Oriel College Boat Club

Oriel College Boat Club (OCBC) is the rowing club of Oriel College, Oxford.[2] Rowing at Oriel is carried out from the college's own boat-house across Christ Church Meadow, on Boat House Island. Oriel has a reputation for its success in rowing, in particular the two intercollegiate bumps races, Torpids and Eights Week.[3]

Oriel College Boat Club

Boathouse shared with Lincoln and The Queen's
Location	Boathouse Island, Christ Church Meadow, Oxford, Oxford
Coordinates	51.7432°N 1.2493°W
Home water	The Isis
Founded	pre-1828
Head of the River Torpids Headship	Men's Eights: 1842, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1966, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019[1] Men's Torpids: 1838, 1844, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2018, 2019 Women's Torpids: 2006, 2017, 2018 [1]
University	University of Oxford
Affiliations	British Rowing (boat code ORO) Clare BC (Sister college)
Website	orielrowing.org

Racing

The club is one of the most successful Oxford college boat clubs. As of 2020, Oriel holds 37 Torpids Headships, the most of any college and 33 Summer Eights Headships.

From 1972 to 1998 Oriel's Mens First Boat was undefeated in Torpids, the longest run of any college by far.

In 2006 Oriel claimed the first ever double headship in Torpids, rowing over as Head of the River in both the men's and women's first divisions. In 2018 Oriel repeated this victory with their second double headship. It remains the only college to possess a double headship in Torpids.

The women's and men's second boats have long been in "fixed divisions" in the bumps charts and, as such, are guaranteed a place in racing each year. The college usually fields third boats (and sometimes more) for the bumps events.

More extensive information on the results of Torpids and Eights can be found here: http://eodg.atm.ox.ac.uk/user/dudhia/rowing/bumps/

In addition to the Oxford-based races, Oriel crews compete in external events including the Fairbairn Cup, the Head of the River Race, the Women's Eights Head of the River Race, the Henley Boat Races and many regional and national events.

In 2016 the men's first boat won the men's eights collegiate event at the Fairbairn Cup, it won again in 2017 and won the entire event in 2018.[4]

Colours and Emblems

The emblem of the Oriel College Boat Club.

The general emblem of the Oriel College Boat Club is the three ostrich feathers, an example of Oriel College's use of the Prince of Wales's feathers. In recent years this has been augmented by the addition of crossed-oars below the feathers.

The first boats row under the emblem of the Tortoise Club, detailed below, a tradition established from when OCBC would race at external regattas as The Tortoise Club.

The boat club's colours are the same as the College's: two white stripes on navy.

Oriel Rowing Jackets

Until 2009 the wearing of Boat Club Jackets (ivory with navy blue piping and cuff rings, bearing the three ostrich feather emblem on the left breast) was limited to the 1st and 2nd Summer VIII's and Torpids and the Oriel College Boat Club Committee. At that time cuff ring designations were: Three rings for 1st Summer VIII and 1st Torpid; two rings for Boat Club Committee; one ring for 2nd Summer VIII 2nd Torpid. These now obsolete designations can still be seen at the Walters of Oxford website.[5]

Changes brought about in the Oriel Blazer Act of 2009 to become more inclusive of lower-boats' alumni (3rd, 4th, and sometimes 5th VIII's as well as boat coxswains) reformed the cuff ring designations as follows: Three rings for 1st Summer VIII; two rings for 1st Torpid and those awarded Tortoise membership at the Tortoise Council's discretion; one ring for general boat club members (no specific distinction for committee members exists today).

Cultural Presence

In Tom Brown at Oxford by Thomas Hughes, Oriel's win in the 1842 Head of the River Race, with Oriel bumping Trinity, was re-written as Tom's college, "St Ambrose" taking first place and "Oriel" in second place.[6]

Oriel College, in particular the Boat Club Captains' rooms, as well as Oriel memorabilia and references are also present in Oxford Blues (1984) and True Blue (1991).

Oriel Regatta

During the 7th week in Trinity Term, OCBC hosts the annual Oriel Regatta; events in this competition are Mixed Eights and Crewdate Eights. Mixed Eights are crews from a single college that must contain at least four womens rowers. For Crewdate Eights one enters as a group of four rowers with or without a coxswain and are then matched up with another group, where possible creating a mixed college and mixed gender crew. The final two crews have a crewdate paid for them by the Regatta. It is a fun event with which to end the years collegiate racing schedule. The course runs upstream from the Longbridges Boathouse to past the end of boathouses on Christ Church Island and races are conducted in knock-out format.

Alumni

The emblem of the Tortoise Club

The Tortoise Club

The purpose of the Tortoise Club is two-fold: the recognition and celebration of outstanding Oriel rowing; and the financial support of the OCBC.

Membership is by election: proposal by the Men's Captain of Boats, Women's Captain of Boats and the President of the Tortoise Club. Election is by the approval of the Tortoise Council.

Members must be Orielenses (excepting Honorary members) who have represented OCBC with excellence. Members of the men's and women's 1st Summer VIII and 1st Torpid are judged to have fulfilled these criteria but still must be approved by the Tortoise Council. All other potential members are at the Council's discretion.

The unique emblem of the Tortoise Club is the tortoise badge.[7] The College of Arms' narrative should not be misunderstood to imply the use of the Tortoise emblem by the general Oriel College Boat Club membership or members of the Oriel Society – these have their own appropriate emblematic devices.

The emblem of the Blessed Virgins Club

The Blessed Virgins Club

The Blessed Virgins Club was the female counterpart of the Tortoise Club. As of 2016, the women of Oriel College Boat Club are inducted into the Tortoise Club on the same terms as men and the Blessed Virgins Club is defunct. At the creation of the Oriel College Women's Boat Club in 1986,[8] Oriel's female rowers in the 1st VIII and 1st Torpid became members of The Blessed Virgins Club, in like fashion and styling as their male counterparts in the Tortoise Club. The respective unique emblem of The Blessed Virgins was a pair of (angelic) wings. The choice of "Blessed Virgins" is a play on the official name of the college, that being 'The House of Blessed Mary the Virgin in Oxford'.[9]

Noteworthy Rowers

• Anthony Purssell – British rower, Olympian in 1948
• Chris Mahoney – British rower, Olympian in 1980 and 1984; President of the OUBC in 1981.
• Daniel Lyons – American rower, World Champion in 1986; Olympian in 1988
• Terence Dillon – British Rower, Olympian in 1988 and 1992.
• Michael Wherley – American rower, three times World Champion, 1997, 1998 and 1999; Olympian in 2000 and 2004; won the 2008 Boat Race (as the oldest rower in the history of the event); and was inducted into the US National Rowing Hall of Fame in 2014.
• George Bridgewater – New Zealand rower, Olympian in 2004 and Bronze medallist in the pair at the 2008 Summer Olympics
• Peter Hackworth – British coxswain, cox of the 2002 Blue Boat
• Sjoerd Hamburger – Dutch rower, Olympian in 2008 and 2012
• Chris Mahoney – British rower, Olympic silver medallist in 1980
• Lucas McGee – American rower, USRowing Men's National Team coach
• Malcolm Howard – Canadian rower, Olympic Gold medallist in 2008 and Silver medalist in 2012; 2014 OUBC President
• Pete Reed – British rower, Olympic gold medalist in 2008, 2012 and 2016

Captains of Boats

Year	Men's Captain of Boats	Women's Captain of Boats
1861	R.Roberts (1861), G. Cardale (1861)
1862	G.F. Lamb
1863	G.C. Alexander
1864	Incomplete records
1865	T. Bird
1866	E.F. Henley
1867	E.H. Sankey
1868	A. Gaye
1869	A. Phillimore
1870	W. Horn
1871-72	F.L. Claughton (Oct 71- Oct 72)
1873	H. Freeth (Oct 72- Oct 73)
1874-75	J.S. Sinclair (Jan 74 - May 75)
1876	J.H. Bainbridge (Oct 75- Oct 76)
1877-78	R.J. Martin (Oct 76- Oct 78)
1879	W.P. Macdonald (Oct 78- Oct 79)
1880	C.G. Thomas (Oct 79- Dec 80)
1881-2	E.A. Parry (Jan 81- Oct 82)
1883	R. St. J. Ainslie (Oct 82- Oct 83)
1884	P.M. Walters (Oct 83- Dec 84)
1885	A.H. Bartlett (Dec 1884- Dec 1885)
1886	E.Anson (Jan 1886- June 1886)
1887-88	J.G. Radcliffe (Oct 1886- June 1888)
1889	H.E. Robeson
1890	G.D. Pepys
1891	W.G. Dickins
1892	J. F. W. Galbraith (Oct 1891- March 1892), C.A. Surtees (Apr 1892- June 1892)
1893	E.H. Fellowes (Oct 1892- June 1893), A.E. O'Flaherty (Oct 1893- Dec 1893)
1894	C.C. Marshall
1895	E.L. Henderson
1896	A.S. Carey
1897	J.S. Darling
1898	J.S. Darling
1899	C.S. Carey
1900	T.B. Etherington-Smith
1901	T.B. Etherington-Smith
1902	Incomplete records
1903	Incomplete records
1904	Incomplete records
1905	Incomplete records
1906	C.H. Budd
1907	J.O. Hughes
1908	H.L. Harvey
1909	C.F.J. North
1910	J.H. May
1911	M.P.G. Leanard
1912	H.L. Guillebaud
1913	C.H. Kinnisen
1914	J.K. Watkins
1915-18	Disruption due to War
1919	S.B. Sinclair
1920	S.A. Rissik
1921	H.F.B. Iles
1922	J.D. Brown
1923	E.L.V. Waddilove
1924	C.R. Oldham
1925	H.C. Warner
1926	E.C.S. Reid
1927	D.A. Foster
1928	E.F. D'Arms
1929	D.M.H. Evans
1930	T.I. Smith
1931	T.I. Smith
1932	J.C.Cunningham
1933	C.S. Reid
1934	E. Starling
1935	E.G.H. Moddy
1936	A.F. Martin
1937	G.C. Pepys
1938	A.B. Hodgson
1939	A.G.C. Whalley
1940	M.J. Knottenbelt
1941	K.A.T. Pinnock
1942	D.J.M. Wright
1943	N.C. Hughes-Jones
1944	R.T.T. Warwick
1945	R.G. Wall
1946	R.G. Wall
1947	C.J. Grimwade
1948	J.R. Smith
1949	G.C.Fisk
1950	A.M. Duncan
1951	J.M. Wallis
1952	J.P. Ross (1951-52), S.R. Duff (autumn), F.R. Hall (summer)
1953	E.A. Ffocks
1954	G.R.R Treasure
1955	F.M. Ferris
1956	L.G.D. Baker
1957	E. Glover
1958	M.E.J. Garnett
1959	A.T. Clothier
1960	E.P. Smith (autumn), M.J. Underhill
1961	R.J. Lee
1962	M.H. Griffiths
1963	D.S. Darbyshire
1964	R.C. Nicholson
1965	M.R.F.Taylor
1966	J.R. Close-Brooks
1967	C.M. Chant
1968	N.P.W. Park
1969	M.J.T. Chamberlayne (1968-9), V.L. Sankey (1969)
1970	M. Richmond-Coggan
1971	J.M.L. Scott (1970-71), P.J.S. Grove (1971)
1972	A.P. Howkins
1973	A.G. Bompas
1974	C.M. Reilly
1975	P.S.T. Wright
1976	D.H. Pearson
1977	A.K.C. Wood
1978	R.W. Crump
1979	P.J.O Monk
1980	P.J.O Monk
1981	D.Todd
1982	A.A. Monk
1983	A.A. Monk
1984	J. Durant
1985	V.J. Warner
1986	G.N. Austin	Emma Crawford Collins
1987	A.D. Ward	Incomplete records
1988	A.P. McNally	Incomplete records
1989	J.J. Whitting	Incomplete records
1990	P.P. Swaddling	Emily Exton
1991	N.O. Stevenson	Pippa McGowan
1992	J.P. Hodges	Rachel Johnson/Emma Derry
1993	F.G.J. Brown	Penny Freston
1994	A.M. Shaw	Emma Brown
1995	B.D. Mays	Nicola Willey
1996	A.P. Dunton	Sophie Arber
1997	F.F.A. Lepetit	Emma Jeffcoat
1998	W.E. Breeze	Suzie Fuller
1999	A.L. Coppell	Kathleen Donnelly
2000	J.C. Hubback	Wendy Armstrong
2001	R.J. Todd	Emily Mitchell
2002	P.G. Randall	Anna Warren
2003	L.T.D Finch	Katy Willings
2004	A.J. Robbie	Elizabeth Shaw
2005	T.J. Akin	Charlie Rushton
2006	O.M.H. Williams	Simon Ho
2007	T.D. Barker	Sarah Kiefer (nee Coates)
2008	D.R. Woods	Hannah Seddon
2009	P.G. Clausen-Thue (MT, HT), M. R. Price (TT)	Becky Hueting
2010	J. C. Wadsworth	Cecilia Mckenzie (nee Savundra)
2011	S. C. Peet	Anna Oestmann
2012	B. R. Mansfield	Bridget Fryer
2013	Max Lau	Zara Milne
2014	Calum Pontin	Alice Carter
2015	Callum Arnold	Emily Burdett
2016	Stevan Boljevic	Morgan Baynham-Williams
2017	Henry Shalders	Ed Carroll
2018	Robert Boswall	Lara Bonney
2019	Alex Deak	Eddie Shields
2020	Zachary Zaijcek	Katarina Culverwell
2021	Henry Hawkins	Sarah Wisialowski

Honours

Henley Royal Regatta

Year	Races won
1913	Thames Challenge Cup
1938	Visitors' Challenge Cup

Summer Eights

Year	Results
1842	Men's Headship
1933	Men's Headship
1934	Men's Headship
1935	Men's Headship
1936	Men's Headship
1966	Men's Headship
1976	Men's Headship
1978	Men's Headship
1979	Men's Headship
1980	Men's Headship
1981	Men's Headship
1982	Men's Headship
1983	Men's Headship
1984	Men's Headship
1987	Men's Headship
1988	Men's Headship
1989	Men's Headship
1992	Men's Headship
1993	Men's Headship
1994	Men's Headship
1996	Men's Headship
1997	Men's Headship
1998	Men's Headship
1999	Men's Headship
2000	Men's Headship
2001	Men's Headship
2002	Men's Headship
2011	Men's Headship
2012	Men's Headship
2014	Men's Headship
2015	Men's Headship
2016	Men's Headship
2019	Men's Headship

Torpids

Year	Results
1838	Men's Headship
1844	Men's Headship
1972	Men's Headship
1973	Men's Headship
1974	Men's Headship
1975	Men's Headship
1976	Men's Headship
1978	Men's Headship
1979	Men's Headship
1980	Men's Headship
1981	Men's Headship
1982	Men's Headship
1983	Men's Headship
1984	Men's Headship
1985	Men's Headship
1986	Men's Headship
1987	Men's Headship
1988	Men's Headship; Men's Second Torpid finished third on the river
1989	Men's Headship
1990	Men's Headship
1992	Men's Headship
1993	Men's Headship
1994	Men's Headship
1995	Men's Headship
1996	Men's Headship
1997	Men's Headship
1998	Men's Headship
2001	Men's Headship
2003	Men's Headship
2004	Men's Headship
2005	Men's Headship
2006	Men's and Women's Headship
2017	Women's Headship
2018	Men's and Women's Headship
2019	Men's Headship

See also

• University rowing (UK)
• Oxford University Boat Club
• Oriel College, Oxford
• Rowing on the River Thames

References

1. Dudhia, Anu, Oriel Crews, retrieved 15 Dec 2020
2. "Sport". Oriel College.
3. "Oriel stay a-Head of river". The Oxford Student. 30 November 1999. Archived from the original on January 12, 2007. Retrieved 30 September 2006.
4. "Fairbarin Cup Results – Jesus College Boat Club (Cambridge)". Archived from the original on 7 March 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
5. "Rowing Blazers of Oxford Colleges". Walters of Oxford. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
6. Rannie, David, Oriel College (1900) — published by F. E. Robinson & Co. London (Part of the University of Oxford College Histories series) pp.1, 5–10, 102, 105, 108–110, 241 and 235.
7. "The College of Arms newsletter". College of Arms. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
8. "The Blessed Virgins Club". Oriel College Women's Boat Club. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
9. "A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 3: The University of Oxford". British History Online (Victoria County History). Retrieved 6 October 2013.