The Boat Race 1989
| 135th Boat Race | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 25 March 1989 | ||
| Winner | Oxford | ||
| Margin of victory | 2 and 1/2 lengths | ||
| Winning time | 18 minutes 27 seconds | ||
| Overall record (Cambridge–Oxford) |
69–65 | ||
| Umpire | Ronnie Howard (Oxford) |
||
| Other races | |||
| Reserve winner | Isis | ||
| Women's winner | Cambridge | ||
|
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The 135th Boat Race took place on 25 March 1989. Held annually, the Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. Oxford won by two-and-a-half lengths. It was the seventh occasion that the race was umpired by Ronnie Howard, and the first time in the history of the race that both crews were coxed by women.
In the reserve race, Oxford's Isis won, while Cambridge won the Women's Boat Race.
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"). First held in 1829, the race currently takes place on the 4.2-mile (6.8 km) Championship Course on the River Thames in southwest London. The rivalry is a major point of honour between the two universities, followed throughout the United Kingdom and broadcast worldwide. Oxford went into the race as reigning champions, having won the 1988 race by five-and-a-half lengths, with Cambridge leading overall with 69 victories to Oxford's 64 (excluding the "dead heat" of 1877). The event was sponsored by Beefeater Gin; prior to the race, it was announced that the company would be sponsors for the following three years in a deal worth £700,000. Former Oxford Blue Ronnie Howard was the umpire for the race for the seventh occasion.
Cambridge were coxed by Leigh Weiss while Oxford's cox was Alison Norrish – it was the first time in the history of the Boat Race that both crews had female coxes. Prior to the race, Oxford coach Pat Sweeney criticised Weiss: "Their cox is so useless she might hit us. It's not her fault, but Cambridge should have chosen someone who knows the river." Weiss responded "I feel confident that I will make the decisions to make Cambridge win."
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