Cambridge win men’s Boat Race after Oxford end losing run in women’s event

Cambridge battled through punishing conditions to win a fourth straight men’s Boat Race after Oxford ended a decade of light blue dominance in the 80th women’s edition.

The heavily favoured Cambridge men’s team raced clear to win by three-and-a-half lengths to win the 171st men’s event.

And Oxford’s won for the first time since 2016 in the women’s event, powering to a strong start and never relinquishing the lead to finish three lengths clear.

The wind created gruelling sea-like conditions on some sections of Thames.

Oxford’s men and Cambridge’s women won their respective coin tosses, and both crews elected to start at Surrey station.

Cambridge came into the men’s race as heavy favourites and pulled out to an early lead, but the determination and grit of the underdogs in the dark blue boat made it a proper contest early on.

Ciaran Hayes, the Boat Race’s first Irish umpire, was kept busy at the start, twice warning Oxford, and the oars nearly came together around the fourth minute as the dark blue boat continued to take it to their rivals.

There were less than two seconds in it at the Mile Post, and Oxford had less than a four-second deficit at the Hammersmith Bridge as Hayes continued to issue cautions.

Cambridge, unbeaten this season, battled their way out to a bigger advantage through the especially testing ‘white-cap conditions’ at Chiswick, and had extended their lead to double-digits before crossing the finish.

Oxford’s women denied Cambridge a ninth straight victory after powering to a strong start and never relinquishing the lead to beat their rivals by three lengths.

The dark blue boat held a 6.29 second lead by Hammersmith Bridge.

The crews entered the choppy Chiswick waters and Cambridge cox Matt Moran, who grew up less than 10 miles from the Championship Course, drew on his local knowledge, taking a risk with an unusual inside line, away from the fast water.

But Oxford held firm, leading by a length, and led by just over nine seconds at the Chiswick Steps, a lead that narrowed to 8.49 seconds at the Barnes Bridge, but the dark blues never looked like losing.