Henley Boat Races

Henley Boat Races took place annually in late March or early April the week before the University Boat Races, which are held on the Championship Course on the Thames in London.

The Henley Boat Races began as men's lightweight races in 1975 and enlarged to incorporate the Women's Boat Race and their reserve crew race from 1977 and the women's lightweight race from 1984.[5][6][7] In 2000, the lightweight men added a race for their reserve crews, Nephthys (Oxford) and Granta (Cambridge).[4] The races took place in 2001, at the Holme Pierrepont National Watersports Centre in Nottingham.[8] The lightweight men's race fell into abeyance after 2009 as a result of Cambridge not fielding a Granta crew from 2007, giving Oxford a row over for three years. From 2016, Nephthys and Granta raced again, sometimes on a different date or location to the main Henley Boat Races. A women's lightweight reserve race was held in 2012 prior to race day and took place from 2016 on race day.[9] The 2013 event was moved to Dorney Lake as a result of flooding on the Thames.[10][11]

In 2015, the Women's Boat Race moved further down the River Thames to the Tideway to take place as a combined men's and women's Boat Race.[12][13] The event was moved to Dorney Lake again in 2018 due to "adverse river conditions on the Thames at Henley" and the collegiate races were cancelled.[14][15] The Lightweight Men's Boat Race made the same move to the Tideway in 2019,[16] followed by the Lightweight Women's Boat Race in 2020, although the Lightweight Boat Races continue to operate separately to their openweight counterparts.

The races received annual press coverage,[17][18][19][11][20] and competitors from both Universities have gone on to compete at international and Olympic levels.[21][22][23][24]

Crews from the University of Oxford and University of Cambridge raced side by side over a 2000 meter course on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames, racing downstream — the opposite direction to the Henley Royal Regatta course — and finishing halfway down Temple Island.[2] The collegiate races took place over a shorter 1750 m course.[3] The races typically included:[25]

• Women's Boat Race (OUWBC vs CUWBC)
• Lightweight Men's Boat Race (OULRC vs CULRC)
• Lightweight Women's Boat Race (OUWLRC vs CUWBC Lightweights)
• Women's Reserves (Osiris vs Blondie)
• Lightweight Men's Reserves (Nephthys vs Granta) [held separately on an earlier date][26]
• Lightweight Women's Reserves (Tethys vs CUWBC Lightweight Reserves)
• Men's Intercollegiate Boat Race (between one college representing Oxford and one representing Cambridge)
• Women's Intercollegiate Boat Race (between one college representing Oxford and one representing Cambridge)

An Alumnae race was typically held in later years. The lightweight races constituted the varsity race. The first crew received university half-blues, and was therefore more commonly known as the Lightweight Blue Boat. The reserve crew received university colours. The intercollegiate races were between the fastest crews from the Oxford Torpids and the Cambridge Lent Bumps; Oxford selection being done by time trial [27] and Cambridge giving right of first refusal to headship crews.[28]

The history of the results of the races are as follows.[4][29]

Women's Boat Race

Main article: Women's Boat Race

The Women's Boat Race and its Reserve race became part of the Henley Boat Races in 1977. With the Women's Boat Race moving to the Tideway Championship Course and forming part of The Boat Races 2015, the race as well as the race of the reserve boats Osiris and Blondie ceased to be part of the Henley Boat Races.[13] For the full results tables, see the main article on the Women's Boat Race.

• Cambridge: 21 wins at Henley
• Oxford: 17 wins at Henley

No.	Date	Winner	Time	Winning Margin (Lengths)	Oxford Wins	Cambridge Wins
32	1977	Cambridge			11	21
33	1978	Cambridge			11	22
34	1979	Cambridge			11	23
35	1980	Oxford			12	23
36	1981	Oxford			13	23
37	1982	Cambridge			13	24
38	1983	Cambridge			13	25
39	1984	Cambridge			13	26
40	1985	Oxford			14	26
41	1986	Oxford			15	26
42	1987	Cambridge			15	27
43	1988	Oxford			16	27
44	1989	Cambridge	6:20	1	16	28
45	1990	Cambridge	7:17	​3 1⁄4	16	29
46	1991	Oxford	7:29	3	17	29
47	1992	Cambridge	6:20	​1⁄3	17	30
48	1993	Cambridge	6:10	​4 1⁄2	17	31
49	1994	Cambridge	6:11	1	17	32
50	1995	Cambridge	6:02	​1 1⁄3	17	33
51	1996	Cambridge	6:12	4	17	34
52	1997	Cambridge	6:26	​1 1⁄4	17	35
53	1998	Cambridge	6:25	​1 1⁄4	17	36
54	1999	Cambridge	6:01	1	17	37
55	2000	Oxford	6:18	​2 1⁄4	18	37
56	2001	Cambridge	7:27	3 ft.	18	38
57	2002	Oxford	6:02	​2 1⁄2	19	38
58	2003	Oxford	6:35	​3 1⁄2	20	38
59	2004	Oxford	6:06	4	21	38
60	2005	Cambridge	6:27	​2 1⁄3	21	39
61	1 April 2006	Oxford	5:44	​1⁄2	22	39
62	1 April 2007	Cambridge	4:03	​1⁄2	22	40
63	23 March 2008	Oxford	6:39	​1⁄2	23	40
64	22 March 2009	Oxford	6:24	​1 1⁄4	24	40
65	28 March 2010	Oxford	5:56	4	25	40
66	27 March 2011	Oxford	6:24	1	26	40
67	25 March 2012	Cambridge	6:38	​1⁄4	26	41
68	24 March 2013	Oxford	7:21	​1 3⁄4	27	41
69	29 March 2014	Oxford	5:50	4	28	41

Notes

– The course was shortened in 2007 due to rough water during the Henley Boat Races. It was reduced from 2000 m to less than 1500 m with the start between the Upper Thames Rowing Club and Old Blades.[30]

Women's Reserves (Osiris vs Blondie)

Main article: Women's Boat Race

• Cambridge: 19 wins at Henley
• Oxford: 19 wins at Henley

Date	Winner	Time	Winning Margin (Lengths)	Oxford Wins	Cambridge Wins
1977	Cambridge			-	5
1978	Cambridge			-	6
1979	Cambridge			-	7
1980	Cambridge			-	8
1981	Oxford			1	8
1982	Cambridge			1	9
1983	Oxford			2	9
1984	Oxford			3	9
1985	Oxford			4	9
1986	Cambridge			4	10
1987	Cambridge			4	11
1988	Oxford			5	11
1989	Oxford	6:33	1	6	11
1990	Cambridge	7:34	​1 1⁄4	6	12
1991	Cambridge	7:36	​2 3⁄4	6	13
1992	Cambridge	6:32	​3 1⁄2	6	14
1993	Cambridge	6:22	​1 1⁄2	6	15
1994	Cambridge	6:22	Canvas	6	16
1995	Cambridge	6:08	1	6	17
1996	Cambridge	6:33	5	6	18
1997	Cambridge	6:36	​1⁄4	6	19
1998	Cambridge	6:32	4	6	20
1999	Oxford	6:09	​1 3⁄4	7	20
2000	Cambridge	6:27	​1 3⁄4	7	21
2001	Oxford	7:32	Easily	8	21
2002	Oxford	6:09	​1 3⁄4	9	21
2003	Oxford	6:43	2	10	21
2004	Oxford	6:16	​1⁄2	11	21
2005	Oxford	6:41	​1 3⁄4	12	21
1 April 2006	Oxford	5:54	​2 1⁄2	13	21
1 April 2007	Oxford	NTT	1	14	21
23 March 2008	Oxford	7:09	Easily	15	21
22 March 2009	Cambridge	6:50	​1 1⁄2	15	22
28 March 2010	Oxford	6:10	​3 1⁄2	16	22
27 March 2011	Cambridge	-	Disq	16	23
25 March 2012	Oxford	6:57	​3 1⁄2	17	23
24 March 2013	Oxford	7:41	6	18	23
29 March 2014	Oxford	6:01.5	​1⁄2	19	23

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