2000 Olympic gold medallist and former Cambridge President Kieran West stroked the crew named Steve Fairbairn" to an eight second (two and three-quarter length) victory over "John Goldie" stroked by British Olympian Tom James in a time of 18:45 in todays Cambridge Trial Eights, sponsored by Xchanging, on the Thames.
The start of the race, which follows the famous University Boat Race course, was delayed by a large barge which came onto the course near the start at Putney Bridge. Proceedings were further disrupted when John Goldie on the Surrey station took the brunt of a considerable wash produced by a passing Port of London Authority launch. James crew took on water and never really recovered.
The Trials Eights are supposed to be a test of the men rather than of the crews, said Cambridge coach Duncan Holland after the race. Todays race certainly was a test of the men but it wasnt a fair race. However, I saw how the guys performed under pressure and that was very useful.
Holland believes that there are still twelve men in contention for the eight rowers' places in the Cambridge Blue Boat for the 152nd Boat Race takes place on Sunday 2nd April, sponsored by Xchanging.
He will use the post-Christmas Cambridge training camp in Spain to continue making his selection decisions.
Oxford's Trial Eights took place yesterday, in much calmer water conditions, and produced a close and exciting contest between the two crews whose next phase of training involves a cross-country ski camp.