The Boat Race 1868
| 25th Boat Race | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 4 April 1868 | ||
| Winner | Oxford | ||
| Margin of victory | 6 lengths | ||
| Winning time | 20 minutes 56 seconds | ||
| Overall record (Cambridge–Oxford) |
10–15 | ||
| Umpire |
Joseph William Chitty (Oxford) |
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The 25th Boat Race between crews from the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge took place on the River Thames on 4 April 1868. Oxford won by six lengths in a time of 20 minutes and 56 seconds, taking the overall record to 15–10 in their favour. Oxford cox Charles Tottenham became the first person in the history of the event to win five Boat Races, and Cambridge saw their first non-British rower compete.
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. Oxford went into the race as reigning champions, having defeated Cambridge by half a length in the previous year's race and led overall with fourteen wins to Cambridge's ten.
In February 1868, former Cambridge Blue Hon J. H. Gordon was found fatally wounded in his room from an accidentally self-inflicted gun discharge. This resulted in Cambridge University Boat Club president John Still requesting that the usual challenge, which had been sent to Oxford in the Lent term, be rescinded. According to MacMichael, the response was "very unsympathetic" in tone and therefore the challenge stood and was accepted: the universities would race.
Cambridge were coached for a week each by John Bourke (who had rowed in the unsuccessful crews of the 1866 and 1867 races) and the former boat club president William Griffiths (who had represented the Light Blues three times between the 1865 and 1867 races). Thomas Selby Egan coached the Cantabrigians for the three weeks preceding the race. Oxford were coached by E. F. Henley (who rowed in 1865 and 1866), the former Oxford University Boat Club president G. Morrison, R. W. Risley (who rowed four times between the 1857 and 1860 races) and Walter Bradford Woodgate (who rowed in the 1862 and 1863 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, while the starter was Edward Searle and the finishing judge was John Phelps. Despite the weeks of training, Cambridge did not arrive at Putney in a "state in which a University crew is expected to be." Conversely, according to Oxford's Frank Willan, the Dark Blues "made great progress during the last week" and "came to the post eventually very fit."
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