The 145th Boat Race 1999: Cambridge make it seven The umpire strikes back Christopher Dodd Two crucial setbacks cost Oxford the 145th Boat Race and extended Cambridge's current run to seven victories, their 76th win since their first in 1836. A clash of blades soon followed by an Oxford steering infringement drawing attention from umpire Mark Evans allowed Cambridge to move a couple of seats up before the first mile was complete. At Hammersmith Bridge, Cambridge's one length advantage was extended to two in the space of two or three strokes when Oxford's Neil O'Donnell steered wide on the outside of the bend. This disastrous course enabled Tim Wooge in Cambridge's stroke seat to step on the gas while Oxford went suddenly leaden. Although they recovered both course and rhythm, the Dark Blues were unable to raise performance sufficiently to make any ground on a Cambridge crew skipping along with heads held high. The three seconds between the crews at Hammersmith was stretch to seven at Chiswick Steps and 11 at the finish. Despite the pressure easing off a third of the distance from home, the Light Blues covered the four and a quarter miles to Mortlake on a fast tide under a grey, windless sky in 16 mins 41 secs, the second fastest time in the race's history. The omens were all Cambridge's. First, Oxford's proud sign in the front window of their scenicruiser fell off as the bus delivered them to their boathouse. Oxford's president Charlie Humphreys called but lost the toss. As the golden sovereign fell Brad Crombie chose Surrey for Cambridge without hesitation. Then Goldie (Cambridge) unexpectedly beat Isis (Oxford) in the reserves race. The final nail in Oxford's coffin came when the umpire struck back. Before the race, Evans declared his purpose was to ensure a fair race, most importantly by preventing the clashes of blades which marred the last two Boat Races. Is disqualification unthinkable, he was asked. "No," he replied. Cambridge received one warning and Oxford four before Evans carried out his threat to drag back a boat which didn't heed his warnings immediately he raised hid flag and called a crew's name. O'Donnell's determination to bore into Vian Sharif's course on the Surrey bend opposite Fulham Football Ground brought the ominous bows of Evans's launch so close to Oxford's stern that the Goldman Sachs banker with the flag could look stroke Colin von Ettingshausen right in the eye. The launch's bow wave was only there for a few seconds, but O'Donnell yanked his boat to the right, the drag took some run off the eight, and Cambridge added a few more inches to their lead. Amidst the celebratory melee on the beach, the tiny blonde coxswain Sharif pronounced the race "brilliant" after receiving a traditional ducking. The tallest man ever to row in the race, Josh West, said that when the blades touched, "that consolidated our rhythm". The heaviest man in the boat, Toby Wallace in the bow seat, said "it was as light as a feather, the boat was flying underneath me". President Crombie declared the result a perfect ending to a great story, and chief coach Robin Williams said that "they got the pattern of rowing that the coaches had taught over the winter and held on to it. When it came to the actual race they produced the form they had to." Oxford's American international Martin Crotty summarised the Dark Blue experience. "We were confident we could maintain connection. But after that tight turn at Hammersmith, they were just gone. That really broke it." Probably the best crew from the Isis of recent years, Oxford were thrashed, and Cambridge won the first Aberdeen Asset trophy from the new sponsors. It did, however, take the entire crew several minutes to uncork the magnum donated to fill it. Boat Race: Cambridge beat Oxford by Times (Cambridge first): Mile 3 mins 37 secs, 3.38. Hammersmith Bridge 6.27, 6.30. Chiswick Steps 10.10, 10.17. Barnes Bridge 13.49, 13.58. Finish 16.41, 16.52. Verdict: three and a half lengths Goldie beat Isis by one and a half lengths, 16.58, 17.02. © Copyright Christopher Dodd, 1999.