Cambridge thrash Oxford to claim men’s and women’s double

I can announce that spring has sprung – not by looking outside and seeing the weather (it’s still not great…) but because it’s Boat Race day!

Yep, for me, and I imagine many others, this race marks the end of winter in a way that Punxsutawney Phil can only dream of. 

This year Oxford are favourites for the men’s race and boy do they need to win. Cambridge took a clean sweep last year, winning each of the four races (men’s, women’s, men’s reserves and women’s reserves). It was only the fourth time that one university has won all four races in the half-century that the four races have been staged.

In the history of the men’s Boat Race, Cambridge lead Oxford by 86 wins to 81 (there was a dead heat in 1877). Cambridge are even more dominant in the history of the women’s race, with 47 victories to Oxford’s 30.

Whoever wins, however, they need to be careful of over-celebrating.  Levels of E. coli were found to be up to 10 times higher than what the Environment Agency considers acceptable for the worst bathing waters graded poor on a stretch of the river that will be used for this Saturday’s event.

As such, both crews have been warned not to enter the water and to wash themselves down at the finish line.

Guidance issued suggests rowers cover cuts, grazes and blisters with waterproof dressings and take care not to swallow any river water to avoid getting ill.

Last year, British Rowing, the sport’s national governing body, said it had received an increased number of reports of illnesses among rowers.

Most types of E.coli are harmless or cause relatively brief diarrhoea.

But a few strains, such as E.coli O157:H7, can cause severe stomach cramps, bloody diarrhoea and vomiting.

So there you have it, go for the win but stay out of the water, in as much as a boat crew can…

Stay here for all the action on the Thames.