The inexperienced underdogs proved the pundits wrong, finishing the 145th university showdown on the River Thames in 16 minutes 41 seconds - the second quickest time - and 11 seconds clear of Oxford.

Cambridge cox Vian Sharif (5ft) with team-mate Joshua West (6ft 9in)

Around 40,000 spectators crowded the river banks to watch the traditional race between the UK's two oldest universities.

The Cambridge team - at an average of 6ft 6ins - was the tallest in the race's history.

But it was their smallest member, 5ft-tall cox Vian Sharif, who summed up the feeling of the team - describing the victory as "brilliant".

Her crew celebrated by throwing the 19-year-old into the river - the traditional fate of the victorious cox.

The win was also a personal triumph for Cambridge captain Brad Crombie, a Canadian international, who became one of the few rowers in history to pick up his third varsity victory.

Going: Victorious Vian gets ready for a dunking

He said: "It was the most fun race I ever had at Cambridge. It was a great note to end on. What we had was superior speed from the first stroke to the last stroke."

Crombie, 28, stressed that it had been a team effort, saying: "It's the crew that wins, not the individual.

"They (Oxford) may have had a number of good people in their boat, but we have a good team."

Oxford captain Charlie Humphreys said his crew lost touch with Cambridge over the last third of the race.

Gone: Vian takes a traditional dip in the Thames

"They seemed to put in a very effective move at Hammersmith Bridge that we weren't able to keep up with."

The two crews had started well and were stroke-for-stroke in the early stages, but Cambridge were a second up after the first mile.

Cambridge also lost ground when the umpire ordered the crew to veer away to avoid a clash of oars.

At Hammersmith Bridge the Light Blues pressed home their advantage and managed to get clear water ahead of their rivals.