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29 March 09: This year's Boat Race was won by Oxford, who gradually asserted their superiority over the 4 1/4 mile course to notch up their seventh win in the last ten years.
As OUBC president Leander's Colin Smith, who stroked the GB men's eight to an Olympic silver medal seven months ago in Beijing, was in charge of an Oxford crew in which the international flavour was more prominent than usual. This year's line-up featured the Pole, Michal Plotkowiak, at bow with the giant former U23 world champion sculler Sjoerd Hamburger of the Netherlands in the 5 seat and the Croatian Olympian Ante Kusurin at stroke. Alex Hearn of Canada and Ben Harrison of the USA brought the usual transatlantic flavour while former world champion George Bridgwater became the first New Zealander to take part in the race for more than a decade.
Cambridge boated a less cosmopolitan crew which included three Americans, a Canadian and one Australian, the former U23 world medallist Hardy Cubasch. But this year's focus was as much on the coach as the crew - Chris Nilsson was facing his first year in charge after leading the New Zealand men's four to the world title in 2007.
A light westerly breeze failed to produce any chop on the surface of the Thames - a marked contrast to earlier in the week when both crews had to contend with stormy waves in the strong head wind while training.
Cambridge won the toss and chose the Surrey station but as the umpire's flag dropped and the crews left the stake boats on the fast-moving flood tide there was nothing to choose between them, with Cambridge going off at 43 against Oxford at 42. The first Middlesex bend gave Oxford a slight advantage and despite being warned for their steering by umpire Boris Rankov they reached the Mile Post just 0.5 sec ahead.
Now it was Cambridge's turn to seize the initiative - still overrating the opposition at 36 strokes a minute to Oxford's 35 they edged back into the lead by less than a canvas, and reached Hammersmith with their bow ball in front. As the crews approached the halfway mark the boats moved perilously close and there was a brief clash of blades. As they separated Oxford determined to regain the upper hand and, rowing around the outside of the bend, went for the killer blow, topping the Cambridge rate for the first time in the race.
By Chiswick Steps they were a third of a length up and before long had clear water and were moving away. As the crews shot Barnes Bridge Oxford once again had the bend in their favour, and crossed the line in exactly 17mins to win by 3 1/2 lengths.
"I always got the sense that this crew was strong enough to row around the outside of the bend" said Colin Smith afterwards. "This crew was immensely powerful and right now must be regarded as one of the fastest eights in the world".
The winning time was one of the fastest on record but still 41 secs slower than the record established in 1998. And despite their recent history it is still Cambridge who lead the 155-race series with 79 wins to Oxford's 75, with one dead heat.
Preview: With just days to go before this year's University Boat Race there's more than the usual interest for Leander members - at least for Oxford supporters! Colin Smith, twice a former Blue, stroked the GB men's eight to a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics but was elected to the presidency of OUBC last May, in advance of his one-year MBA course back at his alma mater.
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