Oxford President Robin Ejsmond-Frey knows what it’s like to win a Boat Race – he is the only member of last year’s victorious Dark Blue crew to return for the 2007 Boat Race, which is sponsored by Xchanging.

“It’s an incredible feeling,” he said. “It’s a feeling of pure ecstasy, tempered with a certain amount of relief, as with any big sporting event.

“No-one wants to lose, but you can’t be so afraid of losing that it affects your training,” he said. “Fear of losing and focussing on winning are two different things and you need to have them both.

Ejsmond-Frey said being President of the Dark Blue Boat is a ‘dream come true’.

“I’ve always been ambitious, but to be President is a dream come true. It’s absolutely wonderful,” he said.

“We’re a young and hungry crew. There are no superstars, but that’s the way I like it,” he said. “These are the guys you’ll be seeing in the Olympics in a couple of years’ time. That makes them hungry and eager to keep pushing – and those are two qualities you want in any crew.”

The 2007 Boat Race, sponsored by Xchanging, takes place at 4.30pm on Saturday 7th April. It will be televised live by ITV Sport, whose coverage attracted an audience of more than 7 million viewers last year.