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.

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 1985.

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. 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 have achieved 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 enters three boats (and sometimes more) for the bumps events. 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.

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.

Colours and Emblems

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 Blazers Until 2009 the wearing of Boat Club Blazers (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.

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.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.

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).

Recently, Oriel's 2022 First Men's VIII portrayed the 1936 Italian Olympic crew in the film The Boys in the Boat (2023).

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.

Alumni

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.

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 and Ulster Kings of Arms.

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, 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.

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 Liam Corrigan - American rower, Olympian in 2020 Tom Mackintosh – New Zealand rower, Olympic gold medalist in 2020 Nicholas Rusher – American rower, Olympic bronze medalist in 2024

Honours Boat Race representatives The following rowers were part of the rowing club at the time of their participation in The Boat Race.

Men's boat race

YearName 1842 G. Drinkwater Bourne 1842 G. E. Hughes 1845 W. Buckle 1849 Chas. Holden Steward 1849 Chas. Holden Steward 1865 E. F. Henley 1866 E. F. Henley 1874 J. S. Sinclair 1900 T. B. Etherington-Smith 1901 T. B. Etherington-Smith 1937 A. B. Hodgson 1938 A. B. Hodgson 1939 G. Huse 1946 R. T. Turner 1946 P. N. Brodie 1946 A. J. R. Purssell 1947 P. N. Brodie 1947 A. J. R. Purssell 1948 G. C. Fisk 1948 P. N. Brodie 1948 A. J. R. Purssell 1949 G. C. Fisk 1950 G. C. Fisk 1974 G. S. Innes 1974 G. E. Morris (cox) 1975 M. G. C. Harris 1975 D. R. H. Beak 1975 G. S. Innes 1976 D. R. H. Beak 1976 G. S. Innes 1977 P. S. T. Wright 1978 J. Fail (cox) 1979 P. J. Head

YearName 1979 C. J. Mahoney 1980 N. A. Conington 1980 C. J. Mahoney 1980 T. C. M Barry 1981 P. J. Head 1981 N. A. Conington 1981 C. J. Mahoney 1981 M. D. Andrews 1982 N. A. Conington 1982 G. R. N. Holland 1982 A. K. Kirkpatrick 1984 C. L. B. Long 1986 G. A. Livingston 1987 Peter A. Gish 1987 Tony D. Ward 1987 Richard A. Hull 1988 Richard A. Hull 1989 Guy Blanchard 1989 Terry Dillon 1990 Richard A. Hull 1990 Martin W. Watts (cox) 1991 Peter A. J. Bridge 1992 Peter A. J. Bridge 1996 Adam R. A. Frost 1996 Todd B. Kristol (cox) 1997 Charlie P. A. Humphreys 1998 Charlie P. A. Humphreys 1999 Charlie P. A. Humphreys 2001 Michael F. Bonham 2002 Luke McGee 2002 Peter Hackworth (cox) 2004 Chris Kennelly 2005 Peter Reed

YearName 2006 Robin Ejsmond-Frey 2007 Adam Kosmicki 2007 Robin Ejsmond-Frey 2008 Mike Wherley 2008 Oliver Moore 2009 George Bridgewater 2010 Sjoerd Hamburger 2011 Moritz Hafner 2011 George Whittaker 2011 Simon Hislop 2012 William Zeng 2012 Roel Haen 2013 Malcolm Howard 2014 Malcolm Howard 2015 Henry Goodier 2019 Achim Harzheim 2022 Liam Corrigan 2022 Charlie Elwes 2023 James Doran 2024 James Doran 2024 Elliott Kemp 2024 Will Denegri (cox) 2025 William O'Connell 2025 James Doran 2025 Tom Mackintosh 2025 Nick Rusher 2025 Nicholas Kohl 2026 James Fetter 2026 Alexander Sullivan

Women's boat race YearName 2016 Morgan Baynham-Williams (cox) 2023 Claire Aitken 2024 Claire Aitken

Henley Royal Regatta YearRaces won 1913 Thames Challenge Cup 1938 Visitors' Challenge Cup

See also University rowing (UK) Oxford University Boat Club Rowing on the River Thames

References