GLORIOUS spring sunshine brought record crowds to the towpath for the Henley Boat Races on Sunday — a marked contrast to the wind and rain which had been a feature of the races for the last three years.
The event, second only to the Royal Regatta for spectator numbers, features the Oxford v Cambridge Women’s Boat Race as the main event, and includes races for men’s and women’s lightweights as well as reserve crews.
The programme kicked off with a row-over for Nephthys to take the lightweight men’s reserve race. Cambridge have had insufficient funds to boat a competitive crew for the last three years and the race now falls into abeyance until agreement can be reached by the two participating clubs.
The women’s reserve race saw Osiris, for Oxford, lead off the start but Blondie hung on grimly and when the Dark Blues began to falter they seized the advantage and clawed back the lead. Not even a clash of blades at Fawley could prevent Blondie going on to win for Cambridge by 1½ lengths - their first win since 2000.
Clean technique gave Oxford the early lead in the women’s lightweights race and they were already five seconds clear at Fawley. Oxford widened the gap to win by a nine second verdict which was officially given as 2½ lengths.
With honours even in the women’s boat race for the last four years the form guide from the women’s eights head two weeks ago suggested that Oxford might draw ahead once more. They eased ahead at 44 strokes a minute against Cambridge at 46, but kept up the rate and the pressure, settling into a race pace of 35, three pips higher than the opposition. In the closing stages of the race Cambridge managed to narrow the gap but to no avail — Oxford crossed the line 1¼ lengths clear in 6mins 24secs.
The final race of the afternoon was the lightweight men’s race in which a technically superior Cambridge crew beat Oxford to secure their first victory in the event for eight years.
Prizes were presented to all the successful crews after racing by double world champion and Olympic silver medallist Annie Vernon, now one of many Henley Boat Race athletes who have gone on to world and Olympic class sporting endeavour.
“It’s been a very successful day’s racing, and the fine weather has brought out very large crowds” said regatta chairman Robert Treharne Jones.
“My main concern is that once again we have no core sponsor, so the funding contrast with the Boat Race in London is even more marked. The athletes are having to fork out up to £2000 each for their training costs through the year, and the only income I have to run the event is what I can generate through car parking and programme sales. We have to generate more support to develop the event and reflect the high standard of the crews who take part.”
Published on 30 March 2009
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