Oxford Brookes University Boat Club

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Oxford Brookes University Boat Club
Image showing the rowing club's emblem
Image showing the rowing club's blade colours
LocationWallingford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Home waterRiver Thames
Founded1978 (1978) [1]
Key people
  • Henry Bailhache-Webb (Men)
  • Richard Chambers (Women)
  • Chris Tebb (Assistant)
  • Richard Spratley (Director)
UniversityOxford Brookes University
AffiliationsBritish Rowing
boat code - OBU
BUCS
Websitebrookesrowing.org.uk
Notable members
Scott Durant, Olivia Carnegie-Brown, Peter Chambers, Richard Chambers, Alex Partridge, Caroline O'Connor, Steve Williams, Alastair Heathcote, Tom Lucy, Rowley Douglas, Fred Scarlett, Ben Hunt-Davis
Oxford Brookes University Boat Club
Medal record
Rowing
World U23 Championships
Representing  Great Britain
Gold medal – first place 2019 Florida, USA M8+ Henry Blois-Brooke
Gold medal – first place 2019 Florida, USA M8+ Matthew Rowe
Silver medal – second place 2019 Florida, USA M4+ Scott Cockle
Silver medal – second place 2019 Florida, USA W8+ Johanna Gannon
Silver medal – second place 2018 Poland M4- Samuel Nunn
Silver medal – second place 2018 Poland M8+ Matthew Aldridge
Silver medal – second place 2017 Bulgaria M4+ Charlie Clarke
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Bulgaria M8+ Matthew Aldridge
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Bulgaria M8+ Morgan Bolding
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Bulgaria M8+ Michael Glover
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Rotterdam LM4- Ben Reeves
Silver medal – second place 2015 Bulgaria LM4x Jamie Copus
Silver medal – second place 2015 Bulgaria LM4x Joel Cassells
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Bulgaria LM4- Ben Reeves
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Bulgaria W8+ Annie Withers
Silver medal – second place 2014 Italy LM4- Jamie Copus
Silver medal – second place 2014 Italy LM4- Joel Cassells
Silver medal – second place 2013 Austria LM4- Joel Cassells
Gold medal – first place 2012 Lithuania M2- Matthew Tarrant
Silver medal – second place 2012 Lithuania W2- Olivia Carnegie-Brown
Gold medal – first place 2011 Amsterdam LM2- Peter Chambers
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Amsterdam M8+ Matthew Tarrant
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Amsterdam M8+ Oliver Staite


Olympic Games
Representing  Great Britain
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio M8+ Scott Durant
Silver medal – second place 2016 Rio W8+ Olivia Carnegie-Brown
Silver medal – second place 2012 London LM4- Peter Chambers
Silver medal – second place 2012 London LM4- Richard Chambers
Bronze medal – third place 2012 London M8+ Alex Partridge
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing M4- Steve Williams
Silver medal – second place 2008 Beijing M8+ Alex Partridge
Silver medal – second place 2008 Beijing M8+ Alastair Heathcote
Silver medal – second place 2008 Beijing M8+ Tom Lucy
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens M4- Steve Williams
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney M8+ Rowley Douglas
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney M8+ Fred Scarlett
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney M8+ Ben Hunt-Davis

Oxford Brookes University Boat Club (OBUBC) is the rowing club of the Oxford Brookes University, England, located on the River Thames in Oxfordshire. The club has been very successful with many olympic champions coming from the club itself and obtaining 6 Gold medals at Olympic games since Sydney.[2]

From 1995 to 2007 OBUBC had won an unmatched 13 consecutive British Universities Sport Association Titles.[3][clarification needed]

History[]

OBUBC was founded in 1978 as the Oxford Polytechnic Boat Club (OPBC) where it was given its first home with Oxford Falcon Rowing and Canoeing Club and begun to enter competitions as a composite Polytechnic/Falcon crew.[4]

In 1986, OPBC made its first competitive appearance at Henley Royal Regatta, only to get knocked out in the second round.[4] This laid the foundation of what would become many successes at the regatta, with the first win for the men at Henley Royal Regatta in the Temple Challenge Cup in 1993. REF add

2000 marked the first Olympic success of the boat club with Ben Hunt-Davis, Fred Scarlett and Rowley Douglas clinching gold medals in the Men's Eights at the Sydney Olympics. Steve Williams achieved gold at the World Championships, along with Alex Partridge who won U23 gold.

Steve Williams went on to win gold at the Athens Olympics, as well as becoming world champion in 2005 with Alex Partridge.

Again in the 2008 Beijing olympics, Steve Williams defended his Olympic title with Alastair Heathcote, Tom Lucy and Alex Partridge, all gaining a silver medal at Beijing. Carla Ashford and Caroline O'Connor finished fifth in the final of the women's eight.

In 2009, the Boat Club claimed victory over Yale University in the Prince Albert Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta.

London 2012 saw further success with the Chambers brothers of Peter and Richard gaining two silver medals in the LM4- event. Alex Partridge also gained a bronze medal in the M8+.

In 2014, the Boat Club brought the Temple Challenge Cup back to the UK for the first time since 2006, winning against the freshmen crew from Brown University. In 2016, the Boat Club repeated the 2014 feat - following a narrow quarter-final in 2015 (deemed 'the Temple final on the Friday') to eventual winners A.S.R. Nereus, NED - by winning the Temple Challenge Cup once again, against the 2V crew from Harvard University.

In 2017, OBUBC went one step further again - after setting a new course record in Ghent, as well as a domestic national record of 5:30 at Eton Dorney, the boat club won the Temple Challenge Cup with an entirely new lineup for the third year in four, as well as the Ladies' Challenge Plate with the 2016 crew. This feat, doing 'The Double', had not been done before by any university program.

In 2021, the club won the blue riband event at the Henley Royal Regatta, the Grand Challenge Cup. They also won five other events; the Ladies' Challenge Plate, Stewards' Challenge Cup, Silver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge Cup, Island Challenge Cup and Visitors' Challenge Cup.[5]

Boat House[]

The Oxford Brookes New Boat House sits on a 10 km stretch of the River Thames that is classed as one of the best non-tidal stretches of water in the country. This length, width and quality of the water has been a key factor in Brookes’ success, allowing both men's and women's crews to train together, in an enjoyable but highly competitive environment.

In June 2013 marked the opening of the new boat house on the thames designed by architects Spratley Studios. The vision was to expand and update an outgrown, outdated building to produce a state-of-the-art facility, fit to support the demands of World and Olympic medallists and create an environment in which top-class athletes can shine. The contemporary interpretation of local agricultural buildings, compliant with stringent environmental and ecological benchmarks, underpins the concept. The simplistic gable form echoes a resplendent Tithe Barn on the banks of the Thames, a discreet silhouette within the landscape.[6]

The new facilities include land-based training areas, extra boat storage and large changing rooms elite crews.[7]

Taurus Boat Club[]

Taurus Boat Club is the Alumni club of Oxford Brookes University. The Taurus Boat Club is for past oarsmen and oarswomen that were former alumni of Oxford Polytechnic & Oxford Brookes University with the allowance of current Brookes welcomed to join. Taurus won the Britannia Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta in 2013.[8]

Honours[]

British champions[]

Year Winning crew/s
1999 Men 4-
2002 Men 8+, Women 4+ [9][10]
2006 Open 8+, Women 4- [11]
2007 Women 8+ [12]
2011 Open 2-[13]
2012 Open 2- [14]
2015 Open 8+ [15]
2018 Open 8+ [16]

Key = 2, 4, 8 (crew size), x (sculls), - (coxless), + (coxed)

Henley Royal Regatta[]

Year Races won
1993 Temple Challenge Cup
1995 Temple Challenge Cup
1996 Britannia Challenge Cup
1997 Ladies' Challenge Plate
1998 Britannia Challenge Cup
1999 Silver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge Cup, Visitors' Challenge Cup
2000 Visitors' Challenge Cup, Prince Philip Challenge Cup
2001 Visitors' Challenge Cup with Taurus, Prince Philip Challenge Cup
2002 Remenham Challenge Cup, Prince Philip Challenge Cup
2004 Visitors' Challenge Cup
2006 Visitors' Challenge Cup, Temple Challenge Cup
2009 Prince of Wales Challenge Cup
2012 Visitors' Challenge Cup
2013 Stewards' Challenge Cup, Britannia Challenge Cup (Taurus), Remenham Challenge Cup
2014 Temple Challenge Cup
2016 Temple Challenge Cup
2017 Ladies' Challenge Plate with Taurus, Temple Challenge Cup
2018 Ladies' Challenge Plate
2019 Stewards' Challenge Cup, Ladies' Challenge Plate, Temple Challenge Cup
2021 Grand Challenge Cup, Ladies' Challenge Plate, Silver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge Cup, Stewards' Challenge Cup, Island Challenge Cup, Visitors' Challenge Cup[5]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Oxford Brookes University. Accessed 2015-08-14
  2. ^ "Oxford Brookes University opens elite rowing facilities". BBC News. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  3. ^ "The Brookes Boat Club - a timeline". Oxford Brookes at the Olympics 2012. Oxford Brookes University. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  4. ^ a b "The Brookes Boat Club - a timeline - Oxford Brookes University". www.brookes.ac.uk. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Results 2021". Henley Royal Regatta. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Boat House". Spratley Studios. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  7. ^ Oxford Brookes University Boat Club. Accessed 2015-05-21
  8. ^ Taurus Boat Club. Accessed 2015-04-23
  9. ^ Rosewell, Mike (22 July 2002). "Rosewell, Mike. "Oxford Brookes put finishing touches to engaging regatta." Times, 22 July 2002, p. 23". The Times. p. 23.
  10. ^ ""The results service." Times, 22 July 2002, p. 26". The Times. 22 July 2002. p. 26.
  11. ^ ""Rowing." Times, 17 July 2006, p. 57". The Times. 17 July 2006. p. 57.
  12. ^ "2007 archive of results". Web Archive. Archived from the original on 2016-12-06.
  13. ^ "Full archive of results". Web Archive. Archived from the original on 2017-03-13.
  14. ^ "British Rowing Champions 2012 declared". British Rowing. 16 July 2012.
  15. ^ "2015 British Rowing Senior Championships" (PDF). British Rowing.
  16. ^ "2018 British Rowing Senior Championships results" (PDF). British Rowing.

External links[]

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