A Boat Race umpire has an awful lot to consider even before the start of the race. Are the stake-boats properly positioned? What is the state of the tide? Where is the wind blowing from? Will there be a sinking? What should be done if the crews clash blades? And much more…

Chosen in alternate years from old blues from either university the umpire plays a crucial role. For the very first race, held in Henley in 1829 there were three officials, an Oxford umpire, a Cambridge umpire and a neutral referee, all of whom followed the race on horseback.

By the early 1900’s the choice of umpire had settled into a pattern. In an even year Oxford selected the official from a choice of three names provided by Cambridge. In an odd year the choice was reversed and Cambridge selected an Oxford name. By this time the horses had been replaced by steam boats and the tradition had developed that the umpire would travel on the steamer of the opposing university. However this changed in 1981 when Ronnie Howard of Oxford instigated the neutral umpires launch.

Starting the race is now seen as one of the key moments for the umpire, yet it was only from 1884 that the umpire assumed this responsibility following a starting debacle the previous year. Edward Searle had started the race from a skiff between the crews since 1840, shouting ‘Are you ready?’ and dropping a white handkerchief while saying ‘Go’. By 1883 he was old with a feeble voice. Neither crew heard the order ‘Go’. The Oxford stroke, Leonard West, saw the handkerchief fall and moved away, Cambridge stayed put. Oxford then temporarily halted, but realising there was to be no recall, rowed on leaving their rivals in confusion. From the following year the umpire took over starting duties, initially with a pistol.

The umpire’s role is never easy. During a storm in 1987 Colin Moynihan (Oxford) had to be transferred to another launch prior to the start when his boat lost steerage, being nearly strangled en route as he was still attached to the throat microphone in the original launch. When he eventually started the race with the red flag he discovered that the white flag used for warning crews had been left behind.

Prior to the start in 1984, the umpire Mike Sweeny (Cambridge) and the watching millions on TV were shocked to see the Cambridge cox steer his crew into a moored barge breaking the bows off his boat. After frenzied debate between the boat club presidents and the umpire it was decided to hold the race the following day, resulting in the first ever Sunday Boat Race.

The umpire will always ensure both crews are prepared for the event. He will spend some time getting to know them, will accompany them from his launch on some of their pre race outings on the Tideway and practice starts with each crew. Most importantly he will travel with both of the cox’s in his launch along the length of the championship course to ensure they know precisely where to steer.

This, however, has not stopped repeated clashes of blades over the years. In 1990 John Garrett (Cambridge) became the first and only umpire of the 20th century to disqualify a crew when he disqualified Isis in the reserve race following a clash that left the Goldie crew with a broken gate. The only previous disqualification occurred in 1849 when the umpire Mr Fellowes of Leander disqualified Cambridge at the finish after they had impeded Oxford earlier in the race.

The warnings issued by umpires are not always heeded, Tom Cadoux-Hudson (Oxford) in 1997, for example, had to issue over 100 warnings to the two crews between the start and Chiswick steps. Indeed by the turn of the twenty-first century coxes had become increasingly slow to respond to the umpires warnings or ignored them altogether. 2001 saw this issue culminate when the umpire Rupert Obholzer (Oxford) famously stopped the race following a clash.

The race report explains what happened:

“Both crews came off the start well with Oxford taking a slight lead. Almost immediately after the start, Cambridge steered sharply towards the Middlesex line and were warned twice in rapid succession by the umpire Rupert Obholzer.

Then Oxford, still on their own station and a matter of a few feet ahead, veered towards Surrey and were warned. Almost immediately after this and still well before the Black Buoy the blades of the two boats overlapped substantially.

The blade of Cambridge bowman Colin Swainson dislodged from his hand and in consequence the umpire immediately stopped the race, with Cambridge floundering and Oxford pushing ahead oblivious to the umpire’s red flag.”

This decision was highly contentious, especially when Cambridge went on to win after the restart. However the rules of the race state that when a clash occurs: ‘The Umpire shall be the sole judge of a boat’s proper course – in the event of a serious or deliberate foul the Umpire shall disqualify the offending crew.’ In which case Oxford may consider themselves lucky not to have been the first crew of the new century to be disqualified.

Experienced Boat Race umpire and veteran of six winning Oxford crews Boris Rankov at his lecture at the River & Rowing Museum in 2004 explained that the crews will tend to move towards each other in order to get the best line and to minimise the opposition’s bend advantage. Once forced by the umpire to move apart they naturally come together again and again in a series of converging ‘S’ shapes until one crew gains a lead. Thus the umpire is forced to try to keep the two crews at a safe distance from one another or clashes are inevitable.

Following the 2001 race a number of meetings were held with the two university boat clubs and a decision was taken to create a boat race umpires’ panel, consisting of four umpires from each university, chaired by a senior umpire and tasked with sharing experience and pooling expertise among the team.

The first race under the new team took place in 2002, with Simon Harris (Cambridge) officiating a clean race. In the 21st century the panel ensures the umpire is supported by an assistant (to deal with radio and telephone communications), an assistant umpire as the aligner at the start and other panel members to check coxes’ weights and safety measures on the boats.

In 2003, at the panels initiative, permanent fixed anchors for the two stake-boats have been set into the bed of the river just upstream from Putney bridge.

In addition numerous‘exceptional scenarios’ have been identified, listed, debated and their outcomes determined. All of which makes the race both fairer for the competitors and more objective for the umpire.

None the less Ronnie Howard’s words of advice to prospective umpires will always ring true, ‘don’t wear wellington boots – they are difficult to swim in!’