The Cambridge crewed weighed an average of 11 st 11.875 lb (75.1 kg), just more than their opponents.Burnell, p. 59 Oxford's crew contained four returning Blues, including cox Charles Tottenham who was competing in his fifth consecutive Boat Race, and Frank Willan who had rowed in the Dark Blues' successful races the previous two years.Burnell, pp. 58–59 The Cambridge crew included two rowers with Boat Race experience: William Anderson and John Still, the latter making his third Boat Race appearance. The Light Blue cox, Thomas Warner, was the first registered non-British competitor to represent the university, having studied at Melbourne Church of England Grammar School in Australia before becoming an alumnus of Trinity Hall.Burnell, p. 38
