This match was for 200_l._ a side. Leander would row on no other terms,
and insisted on having their own waterman to steer them, as they did in
their later matches against Cambridge. This was the only Oxford
University eight ever steered by a professional. Only one of the 1829
crew seems to have remained to do duty in this race. The Pelham referred
to is now Bishop of Norwich. He used, before this, to row in the Christ
Church eight behind Staniforth. The Waterford is the former marquis of
that ilk, who lost his life later on through a fall when hunting. _En
passant_, it may be mentioned that Bishop Selwyn (of C.U.B.C. crew
1829) and Pelham of Oxford 1834, each begat sons who rowed for their
respective Universities: Selwyn, junr. 1864 and 1866; Pelham, junr. 1877
and 1878. The latter oarsman unfortunately lost his life in the Alps
very shortly afterwards. J. R. Selwyn has succeeded his late father as a
colonial bishop. Inasmuch as we here record, for the first time for two
generations, a lost chapter of University Boat Racing, we think it will
be of interest to append the account given, in 'Bell's Life' of that
day, of this forgotten match.
EIGHT-OARED MATCH--LONDON AND THE OXFORD AMATEURS FOR L200.[5]
[5] _Bell's Life_, Sunday, June 26, 1831.
This interesting match was decided on Saturday week at Henley
Reach. The Trinity boat, built by Archer of Lambeth, proved
successful on a former occasion when opposed to the Oxonians,
was, we understand, again selected by them in the first
instance, but they ultimately decided on rowing in a boat built
by Searle, which they considered had been unjustly denounced 'a
rank bad un,' simply on the score of the Cambridge gentlemen and
the Westminster Scholars having lost their matches in her--the
former against Oxford, and the latter against the Etonians.
The gentlemen of Oxford selected a large but peculiarly light
eight belonging to Mr. Davis of Oxford. On Friday the London
gentlemen left town for Henley, and took up their quarters at
the Red Lion. Noulton of Lambeth was selected to steer them.
Although Oxford were favourites on the match being first
concocted, it was with difficulty that a bet could be made on
the Londoners on the last two days, and then only at 6 to 4
against Oxford.
At about 6.30 the contending parties arrived in their cutters
near the lock, to row from thence against the stream to Henley
Bridge, which is reckoned two and a quarter miles.
The names of the respective parties and their stations in the
cutters were as follows:
_London_--Bishop (stroke), Captain Shaw, J. Bayford, Lewis,
Cannon, Weedon, Revell, Hornemann.
_Oxford_--Copplestone (stroke), Lloyd, Barnes, Pelham, Peard,
Marsh, Marquis of Waterford, Carter. The latter was steered, we
believe, by a boy belonging to the lock.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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