Pembroke College Boat Club (Oxford)
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2009) |
Pembroke College Boat Club (PCBC) is the rowing club for members of Pembroke College, Oxford, and is one of the top boat clubs in Oxford with regular success for both men and women. 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. Consistent ambition to go Head has been the goal: the Men's First Summer Eight (M1) has remained within the top 5 since 1992 and within the top 3 during that time in all years except 2008. 2012 is no exception: M1 torpid is Head of the River, M1 eight is 2nd. 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. Lower down in the club, Pembroke's development program is one of the most successful in Oxford College Rowing, and has produced more Blues in the last 10 years than any other college. This depth is indicated by the high placing of all PCBC crews; M2 is the only 2nd boat crew placed in Division 2 in Torpids, more than a division higher than the next 2nd boat. PCBC is supported by the Friends of PCBC who strive to support rowers at all levels, particularly through their scholarship programme. PCBC is currently sponsored by Oxford Contrast.
Contents |
[edit] History
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]. Burnell[2] writes of Pembroke being the first known crew to use seats with wheels and Dodd[3] states that London Rowing Club and Pembroke were the first to use the sliding seat at Henley. Whilst historical rowing literature has a tendency to lead from a sole source, it would seem that the Pembroke College Boat Club Minutes provide reliable original source evidence of the truth of the statement 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. Jackson’s Oxford Journal of 1872 described Pembroke’s win of the Visitors’ Cup at Henley as “one of the best races of the whole Regatta”. 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.
[edit] Equipment
The club has a reputation for good equipment and coaching. The men's side of the club has three Empacher VIIIs (2008 ,2003, 1994), two Janouseks (2000, 1990) and a Sims. The top women had a Stampfli VIII (2005) which was written off at the Women's Eights Head of the River Race 2007 after being crashed into Putney Bridge. This has now been replaced and was used by the Women's 1st VIII to gain blades from the bottom of Division I in Torpids 2008. They also have an Eton Phoenix (1996), a Janousek and an Aylings. In small boats the club maintains a fleet of one Empacher coxless four (2008), three Janousek coxed-fours, a Janousek coxless-pair and a single scull. In addition there are two Eton coaching launches for the men's and women's 1st VIIIs. In general the top boats are replaced every 4 years, with purchases alternating between men and women every 2 years.
Pembroke is also lucky to have a well stocked gym at the boat house, and is one of a very limited number of clubs to possess a fleet of 10 Concept D ergos (2008), conveniently situated adjacent to the weights gym.
[edit] Coaching
Pembroke benefits not only from good equipment but also good coaching. Recent coaches have included Ben Lewis, current Molesey Boat Club coach; Wallingford RC high-performance GB coach Rob Dauncey and GB lightweights Chris Bartley and Simon Jones. The Men's 1st VIII is currently coached by John Gearing (former-South African international and Master in Charge of Rowing at Radley College). The college has also recently created one of the only permanent college coaching staff positions in Oxford to further increase the quality of our training system.
[edit] Training Locations
Novice and development crews train on the local Isis river by the boathouse but senior crews train further afield. The men use the facilities generously provided to them at Abingdon School's boat house and at Radley College's boat house, whilst the women have been known to train at St Edwards, Abingdon town and Wallingford.
[edit] Eights Headships
- Men: 1872, 1995, 2003
- Women: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
[edit] Torpids Headships
- Men: 1858, 1877, 1878, 1879, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1999, 2012
[edit] Rivalries
Although tension began to ease off as of 2006, Pembroke and Oriel, historically two of the best performing crews of the past 30 years, have had a strong and at times heated rivalry, and now with the events of Eights 2008 this rivalry has come to the fore once again. In 2009 Pembroke's Eights M1 achieved a particularly emphatic bump on Oriel, further fueling the rivalry. St Edmund Hall, whose boat house is adjacent to that of Pembroke, are also rivals, particularly on the women's side. The traditional Pembroke rivalry with Christ Church permeates to rowing as well. Recent strong performances at the Fairbairn's Cup in Cambridge has led to new rivalries with some Cambridge colleges such as First and Third Trinity and Caius.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
|
|||||||||||
