Here are the news items about the club, they are listed with the most recent first.

Wallingford Regatta
Sun 3 May 2009	posted by tom burkin
M1 were the top Oxford or Cambridge College on the day, completely outclassing New, Pembroke, Keble, Exeter and Fitzwilliam while beating closer rival Magdalen by over a length in what was one of their most scrappy races of the day. With Magdalen starting 2 places up from M1 in Eights, it bodes well for three and a half weeks time. Pembroke start one place above Univ, but didnt field their full first VIII, so the result was less interesting - they entered a 4- with their top guys and the Eight was a composite of the first and second eight - the smashing they received only indicated that they dont perhaps have the strength in depth that they claim. M1 came 2nd to Radley in the first round of IM3, narrowly missing out on the final in the next round after getting pipped having held 3rd place up to 1600m by a strong push from Shrewsbury. Vowing not to have a repeat, the M1 cox focused more on what our rivals were doing in IM2 and while a Molesey and Royal Chester took the places in the final, a tired Univ took 3rd with a huge push at 1500m to narrowly beat a good St Johns, Oxford VIII that featured 1 Isis member and two former dev squad/Isis rowers. All in all a very encouraging day in which the crew progressed massively, producing the best row of the day in IM2, with a stunning finish. Due to members of the crew graduating next weekend, M1 sadly are not entering Bedford, but with some important race experience under their belts, they will be continuing to train hard to try and push up into the upper echelons of Div 1. Thanks to Friends of UCBC for providing the financial assistance to be able to go!

Friends of UCBC
Thu 2 Apr 2009	posted by tom burkin
Dear Old Members of UCBC, As some of you are aware, we have recently launched the Friends of UCBC, a new initiative to help support UCBC in the push to move higher on the river. This fund is totally different to others run by the development office as it has been set up by an old member, Neil Slinger, along with help of the current UCBC committee. It will be run by Old Members, and while Michael Collins sits on the committee, it is independent of college. This will ensure that money donated goes exactly where it is needed - really helping crews on the water by paying for the continuation of the exceptional coaching currently being received, funding trips to external lakes in the event of wet weather, helping to purchase equipment and allow for participation at external regattas. Letters have gone out to all the Dinosaurs and Cassandrians on our mailing list, but please dont just read them - join us! The idea behind the friends is that individually the cost is small, but collectively the subscriptions from large numbers of Old Members add up to great amounts that make a huge difference to our funding. All Friends receive two newsletters annually, after Torpids and Eights so that you can be kept up to date with the progress of the club. Let me clarify that the fund is not specifically for the 1st Eights, but will help all the boats, to make sure that dominance is sustained! As such we welcome anyone who has been part of UCBC to join. I would be most grateful if you could have a look at our website www.friendsofucbc.org.uk to get more details and if you have not already received a letter about the fund, please accept my apologies and register on the website if you want us to send you one. See the news section for the latest results and I hope that some of you will have the chance to come down and watch the Saturday of Summer Eights on 30th May, it promises to be great day! Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions and thank you for your ongoing support of UCBC. Best, Tom Burkin UCBC President

Torpids results
Sat 28 Feb 2009	posted by tom burkin
Coming into Torpids with most crews having had little water time over the previous two weeks. M1 went some way towards righting the wrongs of last year, when a crash on the first day ruined the event for the crew and they plummeted to the bottom of division 2. Having benefited from the expert coaching of Jonny Singfield, formerly GB Olympic and OUBC coach and with 5 of the summer Eights boat returning the crew always looked undervalued starting the week at 10th in the second division. However, the crew lived up to expectations, bumping Wolfson in Eight strokes on the first day and not rowing through the gut on the course to +5 places and blades. M2 had a tough week and missed out on bumps on the 3 days by just a canvas, hampered on one day by a seat breaking mid race. This was followed by an unlucky crab on the final day only metres from the finish post meaning they were bumped by an inferior Hartford boat. They finished the week -2 overall. W1 suffered from a frustrating lack of water time and as a consequence of the successes of previous years, particularly their blades of Torpids 08, were surrounded by some strong crews. Their efforts as a less experienced crew were commendable and will stand them in good stead for Summer Eights. They ended the week with a row over and finished -4 overall. W2 were in a similar position, having moved up 8 places in the last two years. Despite the frustrations of the term, they finished on a high with a bump on St Annes. Finished -2 overall. Some photos are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30037474@N03/

The Fallout from Dinos and Casses
Sun 1 Feb 2009	posted by Oliver Cox
Quite an evening. Thanks to all who attended. I for one cant remember anything after jumping the barriers outside the Bridge. Hurrah!

Dinosaurs and Cassandrians Dinner 2009
Fri 30 Jan 2009	posted by Oliver Cox
The annual dinos and casses dinner has been confirmed for 30th January. Dust off those Blazers... Olly

DINOSAURS AND CASSANDRIANS DINNER SOLD OUT
Fri 30 Jan 2009	posted by Oliver Cox
Thanks to all the current and former 1st VIIIers who have ensured that the Dinner has sold out for the first time in a decade. Schedule: 7pm: Photo in Rad Quad 7:15pm: Drinks 7:30pm: Dinner 10.30pm: Bar and onwards...

Friends of UCBC
Wed 28 Jan 2009	posted by tom burkin
Dear UCBC, This week at Dinosaurs and Cassandrians Dinner we are launching a new initiative to help make UCBC the top boat club in Oxford University. Friends of UCBC aims to generate support for the Boat Club by engaging old members who have fond memories of rowing at any level. This is an initiative that has been proposed by Neil Slinger, a previous president, with assistance from current members of the Boat Club committee. Letters have been posted to everyone attending Dinosaurs and Cassandrians, but in case you dont receive one in time please visit www.friendsofucbc.org.uk to find out more in advance of the dinner. Those not attending will receive information in the next few weeks. This is an extremely exciting opportunity to take Univ back to where it belongs on the Isis. We thank you for your ongoing support for UCBC and look forward to seeing many of you on Friday.

Novice success in Christ Church Regatta!
Sat 29 Nov 2008	posted by tom burkin
Univ did extremely well this term in Christ Church Regatta. All 4 mens crews and the 2 womens crews won their first round races, with particular congratulations going to MNB who reached the semi-finals, MNA who were knocked out in the 4th round by the eventual winners and WNB who also reached the 4th round. A fantastic time was had by all and the cocktails after proved to be a fantastic way to celebrate and let off steam after a great days racing on the Saturday. We wait with baited breath how well things will go in Torpids with a substantial number of the novices continuing and M1 and W1 looking strong after the first term....

UCBC OPEN DAY
Sat 11 Oct 2008	posted by Oliver Cox
Come down to Fortress UCBC on Saturday for FREE FOOD (provided by the DB) and get a feel for the boatclub and rowing in general. The men will probably be doing fly-pasts and stuff like that...

FRESHERS
Wed 1 Oct 2008	posted by Oliver Cox
CALLING ALL FRESHERS. Get involved with UCBC. This years committee have all sorts of surprises up their sleeve.

Beijing 2008 - Acer is star performer
Sun 17 Aug 2008	posted by tom burkin
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/rowing/7566542.stm A bit of inspiration for all those freshers thinking about giving the sport a try. Acer the GB VIII cox graduated from Univ last year after completing his Dphil. He coxed for the first time with UCBC and has been very involved with the club ever since.

Univ Boathouse wins RIBA award
Mon 7 Jul 2008	posted by tom burkin
Following a successful Summer VIIIs week for Univ's Boat Club, the College had more to celebrate earlier this month when our new boathouse received a prestigious 2008 Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) award for the south region. RIBA Awards are given for buildings that have high architectural standards and make a substantial contribution to the local environment.

Summer VIIIs 2008
Mon 26 May 2008	posted by tom burkin
Eights 2008 was a very successful regatta for Univ. Based out of our magnificent new boathouse, using one of the most modern fleets on the river, and supported by excellent coaching, Univ is now in a position to challenge the strongest clubs in Oxford rowing. We are fortunate to be in a very strong position in both men's and women's divisions coming out of Eights 2008. The Men's First VIII were always going to have a tricky week, starting sandwiched between arguably the two quickest boats on the river on Wednesday, with Oriel 4th on the river and Christ Church 6th. We had been training against the ghost of Christ Church all term, and coming into Eights Week after some very encouraging sessions with Abingdon School 1st VIII we were eager to demonstrate our ability. However, the Christ Church boat proved to be a formidable opponent and we were bumped just after Donnington Bridge. After being bumped by the Christ Church Boat, who were given the moniker the ‘Gun Ship’ by The Oxford Student, we rowed over the next three days ahead of a very strong St Catz boat, comprising one former Olympian and a good handful of Blues, who were chased very hard every day by a resurgent Hertford crew. Finishing on Saturday down one place was a fantastic result for a crew comprising only two of 2007's crewmembers and one novice to the sport. The Men's First VIII successfully proved that you do not need a whole bunch of Blues to make a boat go fast. The men's 2nd VIII maintained their position as one of the highest placed 2nd VIIIs, but fell foul of a broken rudder on Friday, which frustrated their aims to continue progressing up the divisions. The men's 3rd VIII performed admirably in their fantastic fancy–dress, benefiting from several experienced rowers who wanted to row more sociably. The women of UCBC went into Eights 2008 hoping to build on the success they had experienced throughout the year, and certainly did not disappoint. Trinity term had been somewhat turbulent for the two women's crews, with illness leaving an empty seat in the 1st VIII, however, thanks to the generosity and talent of Becca Neely and Cat Collins, who switched crews and subbed in respectively, both the 1st and 2nd crews were able to enter Eights in a very strong position. The Women's 1st VIII rowed over on the first day but felt positive after putting a massive distance between themselves and the Exeter crew chasing them. In the following two days they gained well–deserved bumps on Queen's and then Keble, and on Saturday were forced to row over after St Catz crashed, allowing St Hilda's to bump them within mere strokes. The crew were incredibly happy to have moved up two places in their division, leaving them 4th in Division 2, and with the possibility of moving up to Division 1 next year. On the final day of Eights 2008, the Women's 1st VIII and many other members of the College gathered at the boathouse for the naming of the new Empacher the girls were racing in – ‘Minnie Coleman’. The girls expressed their gratitude towards their benefactor Jamie Coleman, and posed for photos with the boat they've been incredibly proud to train and race in. The Women's 2nd VIII necessitated long walks up the tow–path for their spectators, bumping extremely early on in each of their races. The girls pushed off their strong starts to bump St John's 3rd VIII, Osler–Green's 2nd VIII, Queen's 2nd VIII, and New's 2nd VIII, and were greeted with jubilance and an abundance of cava upon their final return to the boathouse! The girls were absolutely delighted with the achievement, and became the third consecutive Univ Women's 2nd VIII to win blades. The determination and commitment of the women of UCBC has been immense this year, and this combined with excellent coaching and equipment has given both crews the success in Eights they deserved.

Torpids 2008
Mon 25 Feb 2008	posted by tom burkin
An eventful Torpids for UCBC this year. Fantastic results for both girls crews, bumping everyday and finishing the week with two sets of very well deserved blades. W2 have now won consecutive sets – bring on Summer VIIIs! On the men's side, results were mixed to say the least. The 1st VIII had a disastrous first day when, rowing at the top of the division, they crashed out through the gut and wrote off their brand new Empacher, the Norman Dix! After the embarrassment, the team went into the rest of the week with a determination to bump everyday and show Oxford what a top crew they were. Double overbumps on Thursday and Friday, plus bumping a “broken” Merton crew on the Saturday certainly showed that and leaves the crew in a strong position next year to win blades and shoot back up the division.

Summer VIIIs 2007
Tue 29 May 2007	posted by tom burkin
A great set of results for UCBC this year, the first VIII bumped twice to move to 5th of the river, leaving a shot at headship for next year. M2 had an unlucky first day, late to the bungline and then setting off at the wrong angle left them too much to do and Somerville 1st VIII (!) bumped them. Over the rest of the week they bumped Keble and rowed over, 10 in division 3, the 5th highest 2nd VIII on the river. The women's first VIII had a mixed week, but amongst tough competition managed to maintain their position. W2 had another fantastic week, bumping everyday and winning blades! A great week for them and a well deserved reward for all their hard work.

Summer VIIIs 2007 - Boathouse Opening
Mon 28 May 2007	posted by tom burkin
A Phoenix Arises from the Ashes Saturday of Eights' Week saw the opening of the new boathouse by Colin Moynihan (1974) who coxed the College and the University, won a silver medal at the Moscow Olympics in 1980, gained a boxing Blue, later became Minister of Sport, and is now Chairman of the British Olympic Association. The ceremony also marked the dedication of the Coleman Viewing Terrace by Jimmy Coleman (1963) and Jamie Coleman (1994); it is named for their generous gift. This splendid building, set back further than its predecessor and lifted above the flood plain with a gently sloping ramp to the river, dominates the view from the island and is "iconic" according to an Oxford Mail headline. It was designed by Shahriar Nasser of Belsize Architects and built by the local firm of Kingerlee. Past Univ rowers will envy its spaciousness. The bays are fitted out by our own Works Department and have been described by some as 'of Olympic standard': its positioning affords space for the easy manoeuvre of boats during Torpids and Eights. Every boat made bumps during Eights' Week, but pride of place must go to the Ladies' Second VIII who went up every night and earned their blades as a result. This success augurs well for their First VIII next year. The Men's First VIII made two bumps bringing them to fifth place, the highest position they have been in since losing the Headship in 1992. They are now within striking distance again; a challenging but not impossible target. Remigium rursus reviviscit!

Oxford City Bumps
Sat 28 Apr 2007	posted by Peter Smith
Univ entered two mens 4+s into the Oxford City Bumps on Saturday 28th April. Both crews won blades in a successful days racing.

Dinosaurs and Cassandrians Dinner
Fri 12 Jan 2007	posted by Peter Smith
The annual dinner for those that have represented Univ in the Mens or Womens 1st VIIIs in Summer Eights will be taking place on Friday of 3rd week of Hilary term (2nd February). Dinner will be at 8pm, with pre dinner drinks served from 7 30pm. Dress black tie with boat club blazer. If you wish to attend, please email rebecca.hunt@univ.ox.ac.uk, and send her a cheque for £30 payable to UCBC. We look forward to seeing as many of you there as possible.

Sponsorship
Tue 28 Nov 2006	posted by Peter Smith
UCBC is currently looking for a sponsor. Please go to the sponsorship page for more details.

M1 Blades - Summer Eights 2006
Mon 29 May 2006	posted by Matt Suggit
During the Easter break, the first eight had a highly successful training camp on the Tideway. With James Stanier and Pete Smith back back from the lightweight squad and 240km of rowing in the week, we were moving fast before term even began. It was a very enjoyable week, despite the blisters, and big thanks go to old boys Neil Slinger and James Townley for helping Jamie with the coaching. At Bedford regatta the crew produced one of the fastest times of the day defeating St Catz and a strong Winchester college (who went on to beat Magdalen and Pembroke later in the day). Unfortunately we had a bad row against Worcester, who went on to (deservedly!) to win the college eights event. From these results we drew some confidence but were curious as to how fast we were actually going. Ten days later, Eights week began and that curiosity was satisfied, the answer was fast, very fast. Hertford were the first to fall, followed by St Edmund Hall, New College and finally Exeter for the crew to win blades. We are now 7th in division one. It was a great achievement and things look good for next year with almost all the crew able to return. The seconds over bumped Oriel II on the Saturday bridging the gap between divisions and establishing themselves as one of the top second eights. The thirds had a bump on Wolfson overturned and finished 9th in division six. Overall it was a great performance by all crews.

Blades for W1 in Torpids 2006
Sat 1 Apr 2006	posted by Eimear Caher
The Women?s Boat Club has enjoyed a very successful year. The First VIII began training in Michaelmas and won Nepthys regatta at the end of that term. This foundation was built upon over the vacation so that from the beginning of Hilary term, the crew was able to concentrate on an extensive training programme. This consisted of water sessions at Godstow, sessions in Iffley gym and one session in Headington school gym. Due to the hard work of both the crew and coach, the First VIII won blades in Torpids and moved up seven places into the second division. The success of that term encouraged the crew to continue training very hard over the vacation and in Trinity term. In the last two weeks before Eights, the crew was motivated by the standard of competition at Bedford Regatta. During Eights the First VIII raced well but unfortunately got bumped on the first day by Balliol. The next two days resulted in row overs. On the final day, the crew was closing on Oriel just before a klaxon sounded which cut racing short. The second VIII have also had an enjoyable year rowing with many novice rowers in the boat. The crew qualified for Summer Eights with an excellent time. They rowed over on two days but unfortunately were bumped on the other two days. The women?s boat club is looking forward to next year with the opportunity to train on Caversham Lake and the opening of the new boathouse. The Club is always very grateful for the support given by old members of University College. This year the Club would particularly like to thank the old members, Elspeth Bracken (nee Noble), Sarah Habberfield, Louise Isham, Emma Jordan, Laura McDiarmid, Jen Mossop Scott, Acer Nethercott and Ellie Shawcross, whose generous support enabled us to buy the University Women?s Captain?s Blazer.

Univ M1 Back in 1st Division
Wed 13 Jul 2005	posted by Neil Slinger
For the first time since the boat house burnt down, Univ Mens 1st VIII are back in Division 1... On the first day of racing the 1st VIII rowed over top of the second division comfortably beating Jesus College. In the second race of the day, they were within a quarter of a lenth to bumping Wadham, but missed out as they bumped Lincoln. They went for the over bump on St Catz, but just ran out of river. The second day the 1st VIII rowed over comfortably at the head of division two, and lined up behind Lincoln in the first division. 36 strokes later and they had bumped Lincoln, just next to bung line 4. On Friday they were on bung line 12, behind Wadham again, but this time there would be no escape. They were closing on Wadham fast, but they were also closing on St Catz. Just before the gut they got overlap, and made a final push to bump them!! On the final day of Summer Eights 2005, the 1st VIII went out to hunt down St Catz, who they nearly over-bumped on the first day. However, they had made numerous substitution, including Gold Medal winning Andy Triggs-Hodge and Chris Liwski from the Blue Boat. Univ went out hard and fast, and got within a quarter of a lengh, but then St Catz bumped out on Hertford. Overall a great performance for one of the best Univ crews for some time. Until next year...

Oxford Destroy Cambridge in 151st Boat Race, Well Done Acer!
Sun 27 Mar 2005	posted by Neil Slinger
Congratulations to Acer Nethercott who coxed Oxford in the 151st Boat Race. Oxford, who were the heaviest crew on record, destroyed Cambridge over the course. Oxford crossed the line in 16min 42sec, which beat Cambridge by 6 seconds (2 lengths). Times: Mile Post Oxford: 3:40 Cambridge: 3:40.5 Hammersmith Bridge Oxford: 6:35 Cambridge: 6:37 Chiswick Steps Oxford: 10:17 Cambridge: 10:20 Barnes Bridge Oxford: 13:51 Cambridge: 13:57 Finish Oxford: 16:42 Cambridge: 16:48 Full race/crew information can be found at: www.theboatrace.org

Nephthys Beat Granta, Well Done Anna!
Sat 26 Mar 2005	posted by Neil Slinger
Congratulations to Anna White, who coxed Nephthys to victory in the Henley Boat Races today. Nephthys beat Granta by 4 1/2 lengths over the course, in a time of 6:07. Full results can be found on the official Henley Boat Races website: http://henleyboatraces.com/results.asp

Torpids 2005
Wed 16 Feb 2005	posted by Neil Slinger
Preparations for Torpids 2005 are going well. The crews have now been selected and the crew lists are up in the crew lists section of the web site. Good luck to all those racing next week!

Website Updated
Tue 21 Dec 2004	posted by Neil Slinger
The website has now been updated. There is a new Old Members Section that details all of the Old Member events that the club is hosting in the coming year. please see Old Members Section for more information. Also, the list of club events has been updated to include the major events that are happening throught the year. please see Club Events Section for more information.

Christchurch Regatta Starts Today!
Wed 24 Nov 2004	posted by Neil Slinger
Today is the first day of racing for Christchurch Regatta. Univ have 3 crews entered this year, two mens crews and one womens crew. Univ MA are racing first against Jesus College MA in race M20 at 14:21 on Wednesday and Univ MB are racing Trinity College MB in race M35 at 15:30 also on Wednesday. Univ WA are not racing until Thursday and they are first up against St Hildas College WC in race W26 at 12:03. Best of luck to all of our crews over the next few days. Please check back soon to see the racing results when they are added into the results section of the site. You can also see the crew lists by clicking here. Further Christchurch Regatta information can be found at the following site: http://regatta.chchbc.org/2004/.

The new UCBC Web Site is up and running!
Wed 6 Oct 2004	posted by Neil Slinger
Finally UCBC have a working web site that contains the lastest information about the club. Please feel free to look around. If you would like to register for an account so that you can use the members only sections, please click here.