Watch the Boat Race

There's only one big ticket event in London this afternoon, with the 157th Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge Universities kicking off at 5pm. They'll be rowing roughly four miles 374 yards, for no particular reason other than they quite like both winning stuff, and their university.


The series has taken place since 12th March 1829, when Cambridge sent a challenge out to the Oxford boys to see who was best at rowing. It's been going more-or-less ever since, and Cambridge go into the 157th event with a series lead of 80 races to 75, so it's still pretty close. No one is quite sure where if and when it will end.

Those who join the 250,000 spectators along the banks of the Thames between Putney and Mortlake should expect to hear plenty of plummy voices and braying laughter, for this is not a working class event. Nevertheless, it's reasonably fun, and with exam season coming up these Oxbridge types won't be allowed to leave the library much at the moment, so you have to let them have their fun when they can.

For more, see http://www.theboatrace.org

_{^Picture © Magnus D used under Creative Commons^}