Close encounter: the Cambridge University crews vie for one stretch of water as Understated forges ahead of Subtle in their Trial Eights yesterday that produced far more excitement than Oxford’s earlier this month. One common element was that the new presidents were the stroke men in the winning crews but Tim Wooge, of Cambridge, had to work harder for his win yesterday than Matt Smith did as stroke of Oxford’s Health two weeks ago.

Wooge won the toss and chose the Middlesex station, leaving Matthias Kleinz, his fellow Germany rower, to stroke Subtle on Surrey. A great tussle developed with little separating the crews for the first nine minutes. Understated edged ahead along Chiswick Eyot and had clear water just after Chiswick Steps. The crews kept at similar striking rates, between 32 and 35, and kept their form and rhythm well, Understated winning by ten seconds in a fast 18min 6sec.

Until the Bandstand, Boris Rankov, six times a Boat Race winner and this year’s umpire, was busy trying to keep the coxes, Jim Omartian, of the United States, a 2002 Henley winner with Harvard, and Ellie Griggs, Cambridge’s cox last March, under control. There was plenty of talent on show, both domestic and foreign. The cosmopolitan line-ups included two Germans, three Americans, one Canadian and one Australian.

Robin Williams, the coach, had four leading contenders missing through illness, including Ben Clare and Alex McGarel-Groves from the 2002 reserve crew and another German, Steffen Buschbacher.