The women’s race kicked off first and although Oxford seemed to get a good start, soon after the Cambridge boat dug deep and pushed past the Dark Blues to gain an early lead. The Light Blues continued to extend their lead throughout the race before eventually finishing five lengths ahead of the Oxford boat with a time of 18 minutes and 47 seconds.
In a Men’s Race that had seen much publicity due to Cambridge’s poaching of two-time Olympic champion James Cracknell, Oxford seemed to have a strong smooth start while the Cambridge boat seemed quite aggressive. Cambridge did begin to inch into the lead, but Oxford were not prepared to let them get away that easily.
As the race approached the 3 minute mark, the Dark Blues closed in on Cambridge which led to clashes between the two boats. Despite this, Cambridge managed to put on a further burst of speed and left the Oxford boat to battle through their dirty water.
In the end, it was Cambridge who were again victorious, completing the course with a time of 16 minutes and 57 seconds. Nevertheless Oxford put in a gallant effort, finishing only 2 seconds behind the Light Blue Boat.
Cambridge Women’s reserve boat Blondie also achieved victory, with another five length win over Oxford Women’s reserve boat Orisis.
In the Men’s Reserves race, the Cambridge boat Goldie gained a lead early on in the race and held on to this to beat the Oxford boat Isis by a length.
