"Shirts" beat "Skins" at the 2007 Oxford Trial Eights, in a match which was close for the first six minutes before one Dark Blue crew raced ahead of the other to claim victory. For the first time in years the cold calm conditions matched those granted to Cambridge the day before, but attempts to compare times were balked by Oxford setting off on an earlier and faster tide.

The two crews were well-matched on paper, the four returning Blues and the experienced internationals evenly spread. The boats began challenging for the centre-stream straight after the start, and umpire John Garrett was kept busy as both moved towards Middlesex at the Black Buoy. President Nick Brodie, steering "Skins", had the better start with his crew, and capitalised on the inside of the Fulham bend, at one stage nearly breaking free. But warnings as the two eights risked a clash took their toll, while "Shirts" arguably had the better share of what stream there was. This helped them stay in the game past the Milepost, and by the time both reached Harrods it was back to level pegging.

The move, when it came, was swift, a surge on the finishes sending "Shirts" rocketing past their rivals. Stroke Justin Stangel and 7-man Charles Cole had found a rhythm they lacked earlier, and made the most of their opportunity. Twenty strokes later "Shirts" had nearly a length, and as they moved away from Hammersmith Bridge they drew clear.

The rest was a familiar Boat Race story, the leaders able to relax, the following crew hanging on grimly to minimise the margin. "Shirts" cox Colin Groshong chose a tight line inside the Barnes bend, which allowed "Skins", regaining their strong rhythm, to claw back a few seats past Mortlake Brewery. But the result was never threatened and "Shirts" cleared the Boat Race post in 18 minutes 5 seconds, with Brodie’s crew nine seconds behind them. The losers may have raced their skins out, but the winning eight bet their shirts on the right tactics, and won.

"That was a bit of a role reversal - the losing crew has been quicker in training", commented Dark Blue coach Sean Bowden after the race. "There were some health issues, and that’s blown the gap between the two crews apart a bit. We have some good ingredients, and finding the right combination will be our challenge."

Both universities now enter their final week of pre-Christmas training, Cambridge in the UK and Oxford cross-country ski-ing at Davos, before they head to different areas of northern Spain for their New Year training camps.