 During the build-up to the race, Cambridge suffered misfortune in particular with regard to their number four. M. A. Nicholson, the first choice, was taken ill and was replaced by P. A. G. Dewar. Just two days later Dewar was forced to leave the boat suffering with blood poisoning from a septic boil. D. J. D. Perrins was Cambridge's third and final choice. With a week to go, the Light Blue coach Thomson stated "we took a day off yesterday because some of the crew were feeling off-colour ... they appear to be suffering from some internal trouble". The rowing correspondent for The Manchester Guardian noted that the Light Blues were "not quite fast enough and are not particularly well together" yet showed promise. He also noted that while Oxford had improved considerably, Cambridge would most likely start as favourites.
