THE UNIVERSITY BOAT RACE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 24, 8 July 1871, Page 3

THE UNIVERSITY BOAT RACE.

[Abridged from the DAILY NEWS.] Little time was lost in getting ready for the start. As soon as the two eights had taken up their allotted positions, and the men had divested themselves of their extra flannels and "comforters," Mr Searle, who as usual officiated as starter took them under his charge, and having put the customary preliminary question—" Are you ready ?"-—amid breathless silence gave the fateful signal at lOh. Bm. 15s. It was a beautifully level start—the sixteen oars catching the water simultaneously ; and the longpent excitement of the spectators, both ashore and afloat, found vent in a deafening roar as the two eights dashed away on their journey. For an instant Oxfoid seemed to have the best of it, the nose of their boat being a foot or two in advance, but it was only for an instant, as in the next half-dozen strokes the light blues had recovered their position, and, drawing away in turn inch by inch, soon showed with an appreciable lead. Off Simmond's they were eight or ten feet to the good, and' at the Creek they had increased their advantage to a quarter of a length. Here the Oxford coxswain, apparently not relishing the slack water under the Middlesex shore turned the nose of the boat outwards, and edged further into the tideway, in somewhat dangerous proximity, as it appeared to us, to the bow oars of Cambridge; but Mr Gordon gave way a trifle, and as they made the Point both boats were nearly in the centre of the stream. By this time Cambridge, who had started with a slightly quicker stroke than their opponents, but had now settled down into the steady swing of 38 to the minute, had improved their lead to upwards of half a length, and, notwithstanding all the efforts of the Oxford continued gradually to draw away, coming out with a clear lead midway between the Grass-wharf and the Crab Tree. As they crossed the water a gap of fully half a length separated the two boats, and by the time the Soap Works point was reached the light blue had increased the gap to a clear length. Hitherto Mr Gordon had kept an irreproachable course, but here, probably with a view of washing his opponents, he suddenly pulled his right string hand, thereby throwing his boat right athwart the tide ; the Oxford coxswain followed suite, and as the boats approached the dummy at Hammersmith bridge, their heads were pointing diagonally across the stream, as though they were making for the Doves. Still Cambridge continued to gain, and passed under the Suspension bridge with a lead of nearly a length and a half clear; both crews rowing at this stage of the race—as nearly as we could judge—about 39 to the minute. The time up to Hammersmith was exactly nine minutes nine and a half seconds, not a good performance on paper, but good enough considering they had a head wind all the way and little or no tide under them. Rounding the Horseshoe Bend both boats was very wide—the Oxford coxswain keeping right over on the Middlesex side in the dead water, while the Cambridge were in the middle of the tideway. Alongside Chiswick Eyot, the dark blues, whose rowing had been at times extremely rough and unsteady, seemed to pull themselves together and held their own very fairly up to Chiswick Church, where a brilliant spurt from Mr Lesley, who rowed

throughout with the greatest pluck and determination, brought them up within a length of their leaders, and for a moment it seemed as if the whole aspect of the race was about to undergo a change which at the very spot of late years has so often witnessed the crisis of the struggle. Mr Goldie, however, was equal to the emergency, and a rattling counter spurt, in which he was well hacked up behind by the whole of his crew again took the light blues well to the fore, and by the time the Duke's Bathing place was reached they had gained °their original lead. A little distance above the Bathing place, the Cambridge coxswain, who had hitherto most assiduously thrown his backwash on the port bow of his opponents, suddenly changed his tactics, and crossing over to the Middlesex side, came in front of Oxford, and for the first time in the race fairly took their water. In the next few hundred yards the bonts came on in Indian file; but off the Bull's Head, Mr Hall, finding his crew was rapidly " falling all to peices" in the surf at last crossed over, and came out on the Surrey side—a course he ought, in our opinion, to have taken long before. The two boats retained pretty nearly the same relative positions up to Barnes' Railway bridge, where Cambridge led—as nearly as we could judge from our position on the steamboat some distance astern of the competitors by about two clear lengths. At this stage the race looked all over—hopelessly gone beyond all chance of redemption. The Oxford crew seemed to be utterly beaten and demoralised by the long stern chase, and to all appearances everything was lost but honor; and yet between here and the finish the spectators were treated to one of the most magnificent displays of rowing ever witnessed on the Thames. Bousing his men for a final effort, Mr Lesley quickened from 39 to 43, and in less time than it takes us to record it the whole aspectfof the contest was changed. Hand overhand Oxford came up with the leaders ; off the White Hart the gap was reduced to little more than a length; at the Brewery another half length had been wiped off, and as the boats breasted the Ship the long lead of the Cam bridge had diminished to some twelve or fifteen feet. From here to the flagboat, which was moored a little below the site of Barker's Rails, the Struggle was maintained on both sides with most unflinching detremination, every yard of water being doggedly contested; but, notwithstanding all the efforts of Oxford-—who, despite their distressed condition, held on with their spurt till the last, and actually overlapped the leaders within fifty yards of the finish—the light blues retained their lead to the goal, and ultimately passed the winning post, according to the judge's verdict—three quarters of a length in advance. The time from start to finish was exactly 93 mins 8£ sees.