Oxford and Cambridge were on the Boat Race course last weekend, taking on two of the best crews in the country in the warm-up to neext week’s big race.

On Saturday, Oxford raced Leander from Putney to Chiswick Steps in a tetchy, clash ridden contest with Oxford on the Surrey station.

All bar one of Leanderwere internationals including three world champions, but Oxford were not overawed.

The lead switched a couple of times in the first mile before Oxford snatched a narrow win after a great sprint for the line.

Coach Sean Bowden seemed happy. He said: “We showed composure and I’m pleased with the performance. It is something for us to build on.”

The next day, Cambridge took on Molesey for two rows, one from Putney to Hammersmith and the other from St Paul’s to the Mortlake finish.

This did not make comparisons with Oxford easy, but Mark Banks, the Leander coach, had commented after his crew’s battle the previous day that “Molesey are a similar speed to us.”

Molesey, with British stars Tom James and Andy Triggs Hodge setting a good rhythm, beat Cambridge in both races, the first by a few seats and the second by one and a half lengthss.

How good an omen this might be for Oxford will be clarified on Saturday when Leander and Molesey start second and fourth in the Tideway Head.