The Portland daily press., 1881-04-09
SPORTING.
The Race Between Cambridge and
Oxford.
OXFORD WINS BY FOUR LENGTHS.

PUTNEY, ENGLAND, April s. The haze be-
gan to clear away at o'clock Before O'Clock
the two crews were on the ground, and also .
large concourse of spectators. The Oxford
The Cambridge crew did not take the water
until they were ready for the start. The UNI
pire's boat appeared soon after o'clock. On
entering their boats. the Crews were greatly
cheered, Cambridge seeming to hold the first
place in public estimation.
The Cambridge crew embarked at $50
o'clock, and the Oxford crew at S25. The tide
was nearly spent, being neither strong nor high
flood. The Cambridge boat was fitted with
wind sail. The Oxfords won the toss for choice
of position. The skiffs were moored very close
together. At $50 o'clock the men stripped
together, both crews striking 36 strokes to the
minute. They kept well together to the top of
the concrete wall. Time minutes 43 seconds.
Here the Oxford boat drew slightly ahead. but
the Cambridge boat got on a level again at
Walden wharf Time minutes % seconds.
Up to now there was little to choose in time or
style, the crews having kept very close togeth-
or and rowing very steadily. At the Grab Tree,
one mile two furlongs from the start, Cam
bridge drew over a little toward the Surry
shore; The race was magnificent and the
crowds ashore and aboard the steamers loudly
cheered and applauded. The time to the soap
works, about two furlongs further on, was
minutes 20 seconds. At Hammersmith bridge,
l mile furlongs from the start, the Oxfords
were two seconds ahead. Time, s minutes 46
seconds. They drew away just above the Wall
and seemed to be going better than the Cam
bridge crew, though the latter quickened up
and got within one-half length when off the
Oil Mills. The time to the bottom of CHS
wick Eyot, six and half furlongs from Ham,
mersmith bridge, was IL minutes a seconds,
with the Oxfords nearly length ahead, and
both rowing Sc strokes minute steadily, but
the Oxfords a longer and cleaner stroke. In
the Corney reach the water was not rough
enough to cause inconvenience The Oxfords
now had clearly the best of what was neverthe
less determined struggle. and seemed to have
the race we'll in hand. When Barnes bridge
was sighted, they were quite clear of the other
boat, and passed the bridge in Is minutes
seconds. Cambridge followed in IS minutes 8
seconds. The Oxfords now went clear away,
and when the bend was made for Mortlake
they were three lengths ahead and rowing
with the same ease, power and regularity from
the start to the finish. The Cambridge crew
rowed splendid race for three miles. The
course was admirably kept throughout, and
there was no accident or hitch.
The Oxfords won by fully four lengths The
time of the race was q minutes and 81 Sec
onds.
OF the thirty-seven races previously rowed
between crews of the two colleges, Oxford has
won nineteen, Cambridge seventeen, and one
lin 1870 was dead heat. The best time was
made by Cambridge in 1873, when the course
from Putney to Mortlake was covered in 19m
35s., and when Oxford was beaten IA lengths
In 1880 Oxford won by three lengths in 2lm.
% sec. In to-day's race each crew rowed in a
boat 81 feet long