In the shadow of Craven Cottage’s newly renovated, gleaming Riverside Stand, the Cambridge men’s cox Jasper Parish sought shelter just a couple of minutes into the Boat Race on Sunday. It was an unconventional, snap decision he knew would likely either win or lose his crew the race.
Within half an hour, he was being launched into the Thames in triumphant celebration and hailed a genius after a day on which Cambridge completed a clean sweep of four victories, with their women securing a sixth successive win.
If that victory – which came by a whopping four and a half lengths – was as routine as predicted, the men’s triumph was a much tighter affair decided by one moment of brilliance.
Conventional wisdom dictates rowers stay as central in a river as they can, where the water flows fastest. Quick water should mean a quick boat. It is a simple enough theory.
But Parish thought otherwise. Unhappy with the choppiness of the water down the middle of the Thames, he made the rare move of guiding his boat off course and towards the bank occupied by Fulham Football Club’s ground.
By the time they had emerged from the other side of the bend, Cambridge were a length ahead – a lead that they never looked like surrendering.
“I saw the opportunity to make a decision and I thought: ‘Why not, might as well go for it,’” said Jasper, whose brother Ollie rowed seventh seat in the Cambridge boat to provide a double success for the Parish family.
“It paid off big time for us. It’s something you discuss, but it’s certainly not something I had planned to do. It’s something that happens in fewer than 5% of races. To even try it is a big deal because I knew we were either going to go up five seats or lose five seats.
“Had we lost five seats it would have cost us the race. I’m just over the moon that it paid off.”
On a bitterly cold spring day, with icy gusts of wind ensuring hats and scarves were mandatory attire for spectators, it was an expert reading of conditions deserving of victory. With Oxford swiftly left rowing in Cambridge’s dirty water, the Dark Blues were unable to close the margin, eventually going down by one and a third lengths.
Their exertions took such a toll on the stroke Felix Drinkall that he collapsed soon after the finish line and was hauled on to dry land on a stretcher. He remained conscious throughout and was taken to hospital as a precaution with exhaustion.
Of his brother Jasper’s bold call, Ollie said: “It was the game-changing moment. Once we got clear water, we moved in front and controlled the race. To come up with it on the fly is amazing. It was amazing coxing and it won us the race.”
At the start of an afternoon during which both Cambridge reserve crews triumphed, the Light Blue women showed why they had been deemed such big pre-race favourites by extending their winning run to a half-dozen triumphs, despite only one occupant from the course record‑breaking boat of last year returning to defend her title.
Assured of the power at his disposal, the cox James Trotman contentedly watched his Oxford rivals edge into a narrow early lead before gently hauling them back and easing his crew into a greater advantage.
So quickly did the gulf grow between the boats that the only threat emerged from a potential rule breach, when Trotman’s assertive line led to his being warned twice by the umpire to shift his boat back on to the Surrey side of the river to avoid a collision that might have resulted in disqualification.
Once that possibility was removed by a swift change of direction, the inevitable played out. One length became two, then three and eventually four and a half as the Light Blues retained their crown by a hefty margin.
A belated attempt by the Oxford cox Tara Slade, a former Cambridge undergraduate, to protest after the race’s conclusion against Trotman’s hostile line was hastily dismissed.
Asked whether he deemed his line aggressive, Trotman offered a smile and said: “I wouldn’t say so but … yeah, potentially you could argue that. I’d say it was a little bit of me coming out and her [Slade] coming in, but that’s where the fast water is so I was just trying to steer the best line for the crew I had and it paid off.
“When you get warned, get back on your station. It’s pretty simple. Job done. That’s what I did.”
