Umpired by Charles Jasper Selwyn, Cambridge won in a time of 21 minutes 5 seconds, with a winning margin of three lengths.
[9] Both crews had professional coaches: Oxford used John Noulton while Cambridge were trained by Robert Coombes, a champion sculler.
[11] At Hammersmith Bridge Cambridge had drawn half a boat's length ahead, but Oxford put on such a desperate spurt and came up as before.
[13] Oxford won the toss and elected to start from the Surrey station, handing Cambridge the Middlesex side of the river.
A final surge from Oxford once again closed the gap, but Cambridge pulled away to take the victory in a record time of 21 minutes 5 seconds and by a margin of three lengths.