eastern end of Chiswick Eyot. Shortly after the restart the boats clashed and the oar of Oxford crewman Hanno Wienhausen was broken. Garrett judged the clash as Oxford's fault and allowed the race to continue. Cambridge quickly took the lead and went on to win the race. The Oxford crew entered a final appeal to the umpire which was quickly rejected and Cambridge were confirmed as official winners by 4 1/4 lengths. It was the first time since 1849 that a crew had won the boat race without an official recorded winning time. After the end of the race Oxford's bow man, Dr. Alex Woods – a medical student at Pembroke College – received emergency treatment after collapsing in the boat from exhaustion. Because of the circumstances, the post-race celebrations by the winning Cambridge crew were unusually muted and the planned award ceremony was cancelled.
Course
The course is 4 miles and 374 yards (6.779 km) from Putney to Mortlake, passing Hammersmith and Barnes; it is sometimes referred to as the Championship Course, and follows an S shape, east to west. The start and finish are marked by the University Boat Race Stones on the south bank. The clubs' presidents toss a coin (the 1829 sovereign) before the race for the right to choose which side of the river (station) they will row on: their decision is based on the day's weather conditions and how the various bends in the course might favour their crew's pace. The north station (' Middlesex') has the advantage of the first and last bends, and the south (' Surrey') station the longer middle bend.
During the race the coxes compete for the fastest current, which lies at the deepest part of the river, frequently leading to clashes of blades and warnings from the umpire. A crew that gets a lead of more than a boat's length can cut in front of their opponent, making it extremely difficult for the trailing crew to gain the lead. For this reason the tactics of the race are generally to go fast early on, and few races have a change of the lead after half-way (though this happened in 2003, 2007 and 2010).
The race is rowed upstream, but is timed to start on the incoming flood tide so that the crews are rowing with the fastest possible current. If a strong wind is blowing from the west it will be against the tide in places along the course, causing the water to become very rough. The conditions are sometimes such that an international regatta would be cancelled, but the Boat Race has a tradition of proceeding even in potential sinking conditions (see Sinkings above).
During the race the crews pass various traditional landmarks, visible from the river:
| Landmark | Coordinates | Comments |
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51.467319°N 0.213756°W |
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51.471211°N 0.221132°W |
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51.474895°N 0.221655°W |
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51.47852°N 0.226987°W |
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51.482041°N 0.223482°W |
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51.484633°N 0.227956°W |
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51.488129°N 0.230536°W |
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51.488983°N 0.235855°W |
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51.487596°N 0.245814°W |
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51.487182°N 0.250411°W |
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51.482452°N 0.250937°W |
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51.47879°N 0.250583°W | Marks the end of the long Surrey bend. The deep water channel is in the centre of the river. |
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51.476572°N 0.252149°W |
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51.472736°N 0.253758°W |
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51.470474°N 0.266376°W |
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51.472861°N 0.268151°W |
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At the conclusion of the race, the boats come ashore on the paved area in front of the boathouse at Quintin Hogg Memorial Sports Ground, on the Middlesex shore, where shortly after the race the trophy is presented to the winning team. It is traditional for the winning side to throw their Cox in the Thames to celebrate their achievement. In the arms of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, which covers much of the course, two griffin supporters hold oars, one light blue, one dark, in reference to the Boat Race. These colours are highly unusual in English heraldry.
Previous courses
The course for the main part of the race's history has been from Putney to Mortlake, but there have been three other courses:
- 1829 – At Henley-on-Thames
- 1839 to 1842 – Westminster to Putney
- 1846, 1856, 1862, 1863 – Mortlake to Putney
In addition, there were four unofficial boat races held during World War II away from London. As none of those competing were awarded blues, these races are not included in the official list:
- 1940, 1945 – At Henley-on-Thames
- 1943 – Sandford-on-Thames
- 1944 – River Great Ouse, Ely, Littleport to Queen Adelaide
Competitors
The race is for heavyweight eights (i.e., for eight rowers with a cox steering, and no restrictions on weight). Female coxes are permitted, the first to appear in the Boat Race being Sue Brown for Oxford in 1981. In fact female rowers would be permitted in the men's boat race, though the reverse is not true.
Although the contest is strictly between amateurs and the competitors must be students of the university for whom they race, the training schedules each team undertakes are very gruelling. Typically each team trains for six days a week for six months before the event.
Such is the competitive spirit between the universities it is common for Olympic standard rowers to compete, notably including four times Olympic gold medallist Matthew Pinsent who rowed for Oxford in 1990, 1991, and 1993. Olympic Gold medallists from 2000 – Tim Foster (Oxford 1997), Luka Grubor (Oxford 1997), Andrew Lindsay (Oxford 1997, 1998, 1999) and Kieran West (Cambridge 1999, 2001, 2006, 2007) – and 2004 – Ed Coode (Oxford 1998) have also raced for their university. Other famous participants in the race include Andrew Irvine (Oxford 1922, 1923), Lord Snowdon (Cambridge 1950), Colin Moynihan (Oxford 1977), and Hugh Laurie (Cambridge 1980).
Academic status
There are no sporting scholarships at Oxford or Cambridge, so in theory every student must obtain a place at their university on their academic merits, but there have been unproven accusations that these students are admitted to the universities for their rowing skill without meeting the normal academic standards. Participants in the boat race are indeed academically capable: the 2005 Cambridge crew, for example, contained four PhD students, including a fully qualified medical doctor and a veterinarian.
From 1978 to 1983 the race was won every year by Oxford crews that included Boris Rankov, who was then a graduate student at Oxford and recognised as a powerhouse of the crews. Although Rankov was a bona fide student (and is now a professor at the University of London), this led to the establishment of the informal "Rankov Rule", to which the teams have adhered ever since, that no rower may compete in the boat race more than four times as an undergraduate, and four times as a graduate.
In order to protect the status of the race as a competition between genuine students, the Boat Race organising committee in July 2007 refused to award a blue to 2006 and 2007 Cambridge oarsman Thorsten Engelmann, as he did not complete his academic course and instead returned to the German national rowing team to prepare for the Beijing Olympics. This has caused a debate about a change of rules, and one suggestion appears to be that only students that are enrolled in courses lasting at least two years should be eligible to race.
Standard of the crews
The question whether the Boat Race crews are up to the standard of international crews is difficult to judge, since the Boat Race crews train for a long-distance race early in the season, so their training schedule is quite different from crews training for international regattas over 2000 metres that take place later in the year.
According to British Olympic gold medallist Martin Cross, Boat Race crews of the early 1980s were viewed as "a bit of a joke" by some international–level rowers of the time. However, their standard has improved substantially since then. Current Boat Race crews do race against selected club and international crews in the build-up to the race, and are competitive against them, but again these matches are over various non-standard distances, against crews that might not have been together as long as the Oxbridge crews.
In 2005 a strong Oxford crew, similar to that which had raced in the Boat Race, entered the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta losing to the winning German international crew in the first round by a third of a length. The same year, Cambridge won the Ladies Challenge plate at the HRR.
In 2007 Cambridge were entered in the London Head of the River Race where they should have been measured directly against the best crews in Britain and beyond. However, the event was called off after several crews were sunk or swamped in rough conditions. Cambridge were fastest of the few crews who did manage to complete the course.
Sponsorship
The Boat Race has been sponsored since 1976, with the money spent mainly on equipment and travel during the training period. The sponsors do not have their logos on the boats, but do have their logo on kit during the race. They also provide branded training gear and have some naming rights. Boat Race sponsors have included Ladbrokes, Beefeater Gin, Aberdeen Asset Management, and the business process outsourcing company Xchanging, who will sponsor the race until 2012. Controversially, in the renewal of the deal with Xchanging, the crews agreed to wear the sponsor's logo on their kit during the race itself, in exchange for increased funding. Prior to this, all sponsorship marks had been scrupulously discarded on boating for the competition, in line with the race's amateur and ‘Corinthian’ spirit. Xchanging also became title sponsor in November 2009 so, since the 156th Race, the event is known as The Xchanging Boat Race.
Other boat races involving Oxford and Cambridge
Although the heavyweight men's eights are the best-known event, the two universities compete in other rowing boat races. The main boat race is preceded by a race between the two reserve crews. The Oxford reserve crew is called Isis (after the Isis, a section of the River Thames which passes through Oxford), and the Cambridge reserve crew is called Goldie (the name comes from rower and Boat Club president John Goldie, 1849–1896, after whom the Goldie Boathouse is named).
The women's eights, women's reserve eights, men's lightweight eights and women's lightweight eights race in the Henley Boat Races, usually a week before the men's heavyweight races. There is also a 'veterans' boat race, usually held on a weekday before the main Boat Race, on the Thames between Putney and Hammersmith. The women's boat race will be moving to the Tideway in 2015.
Build-up
Training for the boat race officially begins in September, before the start of term. The first public tests are in November at the British Indoor Rowing Championships where each university sends around 20 rowers to compete. Everyone races 2 km on an indoor rower with the club presidents using adjacent machines. Both universities also send crews to the Head of the River Fours race in London which is raced over the reverse Boat Race course, that is to say the Championship course from Mortlake to Putney.
In December, the coaches put out Trial Eights where two crews from the same university race each other over the full boat race course. These crews are given names such as Kara and Whakamanawa ( Māori words for strength and honour, Cambridge 2004) or Cowboys and Indians (Oxford 2004). Other trials boat names have included such pairings as Guns and Roses.
Over the Christmas period the squads go on training camps abroad, where final places for the blue boats are decided. After the final blue boat crews have been decided they race against the top crews from the UK and abroad (e.g. in recent years they have raced Leander, Molesey, the German international crew, and a composite crew of Olympic scullers). These races are only over part of the course (from Putney to Chiswick Eyot).
In case of injury or illness, each university has ten extra rowers, eight in the reserve boats Isis and Goldie, and two as the spare pair. Isis and Goldie race 30 mins before the Blue Boat event over the same course. As for the spare pair, in the week before the main event they race each other from the mile post to university stone (i.e. from a point one mile into the Championship Course back to the Boat Race start). In the final week, there is also an official weigh in and the average crew weights announced. The perceived slight advantage of being the heavier crew leads to the practice of drinking large volumes of water directly before the weigh in order to artificially increase weight for a short period of time.
Popular culture
Boat race became such a popular phrase that it was incorporated into Cockney rhyming slang, for "face".
In the stories of P. G. Wodehouse, Boat Race Night is often alluded to as a time of riotous celebration, which frequently sees the participants in trouble with the authorities. Bertie Wooster mentions several times that he was fined ten pounds for stealing a policeman's helmet on Boat Race Night. The beginning of first episode of the Jeeves and Wooster television series shows his court appearance on this occasion.
Results and statistics
The detailed nature of the record-keeping over the event's history has many record statistics being carefully monitored. A selection of the more frequently cited statistics includes:
- Number of wins: Cambridge, 81; Oxford, 76 (1 dead heat)
- Most consecutive victories: Cambridge, 13 (1924–36)
- Course record: Cambridge, 1998 – 16 min 19 sec; average speed 24.9 kilometres per hour (15.5 mph)
- Heaviest rower: Thorsten Engelmann, Cambridge 2007, 17 st 6 lb 4 oz (110.8 kg; 244 lb)
- Lightest rower: Alfred Higgins, Oxford 1882, 9 st 6.5 lb (60.1 kg; 132.5 lb)
- Heaviest crew: Oxford 2009, 15 st 9 lb 13 oz (99.7 kg) average
- Tallest rower: Josh West, Cambridge 1999–2002, 6 ft 9.5 in (2.07 m)
- Tallest crew: Cambridge 1999, 6 ft 6.3 in (1.98 m) average
- Oldest rower: Mike Wherley, Oxford 2008, 36 yrs 14 days
- Oldest cox: Andy Probert, Cambridge 1992, 38 yrs 86 days
- Reserve wins: Cambridge (Goldie), 29; Oxford (Isis), 17
Full results by year
| No. | Date | Winner | Time | Margin | Oxford total |
Camb total |
Reserve Race |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 June 1829 1830–1835 no race |
Oxford | 14:03 | Easily | 1 | 0 | |
| 2 | 17 June 1836 1837–1838 no race |
Cambridge | 36:00 | 20 lengths | 1 | 1 | |
| 3 | 3 April 1839 | Cambridge | 31:00 | 35 lengths | 1 | 2 | |
| 4 | 15 April 1840 | Cambridge | 29:03 | ¾ length | 1 | 3 | |
| 5 | 14 April 1841 | Cambridge | 32:03 | 22 lengths | 1 | 4 | |
| 6 | 11 June 1842 1843–1844 no race |
Oxford | 30:01 | 4½ lengths | 2 | 4 | |
| 7 | 15 March 1845 | Cambridge | 23:30 | 10 lengths | 2 | 5 | |
| 8 | 3 April 1846 1847–1848 no race |
Cambridge | 21:05 | 3 lengths | 2 | 6 | |
| 9 | 29 April 1849 | Cambridge | 22:00 | Easily | 2 | 7 | |
| 10 | 15 December 1849 1850–1851 no race |
Oxford | foul | Cambridge disqualified |
3 | 7 | |
| 11 | 3 April 1852 1853 no race |
Oxford | 21:36 | 9 lengths | 4 | 7 | |
| 12 | 8 April 1854 1855 no race |
Oxford | 25:29 | 7 lengths | 5 | 7 | |
| 13 | 15 March 1856 | Cambridge | 25:45 | ½ length | 5 | 8 | |
| 14 | 4 April 1857 | Oxford | 22:05 | 11 lengths | 6 | 8 | |
| 15 | 27 March 1858 | Cambridge | 21:23 | 7½ lengths | 6 | 9 | |
| 16 | 15 April 1859 | Oxford | 24:04 | Cambridge sank |
7 | 9 | |
| 17 | 31 March 1860 | Cambridge | 26:05 | 1 length | 7 | 10 | |
| 18 | 23 March 1861 | Oxford | 23:03 | 16 lengths | 8 | 10 | |
| 19 | 12 April 1862 | Oxford | 24:34 | 10 lengths | 9 | 10 | |
| 20 | 28 March 1863 | Oxford | 23:06 | 15 lengths | 10 | 10 | |
| 21 | 19 March 1864 | Oxford | 21:04 | 9 lengths | 11 | 10 | |
| 22 | 8 April 1865 | Oxford | 21:24 | 4 lengths | 12 | 10 | |
| 23 | 24 March 1866 | Oxford | 25:35 | 3 lengths | 13 | 10 | |
| 24 | 13 April 1867 | Oxford | 22:39 | ½ length | 14 | 10 | |
| 25 | 4 April 1868 | Oxford | 20:56 | 6 lengths | 15 | 10 | |
| 26 | 17 March 1869 | Oxford | 20:04 | 3 lengths | 16 | 10 | |
| 27 | 6 April 1870 | Cambridge | 22:04 | 1½ lengths | 16 | 11 | |
| 28 | 1 April 1871 | Cambridge | 23:01 | 1 length | 16 | 12 | |
| 29 | 23 March 1872 | Cambridge | 21:15 | 2 lengths | 16 | 13 | |
| 30 | 29 March 1873 | Cambridge | 19:35 | 3 lengths | 16 | 14 | |
| 31 | 28 March 1874 | Cambridge | 22:35 | 3½ lengths | 16 | 15 | |
| 32 | 20 March 1875 | Oxford | 22:02 | 10 lengths | 17 | 15 | |
| 33 | 8 April 1876 | Cambridge | 20:02 | Easily | 17 | 16 | |
| 34 | 24 March 1877 | Dead Heat | 24:08 | Dead Heat | 17 | 16 | |
| 35 | 13 April 1878 | Oxford | 22:15 | 10 lengths | 18 | 16 | |
| 36 | 5 April 1879 | Cambridge | 21:18 | 3 lengths | 18 | 17 | |
| 37 | 22 March 1880 | Oxford | 21:23 | 3¾ lengths | 19 | 17 | |
| 38 | 8 April 1881 | Oxford | 21:51 | 3 lengths | 20 | 17 | |
| 39 | 1 April 1882 | Oxford | 20:12 | 7 lengths | 21 | 17 | |
| 40 | 15 March 1883 | Oxford | 21:18 | 3½ lengths | 22 | 17 | |
| 41 | 7 April 1884 | Cambridge | 21:39 | 2½ lengths | 22 | 18 | |
| 42 | 28 March 1885 | Oxford | 21:36 | 2½ lengths | 23 | 18 | |
| 43 | 3 April 1886 | Cambridge | 22:03 | ⅔ length | 23 | 19 | |
| 44 | 26 March 1887 | Cambridge | 20:52 | 2½ lengths | 23 | 20 | |
| 45 | 24 March 1888 | Cambridge | 20:48 | 7 lengths | 23 | 21 | |
| 46 | 30 March 1889 | Cambridge | 20:14 | 3 lengths | 23 | 22 | |
| 47 | 26 March 1890 | Oxford | 22:03 | 1 length | 24 | 22 | |
| 48 | 21 March 1891 | Oxford | 21:48 | ½ length | 25 | 22 | |
| 49 | 9 April 1892 | Oxford | 19:01 | 2¼ lengths | 26 | 22 | |
| 50 | 22 March 1893 | Oxford | 18:45 | 1¼ lengths | 27 | 22 | |
| 51 | 17 March 1894 | Oxford | 21:39 | 3½ lengths | 28 | 22 | |
| 52 | 30 March 1895 | Oxford | 20:05 | 2¼ lengths | 29 | 22 | |
| 53 | 28 March 1896 | Oxford | 20:01 | ½ length | 30 | 22 | |
| 54 | 3 April 1897 | Oxford | 19:12 | 2½ lengths | 31 | 22 | |
| 55 | 26 March 1898 | Oxford | 22:15 | Easily | 32 | 22 | |
| 56 | 25 March 1899 | Cambridge | 21:04 | 3¼ lengths | 32 | 23 | |
| 57 | 31 March 1900 | Cambridge | 18:45 | 20 lengths | 32 | 24 | |
| 58 | 30 March 1901 | Oxford | 22:31 | ⅔ length | 33 | 24 | |
| 59 | 22 March 1902 | Cambridge | 19:09 | 5 lengths | 33 | 25 | |
| 60 | 1 April 1903 | Cambridge | 19:33 | 6 lengths | 33 | 26 | |
| 61 | 26 March 1904 | Cambridge | 21:37 | 4½ lengths | 33 | 27 | |
| 62 | 1 April 1905 | Oxford | 20:35 | 3 lengths | 34 | 27 | |
| 63 | 7 April 1906 | Cambridge | 19:25 | 3½ lengths | 34 | 28 | |
| 64 | 16 March 1907 | Cambridge | 20:26 | 4½ lengths | 34 | 29 | |
| 65 | 4 April 1908 | Cambridge | 19:02 | 2½ lengths | 34 | 30 | |
| 66 | 3 April 1909 | Oxford | 19:05 | 3½ lengths | 35 | 30 | |
| 67 | 23 March 1910 | Oxford | 20:14 | 3½ lengths | 36 | 30 | |
| 68 | 1 April 1911 | Oxford | 18:29 | 2¾ lengths | 37 | 30 | |
| 69 | 1 April 1912 | Oxford | 22:05 | 6 lengths | 38 | 30 | |
| 70 | 13 March 1913 | Oxford | 20:53 | ¾ length | 39 | 30 | |
| 71 | 28 March 1914 1915–1919 no race |
Cambridge | 20:23 | 4½ lengths | 39 | 31 | |
| 72 | 28 March 1920 | Cambridge | 21:11 | 4 lengths | 39 | 32 | |
| 73 | 30 March 1921 | Cambridge | 19:45 | 1 length | 39 | 33 | |
| 74 | 1 April 1922 | Cambridge | 19:27 | 4½ lengths | 39 | 34 | |
| 75 | 24 March 1923 | Oxford | 20:54 | ¾ length | 40 | 34 | |
| 76 | 5 April 1924 | Cambridge | 18:41 | 4½ lengths | 40 | 35 | |
| 77 | 28 March 1925 | Cambridge | 21:05 | Oxford sank |
40 | 36 | |
| 78 | 27 March 1926 | Cambridge | 19:29 | 5 lengths | 40 | 37 | |
| 79 | 2 April 1927 | Cambridge | 20:14 | 3 lengths | 40 | 38 | |
| 80 | 31 March 1928 | Cambridge | 20:25 | 10 lengths | 40 | 39 | |
| 81 | 23 March 1929 | Cambridge | 19:24 | 7 lengths | 40 | 40 | |
| 82 | 12 April 1930 | Cambridge | 19:09 | 3 lengths | 40 | 41 | |
| 83 | 21 March 1931 | Cambridge | 19:26 | 2½ lengths | 40 | 42 | |
| 84 | 19 March 1932 | Cambridge | 19:11 | 5 lengths | 40 | 43 | |
| 85 | 1 April 1933 | Cambridge | 20:57 | 2¼ lengths | 40 | 44 | |
| 86 | 17 March 1934 | Cambridge | 18:03 | 4¼ lengths | 40 | 45 | |
| 87 | 6 April 1935 | Cambridge | 19:48 | 4½ lengths | 40 | 46 | |
| 88 | 4 April 1936 | Cambridge | 21:06 | 5 lengths | 40 | 47 | |
| 89 | 24 March 1937 | Oxford | 22:39 | ¼ length | 41 | 47 | |
| 90 | 2 April 1938 | Oxford | 20:03 | 2 lengths | 42 | 47 | |
| 91 | 1 April 1939 1940–1945 no race |
Cambridge | 19:03 | 4 lengths | 42 | 48 | |
| 92 | 30 March 1946 | Oxford | 19:54 | 3 lengths | 43 | 48 | |
| 93 | 29 March 1947 | Cambridge | 23:01 | 10 lengths | 43 | 49 | |
| 94 | 27 March 1948 | Cambridge | 17:05 | 5 lengths | 43 | 50 | |
| 95 | 26 March 1949 | Cambridge | 18:57 | ¼ length | 43 | 51 | |
| 96 | 1 April 1950 | Cambridge | 20:15 | 3½ lengths | 43 | 52 | |
| 97 | 26 March 1951 | Cambridge | 20:05 | 12 lengths | 43 | 53 | |
| 98 | 29 March 1952 | Oxford | 20:23 | Canvas | 44 | 53 | |
| 99 | 28 March 1953 | Cambridge | 19:54 | 8 lengths | 44 | 54 | |
| 100 | 3 April 1954 | Oxford | 20:23 | 4½ lengths | 45 | 54 | |
| 101 | 26 March 1955 | Cambridge | 19:01 | 16 lengths | 45 | 55 | |
| 102 | 24 March 1956 | Cambridge | 18:36 | 1¼ lengths | 45 | 56 | |
| 103 | 30 March 1957 | Cambridge | 19:01 | 2 lengths | 45 | 57 | |
| 104 | 5 April 1958 | Cambridge | 18:15 | 3½ lengths | 45 | 58 | |
| 105 | 28 March 1959 | Oxford | 18:52 | 6 lengths | 46 | 58 | |
| 106 | 2 April 1960 | Oxford | 18:59 | 1¼ lengths | 47 | 58 | |
| 107 | 1 April 1961 | Cambridge | 19:22 | 4¼ lengths | 47 | 59 | |
| 108 | 7 April 1962 | Cambridge | 19:46 | 5 lengths | 47 | 60 | |
| 109 | 23 March 1963 | Oxford | 20:47 | 5 lengths | 48 | 60 | |
| 110 | 28 March 1964 | Cambridge | 19:18 | 6½ lengths | 48 | 61 | |
| 111 | 3 April 1965 | Oxford | 18:07 | 4 lengths | 49 | 61 | Isis |
| 112 | 26 March 1966 | Oxford | 19:12 | 3¾ lengths | 50 | 61 | Isis |
| 113 | 25 March 1967 | Oxford | 18:52 | 3¼ lengths | 51 | 61 | Goldie |
| 114 | 30 March 1968 | Cambridge | 18:22 | 3½ lengths | 51 | 62 | Goldie |
| 115 | 5 April 1969 | Cambridge | 18:04 | 4 lengths | 51 | 63 | Goldie |
| 116 | 28 March 1970 | Cambridge | 20:22 | 3½ lengths | 51 | 64 | Goldie |
| 117 | 27 March 1971 | Cambridge | 17:58 | 10 lengths | 51 | 65 | Goldie |
| 118 | 1 April 1972 | Cambridge | 18:36 | 9½ lengths | 51 | 66 | Goldie |
| 119 | 7 March 1973 | Cambridge | 19:21 | 13 lengths | 51 | 67 | Goldie |
| 120 | 6 April 1974 | Oxford | 17:35 | 5½ lengths | 52 | 67 | Goldie |
| 121 | 29 March 1975 | Cambridge | 19:27 | 3¾ lengths | 52 | 68 | Isis |
| 122 | 20 March 1976 | Oxford | 16:58 | 6½ lengths | 53 | 68 | Isis |
| 123 | 19 March 1977 | Oxford | 19:28 | 7 lengths | 54 | 68 | Goldie |
| 124 | 25 March 1978 | Oxford | 18:58 | Cambridge sank |
55 | 68 | Goldie |
| 125 | 17 March 1979 | Oxford | 20:33 | 3½ lengths | 56 | 68 | Goldie |
| 126 | 5 April 1980 | Oxford | 19:02 | Canvas | 57 | 68 | Isis |
| 127 | 4 April 1981 | Oxford | 18:11 | 8 lengths | 58 | 68 | Isis |
| 128 | 27 March 1982 | Oxford | 18:21 | 3¼ lengths | 59 | 68 | Isis |
| 129 | 2 April 1983 | Oxford | 19:07 | 4½ lengths | 60 | 68 | Isis |
| 130 | 18 March 1984 | Oxford | 16:45 | 3¾ lengths | 61 | 68 | Goldie |
| 131 | 6 April 1985 | Oxford | 17:11 | 4¾ lengths | 62 | 68 | Isis |
| 132 | 29 March 1986 | Cambridge | 17:58 | 7 lengths | 62 | 69 | Isis |
| 133 | 28 March 1987 | Oxford | 19:59 | 4 lengths | 63 | 69 | Goldie |
| 134 | 2 April 1988 | Oxford | 17:35 | 5½ lengths | 64 | 69 | Goldie |
| 135 | 25 March 1989 | Oxford | 18:27 | 2½ lengths | 65 | 69 | Isis |
| 136 | 31 March 1990 | Oxford | 17:22 | 2¼ lengths | 66 | 69 | Goldie |
| 137 | 30 March 1991 | Oxford | 16:59 | 4¼ lengths | 67 | 69 | Goldie |
| 138 | 4 April 1992 | Oxford | 17:44 | 1¼ lengths | 68 | 69 | Goldie |
| 139 | 27 March 1993 | Cambridge | 17:00 | 3½ lengths | 68 | 70 | Goldie |
| 140 | 26 March 1994 | Cambridge | 18:09 | 6½ lengths | 68 | 71 | Goldie |
| 141 | 1 April 1995 | Cambridge | 18:04 | 4 lengths | 68 | 72 | Goldie |
| 142 | 6 April 1996 | Cambridge | 16:58 | 2¾ lengths | 68 | 73 | Goldie |
| 143 | 29 March 1997 | Cambridge | 17:38 | 2 lengths | 68 | 74 | Goldie |
| 144 | 28 March 1998 | Cambridge | 16:19 | 3 lengths | 68 | 75 | Isis |
| 145 | 3 April 1999 | Cambridge | 16:41 | 3½ lengths | 68 | 76 | Goldie |
| 146 | 25 March 2000 | Oxford | 18:04 | 3 lengths | 69 | 76 | Isis |
| 147 | 24 March 2001 | Cambridge | 19:59 | 2½ lengths | 69 | 77 | Goldie |
| 148 | 30 March 2002 | Oxford | 16:54 | ¾ length | 70 | 77 | Isis |
| 149 | 6 April 2003 | Oxford | 18:06 | 1 foot | 71 | 77 | Goldie |
| 150 | 28 March 2004 | Cambridge | 18:47 | 6 lengths | 71 | 78 | Isis |
| 151 | 27 March 2005 | Oxford | 16:42 | 2 lengths | 72 | 78 | Goldie |
| 152 | 2 April 2006 | Oxford | 18:26 | 5 lengths | 73 | 78 | Goldie |
| 153 | 7 April 2007 | Cambridge | 17:49 | 1¼ lengths | 73 | 79 | Goldie |
| 154 | 29 March 2008 | Oxford | 20:53 | 6 lengths | 74 | 79 | Isis |
| 155 | 29 March 2009 | Oxford | 17:00 | 3½ lengths | 75 | 79 | Isis |
| 156 | 3 April 2010 | Cambridge | 17:35 | 1⅓ lengths | 75 | 80 | Goldie |
| 157 | 26 March 2011 | Oxford | 17:32 | 4 lengths | 76 | 80 | Isis |
| 158 | 7 April 2012 | Cambridge | n/a | 4¼ lengths | 76 | 81 | Isis |
a. ^ No time was recorded as the race was interrupted and restarted.
Unofficial wartime races
| No. | Date | Location | Winner | Time | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 March 1940 | Henley-on-Thames | Cambridge | 9:28 | 5 lengths |
| 2 | 13 February 1943 | Sandford-on-Thames | Oxford | 4:49 | ⅔ length |
| 3 | 26 February 1944 | River Great Ouse, Ely | Oxford | 8:06 | ¾ length |
| 4 | 24 February 1945 | Henley-on-Thames | Cambridge | 8:17 | 2 lengths |
