The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-04-02 00:00:00

TEE UNIVERSITY BOAT RACE.
VICTORY FOR, CAMBRIDGE.

The 44th contest between the oarsmen of the Unie
versities of Oxford and Cambridge was decided on
Saturday over the usual course from Putney to Mort-
lake. The weather, although dull in the earlier por-
tion of the morning, improved greatly as the day wore
on, and as the race was set for decision at a more
suitable hour of the day (2.45 p.m.) than had been she
ease for many years past, the attendance of spectators
all along the course was one of the largest that had
been seen for years. From the reports of those who
had made a practice of watching the crews during the
period of their training on the metropolitan waters,
the public were led to expect a close race, an anticipa-
tion which was strengthened by the way in which the
betting on the result fluctuated from time to time,
although during the two or three days immediately
preceding the race the Cantabs were decidedly the
favourities, and remained so right up to the time of
the start, when the betting aveiaged 7 to 4 on them.
As it was calculated that in the more exposed
reaches higher up the advantage of the station would
be equal to fully two or three lengths, although, as
the wind was of a very shifty and variable character,
its influence could not be exactly determined. In the
neighbourhood of Putney the water was, in its more
sheltered position, tolerably smooth, but it was known
that higher up such would not be the case; and al-
though the rough and windy weather was considered
to be more suitable to the Oxonians and their more
buoyant craft, their supporters would not accept less
than 7 to 4 on Cambridge.
At 250 the Oxonians put off from the London
Rowing Club's boat-house. and paddled down, amidst
the cheers of their partisans, to their stake-boat,
which was moored about eighty yards above new
Putney-bridge, at as nearly as possible the old start-
ing-place for the contest. Cambridge followed ex-
actly five minutes later; but 3 o'clock had struck
before they had succeeded in getting into
position. Five minutes later the word to go was
given by Mr. Lewis Lloyd, the umpire, who
followed on a small launch, the Wildfire,
which had been provided for his accommodation. On
the pistol being fired, the pair got away to a capital
start, Oxford striking 40 and Cambridge 41; but after
a few strokes had been taken the latter began to go
in front, and on passing the London Rowing Club
boathouse were leading by half a length. In going
along the concrete wall both crews kept well out in
the centre of the river, where the water was much
rougher than at the start, and although for a minute
or so the Oxford men held their own, the Cambridge
crew soon began to draw away, and at the upper end
of the wall were nearly clear. Separated by that dis-
tance they pulled on amidst the shouts of their sup-
porters until Walden's Wharf—time: 3 min. 5 sec.;
soon after passing which place the Cantabs, feeling
the benefit of the shelter from the wind, managed to
make their lead into, as nearly as could be seen from
the accompanying steamer, a length. A splendid bit
of pulling on the part of both crews was seen between
this point and the Soap Works, the relative positions.
undergoing not the slightest alteration until after
passing the Soap Works, but on nearing Hammersmith
Bridge Cambridge began to increase their advantage,
and, passing the bridge in 7min. 56sec. from the start,
were leading by a length and a half, Oxford's time being
ssec. longer. After passing the bridge the crews went
well into the Surrey shore, but could not get quite out
of the rough water, and a lot of splashing by both
boats was the result. At the Oil Mills Cambridge led
by quite two lengths, and then, increasing their
advantage steadily, led by three lengths at the bottom
of Chiswick Eyot. At Chiswick Church, where the
water was again smoother, and the time 12min. 30
secs. for the leaders, and 12min. 40secs. for the
Oxonians, there were still three lengths between the
boats, a distance which remained unaltered until
passing Thorneycroft's, where the Cambridge men
added another length. After making the shoot across
to the Middlesex shore in Horse Reach, which is just
between Barnes Briishe, the Oxonians managed to pull
up nearly a length, though it was only by dint of row-
ing four more strokes a minute more than the Light
Blues, whilst at the Bull's Head, just below the bridge,
there was barely three lengths. At Barnes Bridge—
time, Cambridge, 17m1ns. Bsecs. ; Oxford, 17mins.
17secs.—there was three lengths between the boats,
but 50 yards further on N 0.7 in the Oxford boat broke
his oar and left the blade in the water, and this put
them out of the race, and Cambridge, going on, won
by about three lengths, time 20 minutes 52 seconds.
The iron steamboat Rosalind was chartered to
accommodate the members of the National Union
Club, Albemarle-street, and their friends. Among
the invited guests were Prince Ibrahim Pasha and
suite, Lord Pollington (the hon. sec. of the club),
Lord Londesborough, the Earl of Donoughmore, the
Earl of Yarborough, Lord Colchester, General
Fielden, Sir Charles Stuart, Bart., Sir H. Havelock-
Allan, R. G. Webster, Esq., M.P., Sir E. Green,
M.P., Mr. Baden-Powell, M.P., Mr. A. -Van Wenger,
Mr. Agg-Gardner, M.P., Colonel Rowan Hamilton,
Mr. Gent-Davis, M.P., Mr. Staveley-Hill, M.P., sir
Baldwyn Leighton, Bart., Sir John Jenkins, Earl
Poulett, Colonel Duncan' M.P., Colonel Hughes-
Hallett, M.P., Admiral Mayne, M.P., and many
other gentlemen.
Among those on the Umpire's boat were Mr.
Matthew Arnold, Lord Macnaghten, the recently-
appointed Lord of Appeal in Ordinary, who rowed for
Cambridge in 1852 and 1853 ; and Mr. Justice A. L.
Smith, who rowed in the Cambridge boat which sank
in 1859. On this and the two University steamers
were several leading graduates of Oxford and Cam-
bridge; and, from the Press Boat, Mr. Middy, Q.C.,
viewed the race as the representative of the St. James's
Gazette.