Cambridge Are Boat Race Underdogs

With 11 days to go until the Boat Race, bookies have installed Oxford as red hot favourites.

Betfair are currently offering a mean 2/7 on an Oxford win, and punters backing Cambrige can more than double their money at 11-5.

That means the company rate the chances of a Dark Blue victory at about 80%, making Oxford even hotter favourites than before last year’s race which they went on to win by 3 1/2 lengths.

The divergence in the betting markets follows the Dark Blues’ defeat of a top-class Leander crew on Saturday which included four world champions.

On Sunday Cambridge lost out against a similarly star-studded Molesey crew, stroked by fomer Light Blue hero Tom James.

Oxford’s favourites tag may also have something to do with late changes made by the Tabs last week.

After the weekend’s training Cambridge coach Chris Nilsson made the call to move President Deaglan McEachern back to his favoured bow-side position, renewing the American’s 2009 rivalry with his opposite number Sjoerd Hamburger – Oxford’s President – who also sits in the 5 seat.

The President’s switch meant that new boy Code Sternal had to race Canadian Rob Weitemeyer for the remaining bow-side seat, a contest which he lost meaning that he returns to Goldie.

Goldie stroke Geoff moved up to fill the gap and will now sit in the 2 seat in the Blue Boat on April 3rd (see below for the new Blues line-up).

Despite losing their stroke sources in the Cambridge camp report that Goldie have not lost any pace after the line-up changes and may even be moving faster. The changes allowed Aussie international and Tab columnist Hardy Cubasch to switch back to his preferred stroke-side role.

Goldie’s revised crew pulled out two good wins against Molesey II on Sunday.

Read Hardy Cubasch’s thoughts on the squad’s final fixtures and ongoing preparations exclusively in The Tab.

The new-look Cambridge Blue Boat line-up is as follows:

Bow Rob Weitemeyer (St. Edmund’s – Can)

2 Geoff Roth (St. Edmund’s – Can)

3 Derek Rasmussen (Hughes Hall – USA)

4 Peter McClelland (Pembroke – Can)

5 Deaglan McEachern (Hughes Hall – USA)

6 Henry Pelly (St. Edmund’s – GB)

7 George Nash (St. Catharine’s – GB)

Stroke Fred Gill (Hughes Hall – GB)

Cox Ted Randolph (Peterhouse – GB)

Despite the changes, Cambridge remain the slightly heavier crew at 760.4kgs (119 stone, 10lbs & 6ozs) with Oxford at 756.6kgs (119 stone 2 lbs).

Click HERE for for details of where to go to support the Light Blues on April 3rd.