Tim Koch writes:
Most HTBS readers will be aware that Oxford won the 160th Boat Race. I never give my analysis of this event as there are many better qualified people who will be far more illuminating about it than I ever could (notably Rachel Quarrell in the Telegraph, Christopher Dodd on Rowing Voice and Peter McConnell on the Boat Race website). My custom is to give the ‘HTBS angle’ on the day and this year I saw it from a very special angle indeed. I had the great honour and privilege getting a place in one of the press launches and saw the whole event from the Surrey station in a position slightly astern of the umpire. Four hours later, I still feel like a small child who has had too much sugar. This excitement is tinged with some sadness that it was not a clean race and that there was a clash, a crab and a damaged rigger. This probably did not change the final result but no one wants a Boat Race to effectively end like this. This year's 6 o'clock start means that it is ten o'clock as I write this. Normally I would ‘blog’ (if that is a verb) into the night to produce a post but, in eleven hours time, I start a new job. I suppose that I should stay wake for the first day at least so I that I will attempt a few posts spread over the next few days. Apologies for this but here are a couple of things to be going on with. There is a nice BBC video online entitled ‘Boat Races that did not run smoothly’ (for UK viewers only) and here is the moment that I captured Luke Juckett, the Cambridge ‘2’, with his head and shoulders tipped underwater following a clash of blades.
Oxford:
Mile Post 3.47
Hammersmith Bridge 6.48
Chiswick Steps 10.59
Barnes Bridge 15.18
Finish 18.36
Cambridge:
Mile Post 3.44
Hammersmith Bridge 6.56
Chiswick Steps 11.15
Barnes Bridge 15.46
Finish 19.08
Official verdict 11 lengths.
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Having read the Boat Race Report I'm just hoping that Richard Phelps will keep the boats a little further apart next year. But of course as BNC cox the only time that I was involved in side by side racing was the Junior Trial Eights, and on benign water too.
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