Oxford’s mens team in 2015Katie Chan

by Varsity Sport

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Cambridge win the Men's Boat Race, but lose the Women's

4:44pm Going to end the coverage here, but thank you all for tuning in today - it's been an absolute pleasure. Shout outs to all members of the Varsity team for their help today, especially Sports correspondents Akuan Liu and Santi Willder. A write-up is now live on the Varsity website.

In sartorial terms though Cambridge are definitely the winners

A bitter Cantab

4:39pm Oxford's rowers look dejected to say the least. Part of me just about feels sorry for them. They rowed well but from the start Cambridge dominated the race.

4:38pm My fellow reporter's insight that 'Rowing is being done' is whipping up a storm over on the Varsity twitter feed. Perceptive insight as always over here at Varsity HQ.

4:35pm Cambridge's crew ashore now, still celebrating. And why wouldn't they? Cracking finish to a day's rowing that started auspiciously for Cambridge.

4:30pm And Cambridge have done it! Pure elation from the men in light blue, with Luke Juckett standing up in jubilation. Extremely strong performance to end Oxford's run of victories.

4:27pm I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Cambridge are definitely going to win this. Text commentator's curse please stay away.

4:24pm Cambridge are still dominating as they come towards the leafy suburbia of Barnes. 2 and a half lengths ahead now, the reliable man on the BBC informs me.

4:19pm Ian Middleton barks orders at his team as Cambridge move more than a length ahead. The water's getting extremely choppy though, which could be a bigger challenge than the Oxford boat behind them.

4:17pm Cambridge almost a whole length ahead here. Promising signs indeed as the crews come up to Hammersmith Bridge.

4:14pm Cambridge leading by about a third of a length here, making great inroads. The first bend is coming up, which should give Cambridge a chance to drive home their advantage.

4:11pm And we're underway!

4:07pm The Men's Race is just minutes away. At the moment it's 2-1 to Oxford considering the Boat Races holistically. GDBO!

4:01pm Reports coming in that Isis (the Oxford men's reserves) have won their race against their respective Cambridge counterparts. Extremely close though.

3:48pm Oxford come up to collect their medals. 'At least their stash is grim', remarks one bitter Cantab next to me. In sartorial terms though Cambridge are definitely the winners.

3:47pm Cause for optimism has arrived, as Blondie (the reserve Cambridge crew) are currently leading Oxford. Great work so far from them.

3:36pm The atmosphere is one of dejection here at Varsity HQ, with the Cantabs here consoling themselves with homemade Easter cupcakes. More sumptuous than watching any Cambridge sports performance lately to be fair. Let's hope the reserve crews and the men's blues can give us cause for celebration later on!

3:32pm Oxford win with a time of approximately 22 minutes, meaning a fourth successive loss for Cambridge's ladies. 'Beaten by the river as well as Oxford', the BBC reporter quips. Quite.

3:30pm Oxford have won, with Cambridge way behind struggling to stay afloat. Someone get the crew some floats sharpish.

3:28pm Cambridge's boat is sinking. This is not a drill.

3:26pm Oxford have 'made another move', which seems like quite a bad thing for Cambridge. I feel like we're going to hear that piece of rowing jargon quite a lot this afternoon.

3:19pm Oxford are leading by almost a length as the crews row past Hammersmith Bridge. It's not looking great at the moment for the Light Blues as they struggle with some fairly turbulent waves.

3:14pm Both crews are neck and neck so far, as they come up to Craven Cottage, scene of the Varsity Football match loss earlier today. Let's hope for a better outcome here #GDBO

3:11pm And the Women's Boat Race is underway! Both crews have just set off from near Putney Bridge.

Hello, and welcome to Varsity's liveblog of the 2016 Boat Races, as Cambridge seeks to avenge last year's double defeat and claw back Oxford's dominance in recent years.

For the women's race, Oxford won the toss, and opted for the Surrey side (that's the south bank), whereas the Cambridge men won their toss and did the same. The Cambridge men are the favourites for this year's race over the 4.25 mile course, but the women face an uphill battle in their quest to prevent a second successive defeat following Oxford's victory in last year's inaugural women's race on the same day as the men's. 

Choppy conditions have plagued the Thames this morning, prompting some concerns that the races would be postponed. Hail, rain and thunder have all been out in force this morning, and there are still dark clouds on the horizon. However, the sun's currently out, along with the Oxbridge fans, who have turned out to support their teams on the banks of the river. 

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