Boat Race April 3 1999 - Oxford trials December 9 Oxford line up talent for a challenge Christopher Dodd reports from the Tideway Oxford's trials indicate a strong challenge to Cambridge's run of six wins in next April's Boat Race. In trouncing "Movers", the "Shakers" eight put their marker on six seats in the eventual Blue Boat, and the gritty stroking of Henrik Nilsson may have put paid to this year's stroke Nick Robinson's chance of gaining a second Blue. The Swede Nilsson had three other internationals behind him - the Briton Andrew Lindsay, the German Colin Von Ettingshausen and the American Martin Crotty. In seat four was the American Toby Ayer who has been biding his time in reserve crews, and in seat three the talented and heavy freshman Daniel Snow. The best men in the other boat were Morgan Crooks, Simon Lyall-Cottle and the Blues Simon Roycroft and Charlie Humphries. Shakers' cox Trevor Peterson had the best of the steering, gaining the advantage of what little tide was available when lagging off the start on the Surrey station. He drew level at the mile and stamped his authority on the race by Hammersmith Bridge with the help of a big push from the oarsmen. Shakers"full distance time of 18 minutes 40 seconds (against 18.57 or nearly six lengths deficit for Movers) was a lot slower than Cambridge's winning boat two days beforehand, which completed Putney to Mortlake in 17.11, fast by any standard. But it is dangerous to compare these times. Flat water and no wind were common, but there was a lot more water in the river for Cambridge than for their rivals. Movers Bow - C W Bordeau (Princeton, US, and Hertford), E W T Foster (Eton and St Catherine's), A V Cooper (Eton and Lincoln), M A L Crooks (Princeton, US, and St Anne's), S W Lyall-Cottle (King's Canterbury, Shrewsbury and Oriel), *J B Roycroft (Eton and Keble), *C P A Humphries (Hampton and Oriel), stroke - *N J Robinson (Hampton and Lincoln), cox - N J O'Donnell (Rutgers, US, and Keble). Shakers Bow - S J Williams (KCS Wimbledon and Worcester), E S Brand (Bainbridge HS, US, and Hertford), D R Snow (St Paul's and Balliol), T H Ayer (MIT, US, and Worcester), M M Crotty (Princeton, US, and Keble), C von Ettingshausen (Dusseldorf, Germany, and Keble), *A J R Lindsay (Eton and Brasenose), stroke - *L H K Nilsson (Univ of Lund, Sweden, and Hertford), cox - T J Peterson (Lycee Cambridge and Keble). * denotes Blue © Copyright Christopher Dodd, 1998.