The most interesting aspect of the announcement of the Boat Race crews on Monday was that Oxford University named just one overseas oarsman for their contest against Cambridge on Saturday March 26 (5pm).

German Moritz Hafner is the Dark Blues’ only representative from outside the United Kingdom.

This is their lowest overseas in-volvement since 1990.

Cambridge are more multi-nat-ional with five Britons and others from Australia, Canada and the USA. They are also 3½lb per man heavier and 1½ inches taller.

Two of the named Oxford crew, Alec Dent and George Whittaker, have homes in Oxfordshire.

Dent comes from Bampton, near Witney, while and Whittaker, now living in Henley, learned his rowing at Abingdon School.

The feeling is that there’s an edge in Cambridge’s favour, their crew including four returning Blues to Oxford’s one.

The Dark Blues sole survivor from last year’s narrowly beaten crew is their president, Welshman Ben Myers, who took over the post last autumn when there were doubts as to whether Dent, already in office, would be able to row after a back injury.

Happily, Dent has made it and, after two years in the Isis reserve crew, fulfils an ambition he has had since he was ten.

The Oxford line-up might be short of full Boat Race experience, but bristles with former other high achievers.

The youngest oarsman in the race, Oxford’s Constantine Lou-loudis, 19, has two Henley medals, a junior world gold and an under 23 world silver.

His cox Sam Winter-Levy, 18, is one of the youngest ever in the race.

Having learned his craft at St Paul’s School, he knows the course well as does his stroke, Simon His-lop, a product of Latymer Upper School.

Hislop, who has two Henley med-als to his credit, was diagnosed with testicular cancer in April 2010.

Involved with Orthopaedic Sur-gical Research at Oriel, he is back to full health after surgery and keen to make men more aware of the problem.

Sean Bowden, Oxford’s coach seeking his tenth win in 14 seasons at Oxford, says “What the crew lacks in Boat Race experience, it more than makes up for in determination and track record.”

The day before the official announcement, Oxford undertook a two-race fixture on the Boat Race course against Queen’s University, Belfast and emerged winners.

The Oxford contingent won the first race from Putney to Hammer-smith by four lengths, while the second stint from Chiswick Eyot to the finish went their way by 2½ lengths.

Ben Lewis, a product of St Ed-ward’s School, Oxford, was the coach of the experienced Molesey crew which took on Cambridge in a private fixture the day after the weigh-in.

The Molesey crew had two chan-ges from the combo which won one and lost one against Oxford.

In three pieces over the Boat Race course, Molesey edged one, Cam-bridge edged one, and the other was a dead-heat.

Lewis said, “It is too close to call. It’s going to be a fantastic race because I think Cambridge came out of the blocks faster, but Oxford may be stronger.”