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Oxford v Cambridge Boat Race 2008

THE OXFORD – CAMBRIDGE BOAT RACE

HISTORY
Members of both teams are traditionally known as “blues,” with Cambridge in light blue and Oxford dark blue. The Boat Race has become an esteemed event on the British amateur sporting calendar, but started in 1829 as a challenge between former schoolmates. Charles Merivale of Cambridge challenged Charles Wordsworth (nephew of poet William) of Oxford to a rowing race. The inaugural Boat Race, won by Oxford, took place at Henley-on-Thames. By 1839, the Boat Race had become an annual contest, taking place in London, between Westminster and Putney. It soon became extremely popular, and in order to accommodate the large numbers of spectators, the race took place between Putney and Mortlake (the current course) for the first time in 1845. From its inception up to 1861, Cambridge led 10-7, including successive victories in 1836, 1839, 1840 and 1841. From 1861 to 1869, Oxford ran up a nine-year unbeaten run. The 1877 race was declared a dead heat for the first and only time. It is alleged that the judge, one “Honest” John Phelps, was asleep when the boats crossed the line. In 1912, both boats sank, Oxford winning the subsequent re-run. On its 1920 resumption (following the Great War), Cambridge won successively thirteen times, the longest “hot streak” in Boat Race history. Sue Brown became the first woman to contest the Boat Race, coxing Oxford to success in 1981. The “Light Blues” suffered a number of hard luck stories in the 1980s, including damaging their boat (making it unraceable) prior to the 1984 event. However, Cambridge pride was restored in 1993. A further six victories followed, from 1994 to 1999, including smashing the course record in ‘98. The overall score is Cambridge 79, Oxford 73, with the controversial dead-heat in 1877.

THE BOAT RACE TODAY
There is such competition between the teams that Olympic standard rowers have been included in Boat Race teams, notably four times Olympic gold medallist Matthew Pinsent (Oxford 1990, 1991 and 1993). Other Olympians have competed, including Tim Foster (Oxford 1997), Luka Grubor (Oxford 1997), Kieran West (Cambridge 1999, 2001, 2006 and 2007) and Ed Coode (Oxford 1998).The modern Boat Race has become a major international sporting occasion, drawing millions of viewers from around the world. Some quarter of a million spectators crowd the banks of the Thames to watch the action. Cambridge won the most recent encounter (2007) but Oxford won the previous two (2005 and 2006). The 154th Boat Race takes place on Saturday, March 29th at 5.15p.m.

BETTING ON THE BOAT RACE

Available Bets

Outright Winner
Online bookmakers offer prices on:
1. An Oxford Win.
2. A Cambridge Win.
3. A Dead-Heat.

Special Bets
A number of special markets are available from online sites. These include:

Winning Margin
Prices are available online for the distance by which the Boat Race will be won. Dependent on the bookmaker in question, this bet may be presented in one of two forms:

1. Predict the Winning Distance
To win this bet, a successful prediction of the winning distance by either team is required, e.g. under 1 length, 2 to 4 lengths, etc.

2. Predict the Winning Distance and Winning Team
Winning this bet is dependent on successfully predicting the winning team and the distance by which they win, e.g. Oxford by under 1 length, Cambridge by 2 to 4 lengths, etc.

Both bets are notoriously difficult to win, but some value may be found if ignoring the bookmakers’ favourite selections and keeping stakes to a minimum.

New Course Record
Prices are offered on either team setting a completing the course in record time. Dependent on the conditions on the day of the race (late March not being renowned for its balmy weather), there may be some value in this market. Punters taking a price before race day are gambling on the weather as well as the abilities of the crews. However, this should be compensated for by a longer price. Such a bet is certainly “pushing the boat out,” but Cambridge did shave nearly half a minute off the course record in 1998.

Both Boats to Sink
The price offered by online bookmakers for both boats sinking during the Boat Race is usually in the region of 8/1 to 10/1. For punters seeking a small financial interest, this bet is not without hope. Both boats inevitably take on water during the course of the race, and its removal by an onboard pump keeps the boat afloat. 10/1 about two mechanical failures seems reasonable value.