The Boat Race 1971
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| 117th Boat Race | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 27 March 1971 | ||
| Winner | Cambridge | ||
| Margin of victory | 10 lengths | ||
| Winning time | 17 minutes 58 seconds | ||
| Overall record (Cambridge–Oxford) | 65–51 | ||
| Umpire | C. G. V. Davidge (Oxford) | ||
| Other races | |||
| Reserve winner | Goldie | ||
| Women's winner | Cambridge | ||
| |||
The 117th Boat Race took place on 27 March 1971. Held annually, it is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. It was won by Cambridge who passed the finishing post ten lengths ahead of Oxford, securing Cambridge's fourth consecutive victory. The winning time was, at that point, the second fastest in the history of the event.
In the reserve race, Goldie beat Isis, and in the Women's Boat Race, Cambridge were victorious.
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] 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.[2][3] The rivalry is a major point of honour between the two universities, followed throughout the United Kingdom and broadcast worldwide.[4][5][6] Cambridge went into the race as reigning champions, having beaten Oxford by 3+1⁄2 lengths in the previous year's race, and held the overall lead, with 64 victories to Oxford's 51 (excluding the "dead heat" of 1877).[7][8]
The first Women's Boat Race took place in 1927, but did not become an annual fixture until the 1960s. Until 2014, the contest was conducted as part of the Henley Boat Races, but as of the 2015 race, it is held on the River Thames, on the same day as the men's main and reserve races.[9] The reserve race, contested between Oxford's Isis boat and Cambridge's Goldie boat has been held since 1965. It usually takes place on the Tideway, prior to the main Boat Race.[8]
Cambridge coach Lou Barry was aiming to lead the Light Blues to victory for the fourth consecutive time under his guidance,[10] while Oxford were coached by their former Blue, Ronnie Howard, who represented the university in the 1957 and 1959 races.[11][12] The race was umpired by the former Oxford and Olympic rower Christopher Davidge who had represented the Dark Blues in the 1949, 1951 and 1952 races.[13][14][15]
Crews
The Oxford crew weighed an average of 13 st 8 lb (86.0 kg), 2 pounds (0.9 kg) per rower more than their opponents.[16] Cambridge saw the return of four former Blues in Chris Baillieu, James Hervey-Bathurst, Christopher Rodrigues and N. G. Hughes, all of whom had made their Boat Race debut in the 1970 race. Oxford welcomed back A. J. Hall, J. Hawksley and F. J. L. Dale, the latter rowing in his third Boat Race for the Dark Blues.[16] Cambridge's American number seven, Somerset Waters III, was the only non-British rower recorded in the race.[17][18]
| Seat | Oxford  |
Cambridge  | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | College | Weight | Name | College | Weight | |
| Bow | D. Hunt | Keble | 12 st 11 lb | G. J. Phillpotts | Clare | 11 st 11 lb |
| 2 | K. Bolshaw | Christ Church | 12 st 11 lb | C. L. Baillieu | Jesus | 13 st 5 lb |
| 3 | S. D. Nevin | Christ Church | 13 st 8 lb | J. F. Hervey-Bathurst | Trinity | 13 st 4 lb |
| 4 | C. R. W. Parish | Christ Church | 13 st 10 lb | N. W. James | Jesus | 13 st 10 lb |
| 5 | D. R. D. Willis | St Peter's | 15 st 0 lb | B. A. Sullivan | Selwyn | 14 st 7 lb |
| 6 | A. J. Hall | Keble | 14 st 13 lb | D. L. Maxwell | Jesus | 14 st 6 lb |
| 7 | F. J. L. Dale (P) | Keble | 14 st 13 lb | S. R. Waters III | Trinity | 13 st 8 lb |
| Stroke | J. Hawksley | Balliol | 12 st 10 lb | C. J. Rodrigues (P) | Jesus | 13 st 6 lb |
| Cox | M. T. Eastman | Christ Church | 8 st 11 lb | N. G. Hughes | Queens' | 8 st 12 lb |
| Source:[19][20] (P) – Boat club president[21] | ||||||
