boat race boat race took place april held annually boat race rowing race crews universities oxford cambridge river thames umpired blue won cambridge lengths time minutes seconds race featured heaviest race background boat race rowing competition university_of_oxford referred dark blues university_of_cambridge referred light blues held race takes place mile championship course river thames southwest london rivalry major point honour universities followed united_kingdom broadcast worldwide cambridge went race reigning champions having won race quarter lengths led led overall victories oxford excluding dead heat cambridge coached rowed twice cambridge races time blue rowing races rowed races oxford coaches rowed oxford races represented oxford races rowed races cambridge crew favourites arrival best boat race crews years early performances practice impress critics final row race cambridge took seconds record time mile_post covering distance minutes seconds race umpired rowed cambridge races gone win gold medal great_britain summer olympics crews oxford crew weighed average pounds rower opponents cambridge crew saw blues return bow number similarly oxford crew contained rowers including rowing stroke consecutive year non british participants registered race cambridge crew rowing number canadian olympic american occupied seat heaviest feature boat race rowed oxford inaugural race race cambridge won toss elected start surrey station handing middlesex river oxford race commenced dark blues making better start quickly held lead cambridge sticky second stroke crews rating strokes minute light blues quickly restored taking lead holding length advantage oxford reduced deficit half length cambridge began pull away despite dark blues crab tree saw crews level passed hammersmith_bridge cambridge cox succeeded forcing oxford boat wide rough water took advantage drawing clear avoid breaking waves oxford pulled boat race contest effectively ended cambridge continued pull away passed finishing post lead lengths time minutes seconds slowest winning time race cambridge second consecutive victory largest winning margin race according rowing correspondent times cambridge convincing unexpected victory
The Boat Race 1962