Stamford Bridge, London, July 9, 1927
Cambridge University's strong hurdlers emerged as key players in the eighth transatlantic inter-university meet. Approximately fifteen thousand spectators gathered at Stamford Bridge in London witnessed George Weightman-Smith and David Burghley, known as Lord Burghley, take a double victory in the high hurdles. Burghley, in turn, also won the 220-yard hurdles.
However, the most impressive runner was Yale's J. Macaulay Smith, who, in the three-mile race, surged to his own pace right from the gun. By the time the cotton thread broke (a colloquialism for breaking the tape or finishing line), his opponents had already broken and were 120 yards behind.
The British, accustomed to rain, dominated the running events held on the softened track, while the Americans collected their winning points from the field events. Sabin Carr, the fresh world record holder in pole vault, was also brought into the competition. He routinely cleared 13 feet, or 3.96 m, winning his event.
The transatlantic meet concluded with a 7–5 victory for the combined team of Oxford and Cambridge Universities. In the overall head-to-head marathon table of victories, the situation levelled at 4–4. In the event-win marathon table, Harvard-Yale still led by 37.5–44.5 points.