The Lightweight Boat Races

Annual rowing races on the River Thames

The Lightweight Boat Races
Contested by
CUBC
(formerly CULRC / CUWBC) 		OULRC / OUWLRC
Lightweight Men contested since 1975[1]
Lightweight Women contested since 1984[1]
Lightweight Men's reserves contested 2000–2009 and 2016–onwards[1]
Lightweight Women's reserves contested 2012 and 2016–2023
Course The Championship Course[2]
Formerly Henley Regatta course (downstream)[3]
Course length 4.2 miles (6.8 km)[2]
Number of wins[4]
CUBC Men OULRC
31 19
CUBC Women OUWLRC
24 17
Official website
www.lightweightboatraces.co.uk

The Lightweight Boat Races are a series of annual rowing races between men's and women's lightweight crews representing the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge.

The first men's race took place in 1975, being joined by the women's race in 1984. Both races are currently held on the 4.2-mile (6.8 km) Championship Course from Putney to Mortlake, although they previously formed part of the Henley Boat Races, along with various other rowing races between the two universities, including the openweight women's Boat Race. Members of both teams are traditionally known as blues or half blues and each boat as a Blue Boat. Competitors at the events have gone on to compete at international and Olympic levels.

History

Richard Bates, a Cambridge undergraduate, organised a Boat Race between lightweight men's crews of Oxford and Cambridge universities in 1975, to take place at Henley-on-Thames. The race was joined by the openweight women's Boat Race two years later, thus forming the Henley Boat Races. The first lightweight women's boat race took place at the event in 1984.[1] Reserve races have taken place since 2000 (except 2010-2015) for the lightweight men (Nephthys vs Granta) and in some years since 2012 for the lightweight women (Tethys vs CUWBC Lightweight Reserves).

In 2019, the lightweight men's race moved to the Championship Course from Putney to Mortlake, where it has been held since. The lightweight women's race made the same move the following year in 2020.[2]

For the men's race the average weight of the crew must not exceed 70 kg (154.3 lb / 11 st 0.3 lb), with no rower weighing over 72.5 kg (159.8 lb / 11 st 5.8 lb). For the women's race, no rower can exceed 59 kg (130.0 lb / 9 st 4 lb).

The races receive annual press coverage,[5][6][7][8][9] and competitors from both Universities have gone on to compete at international and Olympic levels.[10][11][12][13]

Results

The history of the results of the races are as follows.[4][14][15][16][17]

Lightweight Men's Boat Race

  • Cambridge: 30 wins
  • Oxford: 20 wins
No. Date Winner Time Winning Margin (Lengths) Oxford Wins Cambridge Wins
1 1975 Cambridge 6:18 - 1
2 1976 Oxford 6:32 1 1
3 1977 Oxford 6:19 1 2 1
4 1978 Cambridge 5.48 2⁄3 2 2
5 1979 Cambridge 5.39 2/3 2 3
6 1980 Cambridge 6:15 2 4
7 1981 Cambridge 6:21 2 5
8 1982 Cambridge NTT 2 6
9 1983 Cambridge 5:53 2 7
10 1984 Cambridge 5:40 1+1⁄3 2 8
11 1985 Cambridge 6:00 6 ft 2 9
12 1986 Cambridge 6:24 2 2 10
13 1987 Cambridge 6:09 1⁄2 2 11
14 1988 Cambridge 5:50 2 12
15 1989 Cambridge 5:51 4+1⁄2 2 13
16 1990 Cambridge 6:40 4+3⁄4 2 14
17 1991 Cambridge 6:39 1⁄3 2 15
18 1992 Oxford 5:40 2+1⁄2 3 15
19 1993 Cambridge 5:39 1⁄2 3 16
20 1994 Oxford 5:35 3⁄4 4 16
21 1995 Cambridge 5:29 1⁄3 4 17
22 1996 Oxford NRO disq 5 17
23 1997 Oxford 5:49 1 6 17
24 1998 Cambridge 5:45 1⁄2 6 18
25 1999 Oxford 5:31 1+1⁄2 7 18
26 2000 Cambridge 5:40 2 7 19
27 2001 Cambridge 6:33 4 (raced at Holme Pierrepont) 7 20
28 2002 Oxford 5:21 2 8 20
29 2003 Oxford 5:55 1+1⁄4 9 20
30 2004 Oxford 5:36 1⁄2 10 20
31 2005 Oxford 5:51 3 11 20
32 1 April 2006 Oxford 5:18 2+1⁄4 12 20
33 1 April 2007 Oxford 3:44 1 (raced over a shortened course) 13 20
34 23 March 2008 Oxford 6:15 2+1⁄2 14 20
35 22 March 2009 Cambridge 5:49 3 14 21
36 28 March 2010 Cambridge 5:28 2 ft 14 22
37 27 March 2011 Oxford 5:54 Canvas 15 22
38 25 March 2012 Cambridge 6:00 3⁄4 15 23
39 24 March 2013 Oxford 6:49 1+2⁄3 (raced at Dorney) 16 23
40 30 March 2014 Cambridge 5:30 3+1⁄2 16 24
41 5 April 2015 Cambridge 5:55 4 ft 16 25
42 19 March 2016 Cambridge 6:19 Easily 16 26
43 26 March 2017 Cambridge 6:07 1+3⁄4 16 27
44 18 March 2018 Cambridge 6:26 1⁄3 (raced at Dorney) 16 28
45 24 March 2019 Oxford 17:43 2+1⁄3 (first race on the Tideway) 17 28
46 15 March 2020 Oxford 18:50 3+1⁄2 18 28
47 23 May 2021 Oxford 14:19 1+1⁄2 (raced at Ely) 19 28
48 20 March 2022 Cambridge 18:01 5 19 29
49 20 March 2023 Cambridge 18:18 11 19 30
50 29 March 2024 Cambridge 20:15 51⁄2 19 31

Lightweight Women's Boat Race

  • Cambridge: 24 wins
  • Oxford: 17 wins
No. Date Winner Time Winning Margin (Lengths) Oxford Wins Cambridge Wins
1 1984 Cambridge - 1
2 1985 Cambridge - 2
3 1986 Oxford 1 2
4 1987 Cambridge 1 3
5 1988 Cambridge 5:50 3 1 4
6 1989 Cambridge 6:37 1 1 5
7 1990 Cambridge 7:35 2+1⁄3 1 6
8 1991 Cambridge 7:48 2+1⁄4 1 7
9 1992 Cambridge 6:35 3 1 8
10 1993 Cambridge 6:18 Easily 1 9
11 1994 Cambridge 6:23 1 ft. 1 10
12 1995 Oxford 6:19 2 2 10
13 1996 Cambridge 6:36 Canvas 2 11
14 1997 Cambridge 6:37 Canvas 2 12
15 1998 Oxford 6:36 Canvas 3 12
16 1999 Oxford 6:01+1⁄2 2+3⁄4 4 12
17 2000 Oxford 6:22 2+1⁄2 5 12
18 2001 Cambridge 7:37 3 (raced at Holme Pierrepont) 5 13
19 2002 Oxford 6:06 4 6 13
20 2003 Oxford 6:51 2 7 13
21 2004 Oxford 6:08 3⁄4 8 13
22 2005 Oxford 6:55 1⁄2 9 13
23 1 April 2006 Cambridge 6:00 Canvas 9 14
24 1 April 2007 Oxford 4:11 1 (raced over a shortened course) 10 14
25 23 March 2008 Cambridge 7:01 1⁄3 10 15
26 22 March 2009 Oxford 6:30 2+1⁄2 11 15
27 28 March 2010 Oxford 6:01 2+3⁄4 12 15
28 27 March 2011 Cambridge 6:43 1+1⁄2 12 16
29 25 March 2012 Oxford 6:48 1+1⁄3 13 16
30 24 March 2013 Oxford 7:33 4+3⁄4 (raced at Dorney) 14 16
31 29 March 2014 Oxford 6:08 3+1⁄2 15 16
32 5 April 2015 Cambridge 6:26 3 ft. 15 17
33 19 March 2016 Oxford 6:54 Canvas 16 17
34 26 March 2017 Cambridge 6:45 3 16 18
35 18 March 2018 Cambridge 7:24 1⁄2 (raced at Dorney) 16 19
36 30 March 2019 Oxford 6:28 2+1⁄2 17 19
37 15 March 2020 Cambridge 23:24 6 (first race on the Tideway) 17 20
38 18 May 2021 Cambridge 18:08 2+1⁄2 (raced at Ely) 17 21
39 20 March 2022 Cambridge 19:59 15 17 22
40 20 March 2023 Cambridge 23:34 6 17 23
41 29 March 2024 Cambridge 23:04 5 17 24

Lightweight Men's Reserves (Nephthys vs Granta)

  • Oxford: 11 wins (inc. 3 R/O)
  • Cambridge: 8 wins
Date Winner Time Winning Margin (Lengths) Oxford Wins Cambridge Wins
2000 Cambridge 5:50 2+3⁄4 - 1
2001 Oxford 7 1⁄2 1 1
2002 Oxford 5:33 2 2 1
2003 Cambridge 6:19 2+1⁄2 2 2
2004 Oxford 5:45 Canvas 3 2
2005 Oxford 6:07 4+1⁄2 4 2
1 April 2006 Oxford 5:26 5 5 2
1 April 2007 Oxford 4:08 R/O due to no Cambridge crew. Lost to Old Boys. 6 2
23 March 2008 Oxford 6:29 R/O due to no Cambridge crew. Lost to Old Boys. 7 2
22 March 2009 Oxford 6:15 R/O due to no Cambridge crew. Beat Durham. 8 2
Race in abeyance 2010 - 2015
13 March 2016 Cambridge - 1+1⁄4 (Raced in 4x) 8 3
19 March 2017 Cambridge 6:19 2+1⁄2 (Raced in 8+)[18] 8 4
18 March 2018 Cambridge 7:24 3⁄4 (Raced in 4+ at Dorney) 8 5
22 March 2019 Oxford 1 (Raced in 2– from Putney to Mile Post) 9 5
14 March 2020 Oxford Canvas (Raced in 2- from Putney to Mile Post) 10 5
23 May 2021 Oxford 1 (Raced in 2- at Ely) 11 5
18 March 2022 Cambridge 2 (Raced in 2- from Putney to Mile Post) 11 6
18 March 2023 Cambridge 5 (Raced in 2- from Harrods to Putney) 11 7
27 March 2024 Cambridge 4 (Raced in 2- from Putney to Mile Post) 11 8

Lightweight Women's Reserves (Tethys vs CUBC Lightweight Women's Reserves)

  • Cambridge: 5
  • Oxford: 2

Raced on the Friday before the main event in a 4+ in 2012, and incorporated into main race day in 2016.

Date Winner Time Winning Margin (Lengths) Oxford Wins Cambridge Wins
2012 Cambridge (Raced in 4+, CUBC had open weight rowers who did not weigh-in, OUWLRC had a lightweight crew) - 1
19 March 2016 Cambridge 8:55 3⁄4 (Raced in 2-) - 2
26 March 2017 Cambridge easily (Raced in 2-) - 3
18 March 2018 Oxford 8:15 easily (Raced in 4+ at Dorney) 1 3
30 March 2019 Cambridge 1+1⁄2 (Raced in 2-) 1 4
14 March 2020 Oxford 7 (Raced in 4+ from Putney to Hammersmith) 2 4
18 May 2021 Cambridge Oxford unable to field a crew 2 5
19 March 2022 Oxford Cambridge unable field a crew 3 5
18 March 2023 Cambridge 3 (Raced in 4+ from Harrods to Putney, CUBC boat had 3 openweight rowers who did not weigh-in) 3 6

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "History". Henley Boat Races. 14 April 2015. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "The Lightweight Boat Races". Lightweight Boat Races. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Henley Boat Races - Course Map". Cambridge University Lightweight Rowing Club. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Results". Henley Boat Races. 14 April 2015. Archived from the original on 2 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Rowing: Day for Light Blue celebration as Cambridge sweep Henley Boat Races". The Independent. 22 March 1993. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2016; "Women's Boat Race: Cambridge women pass examination of rowing prowess". The Independent. 21 March 1994. Retrieved 16 April 2015; "The Henley Boat Races". Cherwell. 31 March 2010.
  6. ^ "Natalie Redgrave helps Oxford win Women's Boat Race". BBC Sport. 27 March 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  7. ^ "Rivals share spoils at competitive Henley". The Telegraph. 25 March 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  8. ^ "Clean sweep for Oxford over Cambridge at Henley Boat Races at Dorney Lake". The Telegraph. 24 March 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  9. ^ "Oxford Dominate Henley Boat Races 2013". Henley Herald. 25 March 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2017; "Oxford Dominate in Last Women's Boat Race in Henley". Henley Herald. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2017; "Cambridge Win 3 out of 4 at the Henley Boat Races". Henley Herald. 9 April 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2017; "Oxford and Cambridge Share Race Wins at Henley Boat Races". Henley Herald. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2017; "Oxford and Cambridge Share Race Wins at Henley Boat Races". Henley Herald. 30 March 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2018; "Cambridge University lightweights enjoy success at Henley Boat Races". Cambridge Independent. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2019; "Cambridge Blues make light work of Henley Boat Races". Varsity Online. 24 March 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  10. ^ "The Other Boat Race". BBC Sport. 30 March 2010. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  11. ^ "CULRC". CULRC Cambridge University Lightweight Rowing Club. 20 October 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  12. ^ "Men's Lightweight Rowing Club". Oxford University Sport. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  13. ^ "International Success". Oxford University Women's Lightweight Rowing Club. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  14. ^ "The Boat Race Lite". Hear The Boat Sing. 23 March 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  15. ^ "The Lightweight Boat Races: Results". The Lightweight Boat Races. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  16. ^ "Cambridge dominates the 2023 Interactive Investor Lightweight Boat Races". Cambridge University Boat Club. 20 March 2023.
  17. ^ "Cambridge Dominates in Men's Lightweight Boat Race Amidst Challenging Conditions". Rowing News. 31 March 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024; "Cambridge Women's Lightweight Crew Secures Victory in a Tense Battle Against Oxford". Rowing News. 31 March 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024; Weir, Iain (29 March 2024). "Cambridge Dominates in Men's Lightweight Boat Race Amidst Challenging Conditions". The Boat Race. Retrieved 2 April 2024; Weir, Iain (29 March 2024). "Cambridge Women's Lightweight Crew Secures Victory in a Tense Battle Against Oxford". The Boat Race. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  18. ^ https://cubc.org.uk/news/uncategorised/2017-boat-races-reports/

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