 The 108th Boat Race took place on 7 April 1962 . Held annually , the Boat Race is a side @-@ by @-@ side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames . Umpired by former Blue , Ran Laurie , it was won by Cambridge by five lengths in a time of 19 minutes 46 seconds . The race featured the heaviest oarsman since the 1829 race . 
