OXFORD University president Barney Williams hailed coach Sean Bowden after the Dark Blues tamed the angry River Thames to hand favourites Cambridge a decisive beating in the 152nd University Boat Race on Sunday, writes Mike Rosewell.

The Dark Blues belied their lack of Boat Race experience to power to an emphatic victory by 15 seconds and five lengths as Cambridge were virtually swamped by the white-force waves.

The winning time of 18mins 26secs was well short of the course record, but that was no surprise considering the tempestuous conditions.

Oxford handled them far better than their rivals, and their president, Canadian Olympic silver medallist Williams, praised the tactics of Bowden for that.

Williams, the only returning rower from last year's Oxford triumph, said: "What a leader, and what a chief coach he is.

"We had a coach who kept us focused on the moment. That was the key to this crew.

"It was choppy, but we handled it really well. Coming into the headwind I thought we would have to tuck in and it would be survival rowing, but it really didn't seem to faze us."

Bowden has now coached eleven Boat Race crews, the first two of the Light Blue variety, and has watched his crews win seven of them.

"They had the rhythm and the fitness," Bowden said. "Everything was there for the second half".

Cambridge led briefly at the mile post, but Oxford took over at Hammersmith Bridge and forged ahead.

Williams continued: "We just got stuck into the headwind and powered along. At that point we had broken them, we had really exhausted their energy.

"There was a sense of just don't make any mistakes'.

"I don't know of many times when you can just row the last three minutes conservatively, but that's what we were doing bringing it home and savouring that after all the hard work."

Oxford, with Bastien Ripoll, the first Frenchman to row in the Boat Race, in the important stroke seat, were steered to victory by Seb Pearce.

The cox was only called up at four weeks' notice after originally being named in reserve boat Isis, and Williams said: "What a character. The last thing we heard before the start was him telling us to take a deep breath and sit up. Everyone did it at the same time."

Pearce made no apologies for swearing on the ITV broadcast when he was urging his crew to attack.

He said: "That was our point to win the race and that was the way we had to win it if they want the microphones in the boat that's what happens."

There was more success for Oxford University over the weekend.

Although Isis, the reserve crew, lost to Goldie, Oxford notched four out of five wins in the women's and lightweight races at Henley on Saturday.

Oxford's women won by half-a-length after surviving a crab early in the race, with the men's two lightweight crews winning with ease, along with Osiris, the women's reserves.

The only Saturday defeat came for the women's lightweights, who were beaten by a canvas after leading for most of the contest.

Earlier in the week the Oxford Veterans, clearly short of practice, lost their Boat Race to Cambridge's 'oldies'.