The Boat Race 1898
| 55th Boat Race | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 24 March 1898 | ||
| Winner | Oxford | ||
| Margin of victory | "easily" | ||
| Winning time | 22 minutes 15 seconds | ||
| Overall record (Cambridge–Oxford) |
22–32 | ||
| Umpire |
Frank Willan (Oxford) |
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The 55th Boat Race took place on 24 March 1898. Held annually, the Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. Oxford, the reigning champions and leading overall, went into the race with a marginally heavier crew than Cambridge. They won "easily" as Cambridge's boat became waterlogged in strong winds and inclement conditions. It was their ninth consecutive victory and took them to an overall lead of 32–22 in the event. The winning time of 22 minutes 15 seconds was the slowest since the 1878 race.
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. The rivalry is a major point of honour between the two universities; it is followed throughout the United Kingdom and as of 2014, broadcast worldwide. Oxford went into the race as reigning champions, having won the 1897 race by two-and-a-half lengths, with Cambridge leading overall with 31 victories to Cambridge's 22 (excluding the "dead heat" of 1877).
Oxford were coached by G. C. Bourne who had rowed for Oxford in the 1882 and 1883 races and Douglas McLean (an Oxford Blue five times between 1883 and 1887). Cambridge's president, William Dudley Ward, despite opposition, invited William Fletcher, Oxford Blue and former coach, to assist in teaching his crew the style required to challenge the Dark Blues. Several members of the Light Blue crew refused to row, and Dudley Ward himself was refused leave to row on grounds of sickness. According to George Drinkwater, former rower and author, "Fletcher turned out a crew well above the average of previous years." Conversely, Oxford "did not develop as it should have done" and was "by no means up to the average of those that went before it."
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