Centenary

One hundred years ago an Oxford student wrote to a friend at Cambridge suggesting a boat race between the two universities. Came the answer: "Your impudence is unparalleled. The sufficiently candid manner in which you talk of 'lasting us out' (!!!) amuses me so much that I am ready to die of laughing. . . ." So the first Oxford-Cambridge race was arranged.

Last week perhaps a million persons lined the Thames from Putney to Mortlake. It was the centenary of the famous struggle between the light blue and the dark. Forty times had impudent Oxford won. Thirty-nine times victory had gone to Cambridge. Once, in 1877, the judges could name no winner, for the crews finished together to the stroke -a dead heat.

The sun broke through a light fog as the rival strokes dipped their blades. There was a hush -then cheers. For a moment the lighter Oxford crew drew ahead, with nervous high strokes. Another hush. Then the light blue, settling into regularity, caught up and moved on. At Craven Steps, marking the mile, Cambridge led by three-quarters of a boat-length, stroking 30 to the minute against Oxford's 32. At Chiswick Church, which marks two miles, Stroke Brocklebank had geared his men to 29 strokes to the minute and they had increased their lead to two lengths. On and on -past Duke's Meadows, Barnes Bridge, Mortlake Brewery and finally to the finish line the Cantabs sped with steady rhythm. They finished seven boat-lengths in the lead, rowing the four miles in 19 min. 24 sec.

Buoyed by victory the winning eight seemed fresh at the finish. Not so the losers. Only H. C. Morphett, No. 5, sat erect in the shell. His seven were slumped in collapse. They were hurried to the boathouse. Six revived quickly. The seventh, P. D. Barr, bow, remained unconscious for 30 minutes. He had taken his place in the shell though ill with influenza.

The victory was the sixth straight for Cambridge, the ninth in ten races since the War. It placed the light blue even with the dark. Next year the two will start another century of boatracing.