| I have been fascinated with the annual Boat Race | | | | to a rematch the following year. |
| between Oxford and Cambridge University for as long | | | | On 10th June 1829, thousands of enthusiastic people |
| as I can remember. I didn?t attend any of these top | | | | descended on the small town of Henley-on-Thames in |
| two British Universities, nor do I have an avid | | | | Oxfordshire. They were there to witness the first ever |
| enthusiasm for rowing but this traditional race of the | | | | staging of the Boat Race between Oxford and |
| two boats over exactly 4 miles and 374 yards still | | | | Cambridge?s best rowing teams. In a rather |
| holds a fascination for me. I am not alone as the | | | | embarrassing turn of events the race had to be |
| televised event is broadcast, from the historic River | | | | stopped shortly after both boats had begun to be |
| Thames, to hundreds of countries and has an | | | | rowed. It was restarted and Oxford was the winner |
| audience of millions. The idea for the boat race | | | | of the first boat race against Cambridge. |
| between these paragons of academia was dreamt up | | | | One thing that I didn?t realise about the Boat Race until |
| by two students, both named Charles, funnily enough. | | | | fairly recently was that the members of both crews |
| Charles Merivale was at Cambridge University and | | | | do not get any special dispensation as far as their |
| Charles Wordsworth was at Oxford. | | | | studies go. If they can?t keep up with their academic |
| Cambridge issued their challenge to Oxford on March | | | | commitments then the students must resign from that |
| 12th 1829. Ever since then, it has been a tradition for | | | | year?s boat squad. |
| the loser of a year?s race to challenge the other boat | | | | |