Cambridge President Tom James believes power not weight will be the key to victory in Saturday’s Oxford versus Cambridge Boat Race, sponsored by Xchanging.

The 23-year-old Welshman admitted his surprise when his crew tipped the scales at an average of 92.8kg per man at today’s (Tuesday) weigh-in at the Hurlingham Club in Putney, west London, some 4.3kg per man heavier than their rivals.

But James said the extra bulk will count for little if it can’t be converted into speed on the water.

“I didn’t quite realise we had people that heavy in the boat,” said James after the Cambridge stroke, Thorsten Engelmann, was measured at 110.8kg, making him the heaviest oarsman ever in Boat Race history.

“But the weight won’t matter if we can’t convert it into pulling power. Weight can be a disadvantage and it can be an advantage, it depends on the conditions. If we have the pulling power too, then it is fine.”

James, an engineering student at Trinity College, also believes mental preparation will be crucial to the race.

A veteran of three previous boat races and a British international since 2003, James recently returned to Chester, where he attended King’s School before going to Cambridge in 2002, to train away from the distractions of the Boat Race build-up.

“So much is about mental preparation and making sure you’ve got everything right for the race,” he said. “Being away for a while was good for me. All our preparation has been just right.

“Obviously we’ve had a recent change to our cox but Rebecca is working well for us,” he added, referring to Rebecca Dowbiggin, a late replacement for Russell Glenn at the Cambridge helm.