Oxford crew out in front

Oxford beat Cambridge to win the 163rd edition of the men’s Boat Race and their fourth in the past five years.

Victory yesterday afternoon, which followed last year’s defeat, was also Oxford’s seventh from ten, and reduced their overall deficit to 82-80.

The pre-race favourites had won the toss and chose to start on the same Surrey station on the south side of the River Thames as Cambridge’s women, who had earlier won the women’s edition of the race.

Oxford enjoyed a more convincing start than Cambridge and finished the Tideway course in a time of 16 minutes and 59 seconds, four seconds andone-and-a-quarterlengths ahead of their resilient rivals.

Among the winners’ crew was William Warr, who became the third man to compete for both universities having previously studied at Cambridge.