 Oxford went into the race as reigning champions, having won the previous year's race.Umpired by former Cambridge rower Frederick I. Pitman, Oxford won by lengths in a time of 18 minutes 29 seconds, taking their overall lead in the competition to 37–30.The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing competition between the University of Oxford (sometimes referred to as the "Dark Blues") and the University of Cambridge (sometimes referred to as the "Light Blues").