Boat Race organisers ask defeated Oxford crew to clarify sickness claims

• Oxford men’s team ‘had a few guys go down with E coli strain’
• Thames Water under pressure over ‘so much poo in the water’

Organisers of the Boat Race have contacted Oxford to seek further clarity on the cause of the sickness bug that struck down several members of their men’s team.

Cambridge triumphed in the women’s and men’s Blue races on Saturday following an unusually high-profile buildup to the historic event, after River Action UK found dangerously high levels of E coli bacteria on the River Thames course.