The Boat Race 1887

[1] First held in 1829, the race takes place on the 4.2 miles (6.8 km) Championship Course on the River Thames in southwest London.

Cambridge won the toss and elected to start from the Surrey station, handing the Middlesex side of the river to Oxford.

Making the better start of the two crews, Cambridge were a length ahead by Walden's Wharf and had extended that by another half-length by the time they passed the Crab Tree pub.

Oxford came back into contention and by the time the crews shot Hammersmith Bridge there was "little or no daylight between the boats.

As the bend of the river began to favour the Dark Blues, they drew up once again and were almost level by Barnes Bridge when their number seven Douglas McLean broke his oar in two, effectively ending his participation in the race.