page_title: The Boat Race 1874
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: The Boat Race 1874 / Background
caption_attribution_description: English: Sir Joseph William Chitty (1828-1899)
context_page_description: The 31st Boat Race took place on the 28 March 1874. The Boat Race is an annual side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. In a race umpired by former Oxford rower Joseph William Chitty, Cambridge won by three and a half lengths in their fifth consecutive victory.
context_section_description: The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing competition between the University of Oxford (sometimes referred to as the "Dark Blues") and the University of Cambridge (sometimes referred to as the "Light Blues").  The race was first held in 1829, and since 1845 has taken place on the 4.2-mile (6.8 km) Championship Course on the River Thames in southwest London.  Cambridge went into the race as reigning champions, having defeated Oxford by three lengths in the previous year's race, while Oxford led overall with sixteen wins to Cambridge's fourteen.
  Cambridge were coached by John Graham Chambers (who rowed for Cambridge in the 1862 and 1863 races, and was non-rowing boat club president for the 1865 race), William Henry Lowe (who rowed for Cambridge in the 1868, 1870 and 1871 races) and John Goldie (the Cambridge boat club president and rower for the 1869, 1870 and 1871 races).  Oxford's coach was S. D. Darbishire (who rowed for the Dark Blues in 1868, 1869 and 1870).
  Cambridge opted not to use the boat built for them by Harry Clasper specifically for the race, in favour of one constructed by Waites which had been used by 1st Trinity Boat Club. The race was umpired by Joseph William Chitty who had rowed for Oxford twice in 1849 (in the March and December races) and the 1852 race, while the starter was Edward Searle.
caption: Joseph William Chitty was the umpire for the 1874 Boat Race.
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