No other race could be arranged until 1836, when the course agreed upon was from Westminster to Putney. Cambridge won as easily as Oxford had done on the previous occasion. In 1837 and 1838 Oxford could not raise a crew and Cambridge met and defeated Leander club in both years. In '39, following the f ounda tion of the O.U.B.C., and the three subsequent years races were rowed between Westminster and Putney, Oxford losing all save the last one. They were much assisted in turning the tide of defeat by the migration from Cambridge to Oxford of A. T. W. Shadwell, who helped F. N. Menzies, the O.U.B.C. president of 1842, to reorganize Oxford rowing. These two oarsmen with T. S. Egan, the Cambridge coxswain of 1836, '39 and '4o were largely respon sible for laying the foundations of style and for the complete emancipation of the amateur from the toils of the professional.
There was still, however, the question of the professional coach. In 1849, Cambridge, in spite of the fact that they had a tried coach in T. S. Egan, decided to engage the celebrated professional sculler Robert Coombes. This year was famous in the annals of the race for the fact that there were two races and that in the second occurred the only foul. This foul has always been at tributed to the instruction given to the coxswain by Coombes. From that date the universities avoided professional assistance.
From the year 1856, with the exception of the years 1915-1919 inclusive, owing to the World War, the University boat race has been an annual affair and is rowed a week or ten days before Easter. Since 1845 it has always been rowed on the Champion
ship course from Putney to Mortlake, on the flood tide, with the exception of the years 1846, '56 and '63, when it was rowed on the ebb from Mortlake to Putney. Of the 88 races up to and includ ing that of 1936, Oxford won 4o and Cambridge 47 races, whilst there was, in 1877, one dead heat. The course is just under 44m., to be exact 4m., 'fur. 154yds. Oxford has twice had a sequence of nine victories, 1861-69, and 189o-98, and in each case the bal ance was restored by Cambridge with the assistance of Oxford coaches. Cambridge won 13 times from 1924 to 1936.
As it was in 1829, so to-day the University boat race is a match and is rowed under no rules. It is subject to conditions agreed on by the two presidents for the year, who also appoint the umpire. From the moment that the spin of the coin has decided which president shall have the choice of station, the race is put into the hands of the umpire and his decision has always been regarded as final and without appeal. The university boat clubs are com posed of all the oarsmen who row in the inter-college races, that is to say that no oarsmen can represent his college unless he is first a member of the university club.