The Boat Race will be going into its 164th edition on Sunday, March 24th as the Oxford and Cambridge crews take to the waters of the Thames. Oxford will be looking to further assert their dominance having won four of the last five runnings of the race. They managed to come under 17 minutes last year as they took the title by one and a quarter lengths.
Oxford still trails 80-82 in terms of overall wins in the history of the Boat Race with just the one dead heat. Oxford have won twelve of the last sixteen editions of the boat race so they are clearly holding supremacy at the moment. But they are hitting the water as underdogs this year.
Boat Race 2018 Odds*
Cambridge 2/5, Oxford 13/8* (Betting Odds taken at 0:24 p.m. on March 21st, 2018)
Cambridge are the 2/5 favourites at William Hill to land the victory this time around. Oxford’s plans seem to have been disrupted by the absence of Josh Bugajski. He is one of their strongest rowers, being replaced by Benedict Aldous from the reserve crew. Bugajski was also the heaviest on the Oxford crew as well, and overall the Oxford crew were 7lbs per man lighter than Cambridge before his withdrawal, which has been put down to illness.
Cambridge, actually both the men’s and the women’s crews are heavier this season and while that may sound like a disadvantage, it means that Cambridge are a bulkier, more powerful side. Basically the bigger the weight difference, the more chance of landing a win. So if that stands up this time around then it is Cambridge all the way.
Don’t forget to tune in for the all exciting coin toss. The winner of that coin toss will get to chose which side of the river they will go on Middlesex (the north) or Surrey (the south). Actually though while it is perceived to be an advantage going on the Middlesex side because that means going around the inside of the first bend, history suggests that there really isn’t much difference between the number of victories recorded from the different stations.
A stand out stat though is that 62% of coin toss winners who have chosen the Surrey side to start off with, having gone on to win, including last year’s success by Oxford.
Some of the famous landmarks along the way will be the start at Putney Bridge, Fulham Football Clubs, Hammersmith Bridge, St Paul’s School, The Crossing and the finish which is up by Chiswick Bridge.
