The Boat Race 1970
116th Boat Race | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date | 28 March 1970 | ||
Winner | Cambridge | ||
Margin of victory | 3+1⁄2 lengths | ||
Winning time | 20 minutes 22 seconds | ||
Overall record (Cambridge–Oxford) | 64–51 | ||
Umpire | A. Burrough (Cambridge) | ||
Other races | |||
Reserve winner | Goldie | ||
Women's winner | Cambridge | ||
|
The 116th Boat Race took place on 28 March 1970. Held annually, it is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. It was won by Cambridge who passed the finishing post 3+1⁄2 lengths ahead of Oxford, securing Cambridge's third consecutive victory. The race was particularly notable for the "unorthodox" steering of the Oxford cox Ashton Calvert.
In the reserve race,
Background
The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing competition between the boat clubs of 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, as of 2014 it is followed throughout the United Kingdom and broadcast worldwide.[4][5][6] Cambridge went into the race as reigning champions, having beaten Oxford by four lengths in the previous year's race, and held the overall lead, with 63 victories to Oxford's 51 (excluding the "dead heat" of 1877).[7][8]
The first Women's Boat Race took place in 1927, but did not become an annual fixture until the 1960s. Up until 2014, the contest was conducted as part of the Henley Boat Races, but as of the 2015 race, it is held on the River Thames, on the same day as the men's main and reserve races.[9] The reserve race, contested between Oxford's Isis boat and Cambridge's Goldie boat has been held since 1965. It usually takes place on the Tideway, prior to the main Boat Race.[8]
The race was umpired by the former Cambridge University Boat Club president and rower Alan Burrough who took part in Cambridge's two losses in the 1937 and 1938 races and their victory in the 1939 race.[10][11] Burrough had also umpired the 1966 race. Oxford were coached by their former boat club president Iain Elliott who rowed for the Dark Blues in the 1960 and 1961 races,[12][13] and the Olympic rower Hugh "Jumbo" Edwards who had represented Oxford in the 1926 race.[12][14] Lou Barry coached the Cambridge crew.[15] Czechoslovakian international rower Bob Janoušek assessed both crews as "extremely fit" but "far from expert in rowing".[16]
Crews
The Cambridge crew weighed an average of 13 st 9.25 lb (86.5 kg), 1.25 pounds (0.6 kg) per rower more than their opponents.[17] The Light Blues featured just one former Blue in president David Cruttendon. However the Cambridge boat also included five members of the successful 1969 Goldie crew.[12] Oxford saw the return of five former Blues,[17] including the boat club president, Ashton Calvert, who coxed the boat.[18]
Seat | Oxford |
Cambridge | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | College | Weight | Name | College | Weight | |
Bow |
R. J. D. Gee | St John's | 13 st 8 lb | J. F. S. Hervey-Bathurst | 1st & 3rd Trinity | 13 st 1.5 lb |
2 | J. K. G. Dart | Christ Church | 12 st 10 lb | C. L. Baillieu | Jesus | 13 st 5 lb |
3 | D. M. Higgs ‡ | Balliol | 13 st 9 lb | A. C. Buckmaster | Clare | 13 st 8 lb |
4 | S. E. Wilmer | Christ Church | 13 st 11 lb | C. J. Rogridgues | Jesus | 13 st 2 lb |
5 | F. J. L. Dale | Keble | 13 st 11 lb | C. J. Dalley | Queens' | 14 st 5.5 lb |
6 | A. J. Hall | Keble | 15 st 7 lb | D. L. Cruttendon (P) | St Catharine's | 16 st 0 lb |
7 | N. D. C. Tee | Balliol | 12 st 4 lb | C. M. Lowe | Fitzwilliam | 13 st 7 lb |
Stroke |
W. R. C. Lonsdale | Keble | 13 st 10 lb | S. N. S. Robertson | Fitzwilliam | 12 st 3.5 lb |
Cox | A. T. Calvert (P) | New College | 8 st 12 lb | N. G. Hughes | Queens' | 8 st 9 lb |
Source:[17] (P) – Boat club president[19] ‡ Higgs replaced Robin Parish six days before the race.[20] |
Race
Cambridge won the
In the reserve race, Cambridge's Goldie beat Oxford's Isis by fourteen lengths, a record distance, in their fourth consecutive victory.[8] In the 25th running of the Women's Boat Race, Cambridge triumphed, their eighth consecutive victory.[8]
Reaction
Calvert stated after the race: "I could see it was murder in those waves ... I decided to try to panic Cambridge by close contact steering, breaking their rhythm and attacking when the stations levelled out beyond Chiswick Steps."[21] Opinion was divided on Calvert's tactics: The Observer's Legget claimed that Calvert "adopted quite the wrong tactics",[22] while Jim Railton of The Times suggested "Calvert's move may well prove to be the future tactics of other crews behind but in contact at Hammersmith Bridge on the Middlesex station in similar conditions."[21] He went on to say "Calvert's tactics nearly paid off and in the circumstances I consider he was justified in his actions."[21] John Rodda of The Guardian described Calvert's steering as "zig-zag" and while acknowledging the "bold imagination" involved, claimed the cox's manoeuvres were "futile".[23]
References
Bibliography
- Dodd, Christopher (1983). The Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race. Stanley Paul. ISBN 0-09-151340-5.
- ISBN 0-9500638-7-8.
Notes
- ^ a b "Dark Blues aim to punch above their weight". The Observer. 6 April 2003. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ Smith, Oliver (25 March 2014). "University Boat Race 2014: spectators' guide". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- ^ "The Course". The Boat Race Company Limited. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- ^ "Former Winnipegger in winning Oxford–Cambridge Boat Race crew". CBC News. 6 April 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- ^ "TV and radio". The Boat Race Company Limited. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
- ISBN 978-0-691-13751-3.
- ^ "Classic moments – the 1877 dead heat". The Boat Race Company Limited. Archived from the original on 24 September 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Results". The Boat Race Company Limited. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ^ "A brief history of the Women's Boat Race". The Boat Race Company Limited. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
- ^ Burrell, pp. 49, 75
- ^ Dodd, Christopher (13 August 2002). "Alan Burrough". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Legget, Donald (22 March 1970). "It's the Surrey side up". The Observer. p. 26.
- ^ Burnell, p. 79
- ^ Burnell, p. 72
- ^ Rodda, John (28 March 1970). "Cambridge favoured". The Guardian. p. 19.
- ^ Railton, Jim (25 March 1970). "Minor injuries could tip balance". The Times. No. 57827. p. 17.
- ^ a b c d e Burnell, p. 82
- ^ Quarrell, Rachel (25 March 2008). "Presidents forgo paddles in the Boat Race". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
- ^ Burnell, pp. 51–52
- ^ Railton, Jim (24 March 1970). "Oxford replace Parish". The Times. No. 57826. p. 15.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Railton, Jim (30 March 1970). "Calvert may be proved right". The Times. No. 57830. p. 10.
- ^ a b c d Legget, Donald (29 March 1970). "Cambridge again". The Observer. p. 20.
- ^ Rodda, John (30 March 1970). "Calvert move futile". The Guardian. p. 13.
External links