Cambridge University’s Boat Race squad gave themselves a confidence booster by finishing first in the annual Head of the River Race ahead of leading UK clubs Leander and Molesey on the Tideway yesterday.

The Light Blue eight coped with tricky wind and weather to record the winning time of 18:29.67 on a course which is rowed from Mortlake to Putney in a reverse of the Boat Race course.

Coach Duncan Holland decided to enter his eight for the event in the lead up to Saturday’s Boat Race, sponsored by Xchanging, because he felt that any opportunity to get more racing experience on the Tideway would be important.

Cambridge last entered the Head of the River Race in 1991. The Light Blues continue to be on-paper favourites to win on Saturday but Oxford President Robin Ejsmond-Frey described his squad in an article written by Andrew Longmore in today’s Sunday Times as “We have no big names, no guys with years of world championship experience behind them. We’re just a bunch of ordinary guys getting on with it”.

“Last year we were billed as underdogs and ended up winning and, not surprisingly, we are underdogs again. They’re a very classy squad but it’s what drives our training”.

Meanwhile Rachel Quarrell questions what makes a Boat Race favourite in today’s Sunday Telegraph. On paper, she says, Cambridge hold all the aces in terms of international experience but one bookie already has Oxford at 9-5 on to win.

Cambridge coach Duncan Holland perhaps summed it up perfectly in a recent comment: “The Tideway is a very unforgiving place. Sport is a series of contests which are uncertain by their nature. I’m confident that we will perform well but is that enough to win? We’ll see”.

The scene, then, is set potentially for yet another fascinating duel in this year’s Boat Race.

Top Eight finishers – Head of the River Race - 2008

1. 18 29.67 Cambridge University Boat Club
2. 18 33.60 Leander I
3. 18 55.67 Molesey I
4. 19 19.33 Imperial College I
5. 19 19.55 London I
6. 19 20.76 Real CN de Vigo (Spain)
7. 19 34.23 Oxford Brookes University II
8. 19 35.65 Molesey II

“These results are unofficial because the Head was abandoned due to adverse weather conditions after only the first few crews had completed the course.”