 Oxford were reigning champions, having won the previous year's race.In a race umpired by Frederick I. Pitman, Oxford won by lengths in a time of 20 minutes 14 seconds, taking their overall lead in the competition to 36–30.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").