Local man toasts Boat Race success (From Free Press Series)

Local man toasts Boat Race success

CAMBRIDGE coach Robin Williams was celebrating on the Thames as his Light Blues crew won a controversial 150th Boat Race.

Victory was sweet for the 44 year-old Light Blues coach from Chepstow after the one-foot defeat last year, making it seven wins out of 10 races in charge.

But a clash which saw Cambridge overturn an early Oxford lead left the Dark Blues bitterly protesting at the finish.

"From what I could see from the launch, Oxford were being repeatedly warned and didn't move," said Williams.

"When the clash happened and they came off worst, they were out of their water and that was their problem."

Cambridge went away to win by six lengths after Oxford bowman Chris Kennelly came off his seat and missed several strokes.

"We took full advantage, and once we were level we steamed away," said the Monmouth RC man, whose family come from Mounton near Chepstow.

"Oxford had a good start, but I knew they couldn't sustain their early tempo and we were just rowing our own race, waiting for our chance.

"The race as a contest was all over in a blink, really," he admitted. "But we had good boat speed and were confident that we could win off either station and under any circumstances.

"We'd lost three out of the last four and in 2002 and 2003 we felt we made mistakes and if we hadn't done that we would have had a chance.

"But this year the crew have come through. We held our nerve, didn't make any errors and got a great result."