Sport in London venue for the Boat Race, held between Oxford and Cambridge universities every year from Putney to Mortlake. In addition there are numerous rowing clubs in London based along the Thames, especially in the Putney area. More than twenty rowing clubs are based on the Thames at Putney Embankment; among the largest are London Rowing Club (the oldest, being established in 1856), Thames Rowing Club, University of London Boat Club, Imperial College Boat Club and Vesta Rowing Club. Leander Club owned a boathouse in Putney from 1867 to 1961. The Putney clubs have produced a plethora of Olympic medallists and Henley
Charles Campbell (rower) was an easy winner and the time recorded was a slow 42 minutes, but the boats used were slow, old-fashioned wherries. Future races were to feature faster wager boats. Campbell's third title race occurred on 19 August 1846 again after being challenged by Coombes. This time the stake was £100 a side. This was the first title race held on what became known as the Championship Course of Putney to Mortlake on the Thames. The match had been eagerly anticipated by many sportsmen and there was considerable speculation as to the outcome. It was noted that one of the famous