Oriel College Boat Club

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Oriel College Boat Club
            
Oxford boathouse 6.jpg
Oriel College Boat Club Rowing Blade.svg
Boathouse shared with Lincoln and The Queen's
LocationBoathouse Island, Christ Church Meadow, Oxford, Oxford
Coordinates 51°44′36″N1°14′57″W / 51.7432°N 1.2493°W / 51.7432; -1.2493
Home water The Isis
Foundedpre-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, 2022, 2023 [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, 2022
  • Women's Torpids: 2006, 2017, 2018 [1]
University University of Oxford
Affiliations British Rowing (boat code ORO)
Clare BC (Sister college)
Website orielrowing.org

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 boathouse across Christ Church Meadow, on Boat House Island.

Contents

Oriel is the most successful rowing college in Oxford, having won the most men's 1st VIII headships of any college at the two intercollegiate bumps races: Torpids and Eights Week (Summer Eights). Since 1976, Oriel has enjoyed a particular period of dominance in these events. The club's women's 1st VIII has also won two Torpids headship since the admission to women to the college in 1986. [3]

Racing

In men's rowing at short races, bumps, this is the most successful Oxford college boat club. As of 2020, Oriel holds 37 Torpids Headships, by a large margin, the most of any college and 33 Summer Eights Headships.

From 1972 to 1998 Oriel's Men's First Boat was undefeated in Torpids, the longest run of any college by far.[ citation needed ] 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 is the only college to possess a double headship in Torpids. [4]

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.[ citation needed ] More extensive information on the results of Torpids and Eights can be found here: Oxford Bumps Charts

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.[ citation needed ]

In 2016 the men's first boat won the men's eights collegiate event at the Fairbairn, it won again in 2017 and won the entire event in 2018. [5]

Colours and Emblems

The emblem of the Oriel College Boat Club. Oriel College Boat Club.jpg
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.[ citation needed ] 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.[ citation needed ] The boat club's colours are the same as the college's: two white stripes on navy.[ citation needed ]

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. [6]

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).[ citation needed ]

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. [7]

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).[ citation needed ]

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 women 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 year's 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.[ citation needed ]

Alumni

The emblem of the Tortoise Club Oriel College Boat Club - The Toritoise Club.jpg
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. [8] 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. [8] Members must be Orielenses (excepting Honorary members) who have represented OCBC with excellence.

A grant of a Badge was made to The Provost and Scholars of the House of the Blessed Mary the Virgin in Oxford commonly called Oriel College of the Foundation of Edward the Second of famous memory sometime King of England, for the use of Oriel College Boat Club, the Tortoise Club and the Oriel Society, by Letters Patent dated 20 April 2009 of Garter, Clarenceux and Norroy & Ulster Kings of Arms.

[9]

The emblem of the Blessed Virgins Club Oriel College Women's Boat Club - The Blessed Virgins Club.jpg
The emblem of the Blessed Virgins Club

Former clubs

The Blessed Virgins Club

This was an exclusive, women's alumni club. Since 2016, women are now admissible into the Tortoise Club on the same terms as men so the club is defunct. This was particularly controversial to many members of the Tortoise Club as a separate boat club was created for the women of the college in 1986, [10] rowers in their 1st VIII and 1st Torpid became members of this club mutatis mutandis to the Tortoise Club. The respective unique emblem was a pair of (angelic) wings. The "Blessèd Virgins" was a nod to a name of the college as still seen in some registers of title and official documents today, The House of Blessèd Mary the Virgin in Oxford. [11]

Noteworthy rowers

Honours

Henley Royal Regatta

YearRaces won
1913 Thames Challenge Cup
1938 Visitors' Challenge Cup

Summer Eights

YearResults
1842Men's Headship
YearResults
1933Men's Headship
1934Men's Headship
1935Men's Headship
1936Men's Headship
1966Men's Headship
1976Men's Headship
1978Men's Headship
1979Men's Headship
1980Men's Headship
1981Men's Headship
1982Men's Headship
1983Men's Headship
1984Men's Headship
1987Men's Headship
1988Men's Headship
1989Men's Headship
1992Men's Headship
1993Men's Headship
1994Men's Headship
1996Men's Headship
1997Men's Headship
1998Men's Headship
1999Men's Headship
YearResults
2000Men's Headship
2001Men's Headship
2002Men's Headship
2011Men's Headship
2012Men's Headship
2014Men's Headship
2015Men's Headship
2016Men's Headship
2019Men's Headship
2022Men's Headship

Torpids

YearResults
1838Men's Headship
1844Men's Headship
YearResults
1972Men's Headship
1973Men's Headship
1974Men's Headship
1975Men's Headship
1976Men's Headship
1978Men's Headship
1979Men's Headship
1980Men's Headship
1981Men's Headship
1982Men's Headship
1983Men's Headship
1984Men's Headship
1985Men's Headship
1986Men's Headship
1987Men's Headship
1988Men's Headship & Men's Second Torpid finished third
1989Men's Headship
1990Men's Headship
1992Men's Headship
1993Men's Headship
1994Men's Headship
1995Men's Headship
1996Men's Headship
1997Men's Headship
1998Men's Headship
YearResults
2001Men's Headship
2003Men's Headship
2004Men's Headship
2005Men's Headship
2006Men's and Women's Headship
2017Women's Headship
2018Men's and Women's Headship
2019Men's Headship
2021Men's Headship
2022Men's Headship

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. 1 2 Dudhia, Anu, Oriel Crews , retrieved 15 December 2020
  2. ↑ "Sport". Oriel College.
  3. ↑ "Oriel stay a-Head of river". The Oxford Student. 30 November 1999. Archived from the original on 12 January 2007. Retrieved 30 September 2006.
  4. ↑ "Oriel Crews Take Torpids Double Headship". Oriel College. 5 March 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  5. ↑ "Fairbarin Cup Results – Jesus College Boat Club (Cambridge)". Archived from the original on 7 March 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  6. ↑ "Rowing Blazers of Oxford Colleges". Walters of Oxford. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. 1 2 "Tortoise Club Constitution" (PDF). 9 June 2023.
  9. ↑ "College of Arms June 2009 Newsletter (No. 21)".
  10. ↑ "The Blessed Virgins Club". Oriel College Women's Boat Club. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
  11. ↑ "A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 3: The University of Oxford". British History Online (Victoria County History). Retrieved 6 October 2013.
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