Rowing: Row, row, and another row as boat race ends in acrimony

The 150th University Boat Race ended in a controversial win for Cambridge yesterday after the two crews clashed oars dramatically while jockeying for position.

Oxford led early on but fell behind when their bowman, Chris Kennelly, was briefly unseated by a collision between the two boats after a mile of the four-mile, 374-yard race from Putney to Mortlake.

The Oxford cox, Acer Nethercott, registered a formal complaint after the race but the umpire, James Behrens, refused to accept his claim of a foul by Cambridge.

The race, which marked 50 years of television coverage by the BBC, was won in 18 minutes and 48 seconds by Cambridge, their 78th victory in the annual contest.