The Henley Boat Races
» This Year's Boat Race
This year's Henley Boat Races will take place on the 23rd March 2008. For more information on the event please see the Henley Boat Races Website: www.henleyboatraces.com
» History of the Henley Boat Races
The Henley Boat Races were founded in 1975 by Richard Bates, an undergraduate at St John's College, Cambridge, when he arranged the first Lightweight Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge over Henley Reach. This echoed the first Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race, which took place at Henley in 1829.
Although the Women's Boat Race was first raced in 1927, in the form of a time and style contest, it was also undergoing a revival in the 1970s and the event joined the men at Henley in 1977. The Blondie-Osiris reserve crew race followed, and the women's lightweight race was inaugurated in 1984. A men's reserve crew race between Nephthys and Granta was the fifth and last race to be added, and led the programme between 2000 and 2006 before being removed in 2007.
As Race Day became more popular so the duties required to run the organisation became too demanding for the unfortunate crew president on whom they fell. In 1989 a committee was set up, comprising the club presidents under the chairmanship of Mark Blandford-Baker, to agree the umpire, the date and other race details for the benefit of all. The chairman co-ordinated event development and helped maintain the excellent working relationship with Henley Royal Regatta, Leander Club, Remenham Club and the myriad of contractors and organisations that are now essential for the smooth running of the event. In the early days Mike Sweeney was frequently race umpire and used his rowing skills to help draft the initial version of the Race Agreement under which all subsequent races have been run. This goodwill continues with the Henley Boat Races still relying heavily on the support of HRR.
In 1995 Patrick Gillespie (CULRC 1989/90, OULRC 1992) who holds a unique title as the only man ever to have won Boat Races representing both universities, joined the committee as chairman's assistant, in the knowledge that Mark Blandford-Baker could not stay indefinitely, and took over the lead role in 1999 until he handed over the reins to Robert Treharne Jones after the 2003 event.
» Past Results
| » Total Wins | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Men's Lightweights | Nephthys/Granta | ||
| Cambridge | 20 | Cambridge | 2 |
| Oxford | 13 | Oxford | 6 |
| » Year-by-Year Results | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Men's Lightweights | Nephthys/Granta | ||||
| 2007 | Oxford | 3.44 | 1 | |||
| 2006 | Oxford | 5.18 | 2 1/4 | Oxford | 5.26 | 5 |
| 2005 | Oxford | 5.51 | 3 | Oxford | 6.07 | 4 1/2 |
| 2004 | Oxford | 5.36 | 1/2 | Oxford | 5.45 | CVS |
| 2003 | Oxford | 5.55 | 1 1/4 | Cambridge | 6.19 | 2 1/2 |
| 2002 | Oxford | 5.21 | 2 | Oxford | 5.33 | 2 |
| 2001 | Cambridge | 6.33 | 4 | Oxford | 7.00 | 1/2 |
| 2000 | Cambridge | 5.40 | 2 | Cambridge | 5.50 | 2 3/4 |
| 1999 | Oxford | 5.31 | 1 1/2 | . | . | . |
| 1998 | Cambridge | 5.45 | 1/2 | . | . | . |
| 1997 | Oxford | 5.49 | 1 | . | . | . |
| 1996 | Oxford | NRO | DISQ | . | . | . |
| 1995 | Cambridge | 5.29 | 1/3 | . | . | . |
| 1994 | Oxford | 5.35 | 3/4 | . | . | . |
| 1993 | Cambridge | 5.39 | 1/2 | . | . | . |
| 1992 | Oxford | 5.40 | 2 1/2 | . | . | . |
| 1991 | Cambridge | 6.39 | 1/3 | . | . | . |
| 1990 | Cambridge | 6.40 | 4 3/4 | . | . | . |
| 1989 | Cambridge | 5.51 | 4 1/2 | . | . | . |
| 1988 | Cambridge | . | . | . | . | . |
| 1988 | Cambridge | . | . | . | . | . |
| 1987 | Cambridge | . | . | . | . | . |
| 1986 | Cambridge | . | . | . | . | . |
| 1985 | Cambridge | . | . | . | . | . |
| 1984 | Cambridge | . | . | . | . | . |
| 1983 | Cambridge | . | . | . | . | . |
| 1982 | Cambridge | . | . | . | . | . |
| 1981 | Cambridge | . | . | . | . | . |
| 1980 | Cambridge | . | . | . | . | . |
| 1979 | Cambridge | . | . | . | . | . |
| 1978 | Cambridge | . | . | . | . | . |
| 1977 | Oxford | . | . | . | . | . |
| 1976 | Oxford | . | . | . | . | . |
| 1975 | Cambridge | . | . | . | . | . |
Margins and timesare shown from the date the course was standardised for all races. (Times for 2007 are for short course) (2001 race was held at Holme Pierrepont). Records are shown in RED
» Lightweight Rowing
The idea of a separate 'lightweight' category in rowing is widely credited to Joseph Wright, who in 1917, having recently been appointed as rowing coach for Pennsylvania University, organised a lightweight crew to allow the lighter rowers a chance to compete despite the varsity crews being dominated by heavier men. Lightweight rowing spread among American universities, and by 1929 it was sufficiently competitive for Columbia University to enter their lightweight crew in the Thames Cup at Henley Royal Regatta.
Lightweight rowing was first introduced to the FISA World Rowing Championships in 1974 (the same year as women's rowing was introduced) "to encourage more universality in the sport especially among nations with less statuesque people" and CULRC was founded in the same year, with the first Lightweight Boat Race taking place in 1975. The first Womens' Lightweight Boat Race, between CUWBC Lightweights and OUWLRC, took place in 1984, one year before the introduction of a Womens' lightweight category to the 1985 World Championships (1985 was also the first year that international women's events were raced over the full 2K course - before that they only raced over 1000m.)
The first Olympic lightweight events were held in 1996, with ML4-, ML2x and WL2x events replacing M4+, M2+ and W2-. Currently, the World Rowing Championships have events for lightweight men's 1x, 2x, 2-, 4x, 4- and 8+, and lightweight women's 1x, 2x and 4x. The Olympic Regatta has events for lightweight men's double and coxless four, and lightweight women's double.
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