The Boat Race 1885

The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing competition between the University of Oxford (sometimes referred to as the "Dark Blues")^[1] and the University of Cambridge (sometimes referred to as the "Light Blues").^[1] First held in 1829, the race takes place on the 4.2 miles (6.8 km) Championship Course on the River Thames in southwest London.^[2] 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.^[3][4] Cambridge went into the race as reigning champions, having won the previous year's race by 2+1⁄2 lengths, while Oxford held the overall lead, with 22 victories to Cambridge's 18 (excluding the "dead heat" of 1877).^[5][6]

Oxford's coach was G. C. Bourne, who had rowed for the Dark Blues in the 1882 and 1883 races.^[7] There is no record of who coached Cambridge, who were seriously disrupted in the build-up to the race, with Edric Wolseley Haig contracting mumps, J. C. Brown breaking a floating rib and William King Hardacre being introduced to the crew days prior to replace him.^[8] The umpire for the race was Robert Lewis-Lloyd (who had rowed for Cambridge four times between 1856 and 1859).^[9]

The Oxford crew weighed an average of 12 st 6.75 lb (79.1 kg), 7.75 pounds (3.5 kg) more than their opponents.^[10] It was the heaviest crew to have ever featured in the Boat Race.^[8] Cambridge's crew contained four rowers who had Boat Race experience, including Fraser Elmslie Churchill and Sidney Swann, both of whom were participating in their third race. Similarly, Oxford saw four former Blues return, with Douglas McLean making his third appearance and rowing with his brother Hector for the first time.^[10][11]

The race featured one registered non-British participant in Oxford's number two, J. S. Clemons, who originated from Tasmania.^[12]

Seat	Oxford			Cambridge
	Name	College	Weight	Name	College	Weight
Bow	W. S. Unwin	Magdalen	10 st 10.5 lb	N. P. Symonds	Lady Margaret Boat Club	10 st 8 lb
2	J. S. Clemons	Corpus Christi	11 st 9 lb	W. K. Hardacre	Trinity Hall	10 st 8 lb
3	P. W. Taylor	Lincoln	13 st 6.5 lb	W. H. W. Perrott	1st Trinity	12 st 2.5 lb
4	C. R. Carter	Corpus Christi	13 st 2 lb	S. Swann	Trinity Hall	13 st 3.5 lb
5	H. McLean	New College	12 st 12 lb	F. E. Churchill (P)	3rd Trinity	13 st 2.5 lb
6	F. O. Wethered	Christ Church	12 st 6 lb	E. W. Haig	3rd Trinity	11 st 8 lb
7	D. H. McClean	New College	13 st 1.5 lb	R. H. Coke	Trinity Hall	12 st 4 lb
Stroke	H. Girdlestone	Magdalen	12 st 7 lb	F. I. Pitman	3rd Trinity	11 st 11.5 lb
Cox	F. J. Humphreys	Brasenose	8 st 2 lb	G. Wilson	1st Trinity	7 st 11 lb
Source:[13] (P) – boat club president (R. S. de Haviland was Oxford's non-rowing president)[14]