2024 Boat Race

Men’s Boat Race

Words: Rachel Quarrell

 

An hour after the women’s race the Putney pubs emptied again as the men's crews sat swaying at the stakeboats. The last chance for Oxford to properly turn the tide. A race many expected to be close. It wasn't. It wasn’t for a whole pile of reasons which started with unpublicised sickness in the Oxford camp, continued with their atrocious start, and ended as Cambridge closed out an epic win despite their strokeman rowing himself into the ground mid-race.

When Umpire Matthew Pinsent shouted "Go" and swished his flag, Oxford produced one of their rockiest starts, and within a few strokes the Cambridge bow was pulling ahead on the Middlesex station. The Dark Blues held their rivals' lead to a couple of seats and kept the rate high to counter the Cambridge stride, but as the eights ventured out beyond the Black Buoy Light Blue cox Ed Bracey was already passing Oxford five-man Elias Kun.

As the crews rounded the Fulham Football Ground Pinsent was kept busy, the blades overlapping, and Oxford's two-seat Harry Glenister lost most of a stroke recovering from a brief clash during which both boats were being warned. Glenister turned to glare at Bracey as the Cambridge cox zoomed by, and Oxford pushed again to stop Cambridge shutting the door and taking their water. For a while they held the margin at seven to eight seats but didn't lose contact.