OXFORD cox Kajsa McLaren, from Pyrton, faced a tall order when the crews for the 146th Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race on March 25 were announced in Putney.

Kajsa, just 4ft 10in, came up against one of the Cambridge giants in the shape of 6ft 9in Josh West.

Not that Kajsa will be overawed - she started rowing at the age of 15 while at King's School College and is no stranger to the Boat Race, having coxed Isis last year.

She becomes only the sixth woman to have steered an Oxford team and the 11th female cox to be selected since the event started in 1829.

Another Oxford-born oarsman in the Dark Blue crew is Ronan Cantwell, who was captain of Radley Boat Club in his final year. He was in the victorious 1999 Goldie boat and rowed in winning crews at both 1998 and 1999 Henley Royal Regattas.

Cambridge beat Oxford by three-and-a-half lengths in last year's race, extending the Light Blues' winning streak to seven in a row.

Oxford: T Ayer* (Worcester), A Reid (Lincoln), N Robinson* (Lincoln), M Smith (St Catherine's), B Burch (Pembroke), A Dunn (Lincoln), E Lilledahl (Nuffield), D Snow* (Balliol), K McLaren (Pembroke). * Blue.

Story date: Tuesday 22 February

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