COLIN Smith, Oxford University’s president and stroke of Great Britain’s silver medal winning eight in Beijing, had to settle for another second place this week, writes Mike Rosewell.

Competing in the Dark Blues’ trial eights race over the Boat Race course, Smith was in the Bull’s crew who went down by one and a half lengths to the Bears.

The latter trial crew included George Bridgewater from New Zealand, a bronze medallist in Beijing and Croatian Olympian Ante Kusurin, Oxford’s stroke in 2007.

The Bulls, on the Surrey station, led for the first two minutes before the Bears went ahead at Fulham.

A strong push by Bulls, coupled by a unsettling “crab” by their rivals just after the Chiswick Steps meant that just two seconds still separated the two combatants at Barnes Bridge.

The Bear’s Middlesex advantage bend then gave them the initiative and they completed the course in18mins 37secs, in slowish conditions. Oxford’s chief coach Sean Bowden said: “The crew that won had that slightly stronger rhythm.”