Oxford emerged victorious in last year's Boat Race

This year's race, which takes place on Sunday 6 April at 1630 BST, has broken with tradition by switching from its regular slot on a Saturday.

The world famous encounter between Oxford and Cambridge is usually held on a Saturday but organisers moved it to avoid a clash with another sporting institution, the Grand National.

"We are aware that this is a break with tradition of a Saturday race", said Putney to Mortlake Ltd executive director Dominic Reid.

"However, it affords us huge, new opportunities to bring in a new TV audience without affecting our traditional support from the public along the course".

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Cambridge president Tim Wooge and coach Robin Williams welcomed the move.

"It will make no difference to us", said Wooge.

"In fact, if it means a better TV audience for this great event we are more than happy to make the move. It could be a really good thing".

It is not the first time the Boat Race, which was first held on a Thursday in 1829, has taken place on a Sunday.

The 130th Boat Race in 1984 was scheduled for a Saturday, but was postponed less than an hour before it was due to start after the Cambridge vessel collided with a barge and sank.

The Cambridge boat ran head long into a large moored barge, used by umpires in the middle of the river, shattering the bow section of the vessel.

Before an audience of hundreds of spectators gathered at Putney Bridge, the oarsmen were forced to paddle to the side of the river, with bows still and pointed upwards, until it was almost submerged.

The crew refused to blame the boat's cox, 21-year-old Peter Hobson, who at only 5 feet 4 inches high apparently struggled to see over some of the large rowers.

The next day the Boat Race went ahead with Cambridge borrowing a boat from the Amateur Rowing Association but Oxford crossing the winning line first.

They set a new personal best time by completing the race in 16 minutes and 45 seconds, 13 seconds inside their previous record of 1976.

The average time taken to complete the course is 20 minutes, but Cambridge holds the record of 16 minutes and 19 seconds, achieved in 1998.

The Grand National at Aintree gets under way on Saturday 5 April at 1545 BST.