Oxford win the 152nd Boat Race

by Rachel Quarrell, The Daily Telegraph on 3 Apr 2006 From coin toss to finish line, everything went right for Oxford yesterday as they won the 152nd Boat Race, sponsored by Xchanging, by five lengths.

Ninety minutes before the start, the 1829 gold sovereign fell squarely on to the Dark Blue side of the platform during the toss for stations. The omen came good, and Oxford president Barney Williams could choose the Surrey side of the river.

The station could have been crucial, but in the end his crew made it a mere footnote, throwing energy and survival skills at Cambridge and the conditions until the former had no response.

Off to a quick start, Oxford seized some useful seats along the Fulham Wall. This pressurised Cambridge, though it also earned Oxford an early warning for steering. As the eights rounded the Barn Elms corner, Cambridge started to come back.

By the Milepost the Light Blues had a canvas advantage, stretching to half a length nearing Harrods. But the forecast bad water was coming. Grabbing their chance with eight blades, Oxford went for it early, drawing back level and then throwing in a huge move.

‘It was at Hammersmith Bridge the rough water was going to kick up - we knew it, we pushed through it, and that's where they broke,’ said Oxford's Jamie Schroeder.

‘I felt Cambridge slip round Hammersmith,’ cox Seb Pearce added. ‘I just called to go, now, and screamed: 'This is the time when we win the race.' Then we hit the rough water, and we cleared them.’

What had been a push to gain the upper hand became a killer blow. Oxford rowed a crucial 30 seconds which clinched the race. As the conditions worsened, Cambridge floundered.

‘We were rowing quite well and were confident, but then we just hit a wall of water,’ Light Blue cox Peter Rudge said. ‘To be fair to Oxford, when they got the opportunity they took it well; there wasn't a lot we could do.’

By the Bandstand, both crews got a brief respite from the wind, and Oxford seized the chance to open the gap.

Two lengths became three and a half, and when the water roughened again after Barnes Bridge they hardened into it. Five lengths, the verdict on nearly seven months of rigorous training. Crushed, Cambridge were virtually speechless at the end.

‘I've spent the past two years trying to win this race, and it didn't happen,’ Light Blue president Tom Edwards said. ‘No regrets, there's no more we could have done. That just makes it all the harder today.’

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2006/04/03/soroww03.xml&sSheet=/sport/2006/04/03/ixothspt.html

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