ONE of the traditional highlights of the London sporting calendar, the Oxford v. Cambridge boat race, comes to the Thames between Putney and Mortlake this Saturday, with good weather and a following wind promising fast times.
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Cambridge, the defending champions, are strong favourites to win again this year and take their overall tally to 81 against Oxford’s 75, but Oxford drew first blood this week when the ‘spares’ (reserves) race went their way.
The race for rowing boats is held over a four and a quarter mile course between Mortlake and Putney bridges in south west London in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators gathered on the banks of the Thames, many of them former students of the two old universities.
First run in 1829, it was the idea of two students from the rival universities, one of them the nephew of famous poet William Wordsworth. It is unlikely either of them would have guessed their race would one day be on TV, still less on 3D TV, which it will be for the first time this year.
More info of that kind and where to watch the race on the official site.
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, there’ll be a whole lot of bleating going on at the now annual Oxford and Cambridge Goat Race, held in Spitalfields City Farm, near Brick Lane.
