Cambridge v Oxford Boat Race

1 April 2010, 10:45 | Updated: 6 April 2010, 06:24

Cambridge have beaten Oxford in the 156th contest on the River Thames.

It's the Light Blues' first win in three years. 

The crew were the underdogs in the race, which took place on the River Thames in London on Saturday 3 April 2010.

Cambridge stuck with Oxford through the sweeping Surrey bend, refusing to allow the Dark Blues to gain any advantage as the Tideway turned in their favour.

Oxford could not build on their quarter-length lead and as the river turned back towards Middlesex, the Light Blues pulled ahead to win by one-and-a-third lengths.

Cambridge president Deaglan McEachern said: "I have been in crews that thought they were going to win and haven't. 

I knew this crew had a chance to win and I told them to go out there and take it.

"All we really wanted was a chance to win.

We went out there, executed what we had planned and trained for and came away with the victory. 

It is affirmation of everything we have been doing all year. 

I knew if we stuck at them we would be the crew who would hold on at the end."

The result means Cambridge extend their lead in the series, which began in 1829, to 80 wins to Oxford's 75.

Boat Race 2010 crews:

Cambridge
Bow - Rob Weitemeyer (St. Edmund's - Can)
2 - Geoff Roth (St. Edmund's - Can)
3 - George Nash (St. Catharine's - GB)
4 - Peter McCelland (Pembroke - Can)
5 - Deaglan McEachern (Hughes Hall - USA)
6 - Henry Pelly (St. Edmund's - GB)
7 - Derek Rasmussen (Hughes Hall - USA)
Stroke - Fred Gill (Hughes Hall - GB)
Cox - Ted Randolph (Peterhouse - GB)

Oxford
Bow - Ben Myers (Exeter - GB)
2 - Martin Walsh (Green Templeton - Ire)
3 - Tyler Winklevoss (Christ Church - USA)
4 - Cameron Winklevoss (Christ Church - USA)
5 - Sjoerd Hamburger (Oriel - Ned)
6 - Matt Evans (University - Can/GB)
7 - Simon Gawlik (Kellogg - Ger)
Stroke - Charlie Burkitt (Wolfson - GB)
Cox - Adam Barhamand (Wolfson - USA)

Check out a map of the course below:

Training is key to a successful crew - according to The Boat Race's official website, every member of the crew trains for around two hours for every stroke taken in the race.

It takes around 600 strokes to complete the course.

Ben Myers, from the Oxford crew, said that can take up a lot of time: "We train twice a day, once in the morning in the gym usually, and then once on the afternoon in the water, and that can take up to seven hours out of our day."