It did not turn out to be a vintage Henley Regatta for Oxfordshire crews.

Of the six selected local boats, only two managed to reach the Sunday finals, the other four dropping out earlier including Oxford Brookes’ and Wallingford’s coxed fours in the Prince Albert and Britannia events respectively on the first day.

It was thought that Oxford teacher and Brookes member Caroline O’Connor could make history by winning two Henley medals as cox.

Thinks looked bright for her when the GB women’s eight, a crew which also included Wallingford’s Lindsey Maguire, reached the final of the Remenham Cup, and the Oxford University and Brookes composite men’s eight did likewise in the Ladies Plate.

The women’s eight faced Canada, recently taken over by John Keogh, who coached the British women to a world bronze in 2007.

The Canadians took control and won by two lengths.

It was a closer call for O’Connor and her Oxford and Brookes men in their final against Harvard, USA, with the Americans squeezing home by ten feet on the line.

Radley College and Abingdon School upheld their selected status with wins in their first two day’s racing before meeting Shrewsbury and the mighty unbeaten Eton College in the quarter-finals.

There was some joy from an Oxford point of view when 1829 Boat Club won the Thames Cup eights.