Oxford University boosted their Boat Race prospects with a second warm-up victoryon the Tideway on Sunday.

Two weeks after beating Washington University, USA, with something to spare, they revealed the same sort of dominance over Molesey.

The Molesey crew, stroked by Olympic gold medallist and former Oxford Blue Andy Triggs Hodge, were outclassed off the start in the first row from Putney to Hammersmith.

The Dark Blues, stroked by Croatian Ante Kusurin, were a length up in a minute and pressed on to win by some four lengths.

Molesey held on for longer in the second row from Chiswick Steps to the finish, but Oxford, produced a remarkable rhythm which saw them go on to win by 3½ lengths.

With the Boat Race coming on Sunday, March 29, Oxford’s former coach and rowing director, Steve Royle, was impressed.

“The crew showed a marked improvement since the Washington race,” he said.

“They were very impressive. They have power and once they get into the rhythm, they can sustain it and go on and on.”

Oxford Brookes also seem to be able to go ‘on and on’ as far as Head of the River successes are concerned.

At the Kingston Head on Saturday, they were the fastest eight overall, clocking 14mins 51secs to win the Elite Trophy, Not to be outdone, Oxford Brookes’s women were also amongst the pennants, winning the senior 3 eights with a overall place of 79th.

Another local win at Kingston came for Magdalen College School in the junior 15 quads.

Oxford’s women’s and lightweight Boat Race crews steal the limelight this Sunday with their Boat Races being held over the downstream Henley course.

At the women’s weigh-in on Tuesday, eyebrows were raised when Cambridge scaled just more than a stone a woman heavier than Oxford Oxford, one of the smaller crews of recent years, were 10st 12lbs average to Cambridge’s 11.122/3.

Heavier men’s Boat Race crews tend to be more likely winners on the Tideway.

For the women, racing 2000 metres at Henley, weight is less of an issue.