17 May 2014
2012 Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race
The idea for a rowing race between the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge came from two friends – Charles Merivale, a student at Cambridge, and his Harrow school friend Charles Wordsworth (nephew of the poet William Wordsworth), who was at Oxford.
On 12 March 1829, Cambridge sent a challenge to Oxford and thus the tradition was born which has continued to the present day, where the loser of the previous year’s race challenges the opposition to a re-match.
The Modern Boat Race still runs along the same lines but has now become a major international sporting occasion drawing millions of viewers from around the world.