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Oxford crew outweigh Cambridge rivals

Oxford University and Cambridge University boat race crews pose for a group photograph following the official weigh-in ahead of their boat race on the River Thames in London, England, on Tuesday. Oxford are in dark blue. PHOTO: AFP

Oxford will be the heavier crew in Saturday's Boat Race on the River Thames.

At Tuesday's weigh-in, Oxford's combined total, including the cox, was 840kg. Cambridge's crew weighed 47.8kg less.

Traditionally, the heavier crew is the favorite, but British bookmaker William Hill has both boats at odds of 5-6 with the race expected to be held in windy conditions.

"Physically, the bigger crews tend to win but we are doing what we can to maximize what we've got," Cambridge coach Duncan Holland said. "Traditionally, a heavy crew goes well into head winds but less well into tail winds, so each crew can find conditions to suit. Additionally, the bigger the crew the more likely it is to sink."

There have been six crews that have sunk, and William Hill has odds of 33-1 that it will happen again.

STORMY WEATHER

Cambridge leads the series 79-73, with one draw in 1877. Saturday's 154th edition of the 6.7km race is expected to be contested in stormy weather.

"The forecast at the moment is talking of 25 miles per hour [40kph] winds with gusts up to 50 miles per hour [80.5kph]," Holland said.

"Traditionally, a heavy crew goes well into head winds but less well into tail winds ... Additionally, the bigger the crew the more likely it is to sink."

Duncan Holland, coach of the Cambridge Blues boat crew

Holland has some history of bad weather -- his crew almost got swamped in 2006 in his first year as coach.

NO MISTAKES

"It is easy to underestimate the race and the river, but I don't think anyone will be making those mistakes second time around," Holland said.

Oxford coach Sean Bowden hoped his crew had learnt lessons from practicing in recent bad weather.

"We can expect some strong head winds and some rough water and that's going to obviously add an extra dimension to the race," Bowden said. "It will be important tactically to be really astute and get yourself in a good position for any kind of rough water."
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