The Boat Race 1861
| 18th Boat Race | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 16 March 1861 | ||
| Winner | Oxford | ||
| Margin of victory | 16 lengths | ||
| Winning time | 23 minutes 30 seconds | ||
| Overall record (Cambridge–Oxford) |
10–8 | ||
| Umpire |
Joseph William Chitty (Oxford) |
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The 18th Boat Race took place on the River Thames on 16 March 1861. Held annually, The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. The 1861 event, which featured the first ever non-British competitor, suffered numerous interruptions from river traffic. Oxford won by 16 lengths.
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 one length in the previous year's race and led overall with ten wins to Oxford's seven.
The challenge to race was sent from Oxford in the October term which was accepted by Cambridge. Both boats were built specifically for the race, Cambridge's by Searle and Oxford's by Salter. Oxford were "occasionally looked after" by H. Baxter, who rowed in the 1860 race, and C. G. Lane who represented the Dark Blues in the 1858 and 1859 races. 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.
The Cambridge crew weighed an average of 11 st 4.875 lb (71.9 kg), 0.875 pounds (0.4 kg) per rower more than their Dark Blue opposition. George Morrison returned to the Oxford crew, having rowed in the previous year's race. Cambridge saw Chaytor, Blake, Coventry and Hall return. The race featured the first non-British rower in the history of the event: William Robertson of Wadham College, Oxford was educated at Geelong Grammar School in Australia before representing the Dark Blues at number four.
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