Not surprisingly, he would be expected to be more specific. But if he said 'the Boat Race', he would be understood instantly. Everybody would know that he was referring to the annual race between the Oxford University Eight and the Cambridge Eight. This extraordinary event occupies a unique position. Every year thousands of spectators and a vast television audience watch the two crews race over 8 kilometers on the river Thames in London.
Nobody understands why there is so much interested.
They are not the best crews in the country. The result has no significance. Rowing isn't even very popular in Britain. The Oxford colour is dark blue. Cambridge is light blue.