The Boat Race 1964

The 110th Boat Race took place on 28 March 1964. Held annually, the event is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. The Oxford crew was the heaviest in Boat Race history. The race was won by Cambridge by six-and-half lengths. Cambridge won the Women's Boat Race.

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, followed throughout the United Kingdom and broadcast worldwide.^[4][5] Oxford went into the race as reigning champions, having won the previous year's race by five lengths, while Cambridge led overall in the event with 60 victories to Oxford's 48 (excluding the "dead heat" of 1877).^[6][7]

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.^[8] This year's women's race was the first to be held since 1952.

Writing in the Financial Times, Joseph Mallalieu noted that the Boat Race was subsidised by The Varsity Match every year.^[9] Despite Oxford being "firm favourites" upon their arrival at the Tideway, Cambridge put in better performances in training,^[10] and by the time of the race were considered the favourites themselves.^[11] The main race was umpired for the eighth and final time by the former Olympian Kenneth Payne who had rowed for Cambridge in the 1932 and 1934 races.^[12][13]

Crews

Although it was the heaviest Cambridge crew ever, they weighed an average of 13 st 4.75 lb (84.5 kg), almost 3 pounds (1.4 kg) per rower less than Oxford, who were the heaviest crew in Boat Race history.^[10] Oxford saw two former Blues return in Miles Morland and Duncan Spencer,^[14] while Cambridge's crew included four Boat Race veterans in Donald Legget, Mike Bevan, John Lecky and Christopher Davey. Lecky was a Canadian international rower who had won a silver medal in the men's eight at the 1960 Summer Olympics.^[15] Six of Oxford's crew came from Keble College, five of those schooled at Eton College.^[16]

Seat	Oxford			Cambridge
	Name	College	Weight	Name	College	Weight
Bow	J. Leigh-Wood	Keble	12 st 3 lb	D. F. Legget	Trinity Hall	12 st 10 lb
2	D. W. Steel	Keble	13 st 7 lb	M. V. Bevan	Downing	13 st 2 lb
3	D. W. A. Cox	St Peter's	13 st 7 lb	M. Muir-Smith	Christ's	14 st 0 lb
4	M. Q. Morland	Lincoln	14 st 6 lb	J. W. Fraser	Jesus	14 st 2 lb
5	R. C. T. Mead	Keble	14 st 0 lb	J. M. S. Lecky	1st & 3rd Trinity	14 st 3 lb
6	D. D. S. Skailes (P)	Keble	14 st 3 lb	J. R. Kiely	1st & 3rd Trinity	14 st 0 lb
7	D. G. Bray	Keble	13 st 1 lb	A. Simpson	Queens'	12 st 13 lb
Stroke	D. C. Spencer	Christ Church	13 st 5 lb	C. J. T. Davey (P)	Jesus	11 st 8 lb
Cox	M. J. Leigh	Keble	8 st 12 lb	R. G. Stanbury	Lady Margaret Boat Club	8 st 10 lb
Source:[17] (P) – Boat club president[18]

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.^[17] With a "calm, following wind",^[19] the race commenced at 2.20pm,^[17] and within a minute, Cambridge had a quarter-length lead before Oxford closed the gap at Craven Cottage. The Light Blues reached the Mile Post three seconds ahead and crossed over to the midstream. By Harrods Furniture Depository they had extended their lead out to two lengths and passed below Hammersmith Bridge a further half-length ahead. Despite a surge from Oxford, Cambridge were sixteen seconds ahead at Chiswick Steps and increased the gap to twenty seconds by Barnes Bridge. Cambridge won by six-and-a-half lengths in a time of 19 minutes 18 seconds, 23 seconds ahead of Oxford.^[17][20]

The victory was Cambridge's 61st in the contest, taking the overall score to 61–48. The Cambridge boat club president and stroke Christopher Davey said: "Everything went as planned, but Oxford hung on more than I would have liked at the end. I would have liked to have taken it to 10 lengths if possible but Oxford kept going splendidly at the end."^[20]

In the 20th running of the Women's Boat Race, Cambridge triumphed, their third consecutive victory.^[21]

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

The Boat Race Oxford University Boat Club (crews) Cambridge University Boat Club (crews) The Championship Course Results Oxford University Women's Boat Club Cambridge University Women's Boat Club Oxford University Lightweight Rowing Club Cambridge University Lightweight Rowing Club Goldie Stones Blue Boat Henley Boat Races Women's Boat Race 1927 1929 1930 1934 1935 1936 1939 1941 1973 1974 1975 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1994 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 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 2015 2016 Category Commons