Ed Lamb (10-17), President of the Oxford University Lightweight Crew, savoured victory over Cambridge in this year’s lightweight boat race.
Instead of the traditional Putney to Mortlake, this year the race was held over a 5000 m stretch between Queen Adelaide bridge and Littleport, near Ely. The crews both got off to a quick start, with Oxford rating slightly higher at 46 strokes per minute. By about 750 m in, Oxford had edged out to a 3/4L lead. The next 2000 m was a real contest, the Cambridge crew putting in repeated efforts to get level and Oxford pushing on but failing to fully break into clear water. Cambridge maintained contact until just before an inlet marking the final 2OOO m of the course. Using the marker as a point to push off, Oxford broke clear allowing them to move over to the slightly faster water and wash the opposition down. Despite a late Cambridge push to close the gap from a full length of clear water to half a length, Oxford held on until the finish line to take the win by 1 1/2 lengths.