Dark Blues power to Boat Race victory

Oxford won the toss and chose the Surrey station, and the race was close in the early stages. But after a clash of oars shortly after Mile Post, the Dark Blues eased clear of Cambridge and had extended their lead to 11 lengths as they crossed the finish line to secure the biggest win in a Boat Race since 1973.

Oxford's coach Sean Bowden said: 'We can look back on this year with a lot of pride. I felt this year we could achieve really high standards. The clash is one of those things that can happen. Cambridge put a lot of pressure on early on but we were moving away. Steering is always competitive and this is one of the things that can happen when you take risks.'

Oxford's win continues their good form of recent years, bringing the overall score to 81-78 to Cambridge.

Oxford's crew was strengthened by the presence of three Olympic rowers: Malcolm Howard of Canada, Constantine Louloudis of Great Britain, and Storm Uru of New Zealand.