The Boat Race 1948

[8] The rowing correspondent for The Manchester Guardian anticipated a close race: "the prospects of Oxford and Cambridge for this year's University Boat-race on Saturday have now become much more even".

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

[11] The Light Blues out-rated their opponents from the start but soon after their number six, Paul Bircher "caught a crab", allowing Oxford to take a half-length lead which they extended to three-quarters of a length by Craven Steps.

[15] Despite having stopped to allow Bircher to recover his oar, Cambridge drew level and were over a quarter of a length ahead by the time the crews passed the Mile Post, yet nine seconds off record pace and rowing into a head wind.

[16] As the crews passed the training ship HMS Stork, Cambridge began to draw away and were two lengths ahead by Chiswick Steps.

[17] The Times' rowing correspondent suggested it was "a great triumph for the Cambridge coaches, who so often seem able to produce something out of the bag which has not been apparent in practice.