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RaceBoat

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The idea for a rowing race between the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge came from two friends – Charles Merivale, a student at Cambridge, and his school friend Charles Wordsworth who was at Oxford.

THE IDEA

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When did it all start?

On 12 March 1829, Cambridge sent a challenge to Oxford and thus the tradition was born which has continued to the present day, where the loser of the previous year’s race challenges the opposition to a re-match.

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The course is 6,779 m from Putney to Mortlake, passing Hammersmith and Barnes; it is sometimes referred to as the Championship Course, and follows an S shape, east to west.

WHERE?

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RACE DAY

On Race Day up to 250,000 spectators crowd the banks of the Thames from Putney to Mortlake to witness the action.

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The best vantage points in the middle section of the course are Hammersmith (on London Underground’s Piccadilly, Hammersmith and City or District Lines)

VANTAGE POINTS

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Members of both teams are traditionally known as blues and each boat as a "Blue Boat", with Cambridge in light blue and Oxford dark blue.

WHO IS WHO?

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• The first female to take part in the race was Susan Brown, who coxed for Oxford in 1981

• One entertainment for spectators is the possibility of a boat sinking

• This happened to Cambridge in 1859 and 1978 and to Oxford in 1925 and 1951

FACTS?

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The most famous commentary on The Boat Race featured BBC radio commentator John Snagge who, his voice filled with excitement during the 1949 staging of the event, reported: "I can't see who's in the lead but it's either Oxford or Cambridge."

FAMOUS COMMENTARY?

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• Xchanging began its Boat Race sponsorship in 2005

• Xchanging is a fast-growing international business processing company

• Xchanging also provides procurement, finance and accounting, and human resources services to customers across industries.

THE SPONSORS

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After an epic battle over the first half of the course, with Cambridge stealing a brief lead after Hammersmith, Oxford regained the initiative and moved steadily away to their third boat race victory in five years.

2008

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2009

• 28 March 2009

• Live on ZDF and Eurosport

• A huge push around the Surrey bend from favourites Oxford earned them victory in the 155th University Boat Race.

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You can find much more information on The Boat Race

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here

www.theboatrace.org

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The End