The China Mail - Cambridge win fourth straight Boat Race

It was Cambridge's seventh win in the last eight years of a rowing race between England's two oldest universities first staged in 1829.

A world-class Cambridge crew were heavy favourites for victory.

But four minutes into the race, the crews came close to a clash of oars which could have caused severe disruption, with Oxford repeatedly warned as both team chased faster conditions in the middle of the river.

For the first time in the race's 197-year history, both presidents (captains) were French, with Noam Mouelle leading the Light Blues of Cambridge and Tobias Bernard, a Londoner born to a French father and a Franco-American mother, skippering Oxford's Dark Blues.

It was Cambridge, however, who made the quicker start and never looked like being headed.

Oxford did well to stay in touch along the 4.3-mile (6.9 kilometres) course from Putney to Chiswick, but it was Cambridge who powered ahead in the final third as they pulled clear to triumph by 11.02 seconds.

Cambridge now have an overall lead of 88 wins to 81, with one dead heat.

In the preceding women's race Oxford ended a run of eight straight defeats after getting off to a fast start in blustery and rough conditions.

Victory saw Oxford's Lilli Freischem defeat younger sister Mia, a member of the Cambridge crew.

B.Carter--ThChM