The Boat Race 1954
100th Boat Race | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date | 3 April 1954 | ||
Winner | Oxford | ||
Margin of victory | 4+1⁄2 lengths | ||
Winning time | 20 minutes 23 seconds | ||
Overall record (Cambridge–Oxford) | 54–45 | ||
Umpire | Kenneth Payne (Cambridge) | ||
|
The 100th Boat Race took place on 3 April 1954. 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. In a race umpired by former Cambridge rower Kenneth Payne, Oxford won by 4+1⁄2 lengths in a time of 20 minutes 23 seconds, taking the overall record in the competition to 54–45 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] First held in 1829, the race takes place on the 4.2-mile (6.8 km) Championship Course on the River Thames in southwest London.[2] 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.[3][4] Cambridge went into the race as reigning champions, having won the 1953 race by eight lengths, and led overall with 54 victories to Oxford's 44 (excluding the "dead heat" of 1877).[5][6]
Cambridge were coached by N. B. M. Clack (who had rowed in the 1952 race), James Crowden (who had represented Cambridge in the 1951 and 1952 races) and R. H. H. Symonds (who had rowed in the 1931 race). Oxford's coaches were Hugh "Jumbo" Edwards (a Blue in 1926 and 1930), W. J. Llewellyn-Jones, J. H. Page and A. D. Rowe (who had represented Oxford in the 1948 and 1949 races).[7] The race was umpired for the fourth time by the former British Olympian Kenneth Payne, who had rowed for Cambridge in the 1932 and 1934 races.[8][9]
During the build-up to the race, the rowing correspondent for The Times had suggested that "until three weeks ago a Cambridge victory seemed almost certain" but practice rows had proved disappointing. The Oxford crew had been struck down by influenza in training, and had to reshuffle their order a month before the race. Although the new order "seemed weak", they made better progress in training than Cambridge, yet the Light Blues, who were described as "well drilled" but with "erratic timekeeping" nevertheless remained "precarious favourites".[10]
Crews
The Cambridge crew weighed an average of 12
Seat | Oxford |
Cambridge | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | College | Weight | Name | College | Weight | |
Bow |
R. A. Wheadon | Balliol | 11 st 13 lb | J. A. N. Wallis (P) | Lady Margaret Boat Club | 12 st 0 lb |
2 | E. V. Vine | Brasenose | 12 st 0 lb | J. C. G. Stancliffe | Pembroke | 12 st 3 lb |
3 | J. A. Gobbo | Magdalen | 12 st 9 lb | D. K. Hill | Jesus | 12 st 6 lb |
4 | R. D. T. Raikes | Merton | 12 st 6 lb | K. A. Masser | Trinity Hall | 14 st 0 lb |
5 | H. M. C. Quick (P) | Merton | 13 st 12 lb | M. G. Baynes | Trinity Hall | 13 st 1 lb |
6 | J. G. McLeod | New College | 12 st 1 lb | C. M. Davies | Clare | 13 st 13 lb |
7 | E. O. G. Pain | Lincoln | 12 st 0 lb | J. N. Bruce | Clare | 12 st 1 lb |
Stroke |
J. J. H. Harrison | Trinity | 11 st 9 lb | M. J. Marshall | Jesus | 11 st 10 lb |
Cox | W. R. Marsh | University | 8 st 12 lb | J. W. Tanburn | Jesus | 8 st 9 lb |
Source:[13] (P) – boat club president[14] |
Race
Oxford won the
Although
References
Notes
- ^ a b "Dark Blues aim to punch above their weight". The Observer. 6 April 2003. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
- ^ Smith, Oliver (25 March 2014). "University Boat Race 2014: spectators' guide". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
- ^ "Former Winnipegger in winning Oxford–Cambridge Boat Race crew". CBC News. 6 April 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
- ^ "TV and radio". The Boat Race Company Limited. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
- ^ a b "Boat Race – Results". The Boat Race Company Limited. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
- ^ "Classic moments – the 1877 dead heat". The Boat Race Company Limited. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
- ^ Burnell, pp. 110–111
- ^ Burnell, pp. 49, 74
- ^ "Kenneth Payne Bio, Stats, and Results". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- ^ a b "Cambridge weight may be decisive". The Times. No. 52897. 3 April 1954. p. 7.
- ^ a b c Burnell, p. 78
- ^ Burnell, p. 39
- ^ Dodd, p. 335
- ^ Burnell, pp. 50, 52
- ^ a b c d "Oxford win the Boat Race". The Times. No. 52898. 5 April 1954. p. 5.
Bibliography
- ISBN 0950063878.
- Dodd, Christopher (1983). The Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race. Stanley Paul. ISBN 0091513405.