 The 20th Boat Race between crews from the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge took place on the River Thames on 28 March 1863 . Oxford won by 15 lengths in a time of 23 minutes 6 seconds . It took the overall record to ten wins each , the first time since the 1836 race that the scores were level . The race was the third to be held on the ebb tide , along the Championship Course in reverse , from Mortlake to Putney . It was the first time since the race was held in the fashion since the 1856 race . 
