I’m not generally very interested in watching sport – if husband is watching rugby I do sometimes sit down and watch for a while, very much depending on who’s playing and what the game is. I do however have two dates in the year where if possible I do watch an event – the London Marathon and the Cambridge and Oxford Boat Race. Today it was the Boat Race.
As I’ve mentioned many times, I was born and brought up in Cambridge. We were a very ordinary town family, and my dad had been a great oarsman when he was young. I say ‘great’ in the sense of being very keen on rowing, and if his life had not been interrupted by the war from the age of just twenty for seven years (among the first to be called up, among the last to be demobbed) he no doubt would have spent most of his twenties on the river (or by it fishing!) When he returned home from France/Italy/Greece/North Africa he rowed for a while but then began to coach a local team. All through our childhood, Dad was involved in rowing, and we would go along to local regattas on the River Cam (not at all Henley, much more down to earth – – or should I say, down to water!) We would sell programmes, help in the tea tent, cheer on Dad’s oarsmen, follow the results, along with many other ordinary families. A lot of lads at the University would join the clubs, although obviously there were college and University teams, but really it was a sport for local people. In those days there were few if any women’s crews.
So today it was the Boat Race, on the River Thames an annual event dating back to 1829, although it only became an annual event some thirty years later. Two crews of eight oarsmen or women plus a cox, from Oxford and from Cambridge, compete against each other on the Thames. The course is 4.25 miles long in West London, between Putney and Mortlake. It is incredibly exciting, because the crews are not just racing against each other, they have the River Thames to contend with which is tidal, and being on open water there are the elements themselves to battle against. All sorts of unexpected things can happen – once a swimmer held them up as he swam into the middle of the river, there have been technical difficulties, boats taking on water, obstructions by floating things, each year the race is different, but the same – two crews trying to win!
They were very exciting races this year, I confess I did shout at the tv a great deal but that must have been effective because Cambridge won the lot, women’s men’s and reserves! Well done Cambridge, well done Cantabs, hurrah for the light blues!!
Lois Elsden 