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 Boathouse and rowing blade | ||||||||||||||||
| Home water | The Isis | |||||||||||||||
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| Founded | c. 1842 | |||||||||||||||
| Eights Week: Head of the River |
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| President | Samuel John Ponting | |||||||||||||||
| University | University of Oxford | |||||||||||||||
| Colours | ||||||||||||||||
| Affiliations | British Rowing (boat code PMB) Queens' College, Cambridge (Sister college) | |||||||||||||||
| Website | pcbcoxford | |||||||||||||||
Pembroke College Boat Club (PCBC) is the rowing club for members of Pembroke College, Oxford, one of the college boat clubs in Oxford.
Although the exact date for foundation of PCBC is unclear, the club was competing in Eights and Torpids as early as 1842 and had adopted its modern-day flag with the "Rose Gules" (Red Rose) taken from the Pembroke heraldic shield by 1846.
Amongst the giants in PCBC history, two leading Pembroke oarsmen of the 1870–1873 period were the three times President of the Oxford University Boat Club, Robert Lesley, who came up from Radley College and R S Mitchison, an old Etonian. Rowing historians indicate that sliding seats were first used during the Fours racing at Oxford in 1872 by PCBC and that “the new system of sliding seats was first used in Oxford by Lesley’s crew and also by the College (Pembroke) Eight at Henley “. [1] Pembroke were the first known crew to use seats with wheels. [2] In the club minutes it is recorded that the Pembroke crew were the pioneers of the sliding seat at Oxford, using it in the Fours before they left for Henley, and of the seat with wheels for the first time worldwide. [3]
Dodd [4] states that London Rowing Club and Pembroke were the first to use the sliding seat at Henley. Pembroke's win of the Visitors’ Cup at Henley has been described as "one of the best races of the whole Regatta". [5] Pembroke won by approximately half a length from University College Dublin, who were using fixed seats. The Dublin crew were regarded as one of the best ever sent to Henley. What is also significant is that Pembroke were using wheels, which were soon discarded by boat builders in favour of greased glass or steel grooves or tubes, but wheels were to return to favour again in 1885. Pembroke then, were not only early adopters of the sliding seat, ahead of others in Oxford, but also pioneers in terms of the materials being used, as they anticipated the later wheeled models of sliding seats which did not become current until 1885 and remain until the modern day.
In 2003, Pembroke achieved a historic victory in the Oxford Summer Eights competition by becoming the first college to win the 'Double Headship', having both men's and women's first boats end the week at the 'Head of the River'. Double Headship has yet to be repeated by any college in the Summer Eights competition, although the competitive years since 2003 has seen both men's and women's boats remain within striking distance of the Head of the River with the women regaining headship in 2018. Consistent ambition to go Head has been the goal: the Men's First Summer Eight (M1) has remained within the top 5 since 1992. [6] PCBC is supported by the Friends of PCBC who strive to support rowers at all levels, particularly through their scholarship programme. [7]
The club has a reputation for good equipment and coaching.
Recent coaches have included Ben Lewis, current Thames Rowing Club coach; GB coach Rob Dauncey and GB lightweights Chris Bartley [8] and Simon Jones, and John Gearing (former-South African international and Master in Charge of Rowing at Radley College).
In 2013, for the first time since 1903, the M1 Torpid maintained its Headship with female double Olympic gold medallist Caryn Davies at stroke. The Women's First Eight was the first to gain Headship from a mixed college in 2000 and held that position for four straight years; [9] they are Head of the River again in 2012.
Eights
Torpids
Eights Week, also known as Summer Eights, is a four-day regatta of bumps races which constitutes the University of Oxford's main intercollegiate rowing event of the year. The regatta takes place in May of each year, from the Wednesday to the Saturday of the fifth week of Trinity Term. Men's and women's coxed eights compete in separate divisions for their colleges.
Torpids is one of two series of bumping races, a type of rowing race, held yearly at Oxford University; the other is Eights Week. Over 130 men's and women's crews race for their colleges in six men's divisions and five women's; almost 1,200 participants in total. The racing takes place on the Isis, usually in the 7th week of Hilary Term on four successive days from Wednesday to Saturday.
Magdalene Boat Club (MBC) is the rowing club for members of Magdalene College, Cambridge. The foundation of the MBC in 1828 coincided with the 400th anniversary of the Monk's Hostel or Buckingham College - the original foundation of Magdalene.
Cambridge '99 Rowing Club, generally referred to as 'Nines', is based on Kimberley Road in the historic City of Cambridge, UK.
Jesus College Boat Club is a rowing club for members of Jesus College, Oxford, one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford. The club was formed in 1835, but rowing at the college predates the club's foundation: a boat from the college was involved in the earliest recorded races between college crews at Oxford in 1815, when it competed against Brasenose College. In the early years of rowing at Oxford, Jesus was one of the few colleges that participated in races. Neither the men's nor the women's 1st VIIIs have earned the title of "Head of the River", which is gained by winning Eights Week—the main inter-college rowing competition at Oxford.
Brasenose College Boat Club (BNCBC) is the rowing club of Brasenose College, Oxford, in Oxford, England. It is one of the oldest boat clubs in the world, having beaten Jesus College Boat Club in the first modern rowing race, held at Oxford in 1815. Although rowing at schools such as Eton and Westminster School Boat Club predates this, the 1815 contest is the first recorded race between rowing clubs anywhere in the world.
University College Boat Club is the rowing club for all members of University College, Oxford ("Univ").
Balliol College Boat Club (BCBC) is the rowing club for members of Balliol College, Oxford, England. It is one of the college boat clubs at the University of Oxford.
The Queen's College Boat Club is the rowing club for members of The Queen's College, Oxford. It is one of the oldest boat clubs in the world, having been founded in 1827.
Exeter College Boat Club (ECBC) is the boat club of Exeter College, Oxford, England. The club trains on the Thames on the Isis stretch in Oxford and at Abingdon, Oxfordshire.
St Edmund Hall Boat Club is a rowing club for members of St Edmund Hall, Oxford. It is based in its own boathouse on the Isis.
Wadham College Boat Club (WCBC) is the rowing club of Wadham College, Oxford, in Oxford, United Kingdom. The club's members are students and staff from Wadham College and Harris Manchester College. Founded sometime before 1837, Wadham has had success both within Oxford and externally in regattas such as Henley Royal Regatta.
Keble College Boat Club (KCBC) is the rowing club of Keble College, in Oxford, United Kingdom. The boat club is based in its boathouse on the Isis, which is shared with Jesus College. Most of the year is spent training at the boat club's second facility at the Godstow stretch to the North.
Regent's Park College Boat Club is the boat club of Regent's Park College, Oxford, a permanent private hall of the University of Oxford. It is based in New College Boat House which it shares with New College Boat Club.
Merton College Boat Club (MCBC) is a rowing club for members of Merton College, Oxford. It was established in 1838 and competes every year in Torpids and Summer Eights, the intercollegiate bumps races at the University of Oxford, as well as external regattas.
Wolfson College Boat Club is rowing club for the members of both Wolfson College, Oxford and St Cross College, Oxford. The club has competed since 1969 and takes part in the collegiate competitions Torpids and Summer Eights. Due to the membership being drawn from graduate colleges, the club races actively during the vacation periods at external races. Both squads also participate in the annual head races in London on the tideway.
Lady Margaret Hall Boat Club (LMHBC) is a rowing club for members and staff of Lady Margaret Hall (LMH), Oxford. It was founded in 1899.
Somerville College Boat Club (SCBC) is the rowing club of Somerville College, Oxford. The club was formed in 1921 as one of the first women's clubs on the Isis, however was unable to compete in bumps until 1969. The women's team has won the title Head of the River eight times in Summer Eights and five times in Torpids, more than any other women's rowing team from the University of Oxford.
Oriel College Boat Club (OCBC) is the rowing club of Oriel College, Oxford. Rowing at Oriel is carried out from the college's own boathouse across Christ Church Meadow, on Boat House Island.
St Benet's Hall Boat Club is a rowing club in Oxford. It used to be the boat club of no defunct St Benet's Hall, Oxford. It is based on the Isis at Boathouse Island, Christ Church Meadow, Oxford.
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