MARK BANKS, the Leander coach, underestimated his protégés at the Fours Head on Saturday. Having watched the 501 finishers cover the Mortlake to Putney course he said: “I think we will have five crews in the top 15 places and three pennant winners.” In spite of having eight of their top internationals missing, including James Cracknell and Matthew Pinsent, Leander had five crews in the top nine and four pennant winners.

Banks entered his competitors solely in the quad sculls and produced the day’s fastest men’s and women’s crews. Their top men’s boat, with Tom Stallard, the world champion, substituting for an ailing Matt Langridge, and Ian Lawson, the world finalist, taking Langridge’s stroke seat, beat Leander’s top lightweight crew. That included Nick Wakefield and Matt Beechey, fourth in the world this year. Their lightweights just pipped a British/Irish composite featuring Sam Lynch, Ireland’s world singles champion.

Leander’s winning women’s quad, with Lisa Eyre in for Tracy Langlands, the injured world bronze medal-winner, started first of the women’s quads, directly behind the slower men’s Senior 3 fours. After two miles, they were overtaking the men and also hit a buoy towards the finish. Rethinking on this starting order is needed.

Cambridge drew first blood in the Boat Race scenario. The coxed four won their boat class and were three seconds faster than their Oxford rivals.