Mansfield College Boat Club
Encyclopedia
Mansfield College Boat Club (commonly abbreviated to MCBC) is a rowing club
for members of Mansfield College, Oxford
. It was founded in 1965 by a group of students led by Michael Mahoney, later College Dean. It is run by the Boat Club committee, which is elected annually by members of the Mansfield College student body. It is affiliated to Oxford University Rowing Clubs
(OURCs).
MCBC currently shares a club room and boat storage space with St Hilda's
College Boat Club at the Longbridges boathouse, which opened in April 1997.
On July 4, 2005 Longbridges boathouse was hit by an arson attack which destroyed most of the equipment owned by MCBC. However thanks to the efforts of the committee, the college and the generosity of alumni, the club was able to replace old equipment with newer boats and two new sets of blades.
The club always fields a Men's First VIII and a Women's First VIII in the annual inter-collegiate Torpids
and Summer VIIIs
bumps racing competitions. As a new entrant, initially placed at the bottom of the rankings, the club achieved several years of regular success in the 1960s and 1970s as it slowly worked its way up through weaker boats to reach its natural level. In May 2008 the club achieved its highest positions in Summer VIIIs to date, with the Men's First VIII gaining 11th place in Division Two (equalling the peak reached by the Men's First VIII in 2004) and with the Women's First VIII reaching second place in Division Three (winning blades for the second year running in the process). In 2009 the Women's First VIII won blades again with a crew featuring three university level 'blues' rowers and are now the 10th crew in Division Two. The presence of three 'blues' in one boat was unprecedented in Mansfield's Boat Club history, and goes some way to proving the oft repeated notion that Mansfield College punches above its weight at inter-collegiate sport. The club also usually fields a Men's Second VIII and a Women's Second VIII. The Men's Second boat won 'blades' in the 2009 Summer Eights which was a considerable achievement.
The most famous alumnus of MCBC is Donald MacDonald, who was President of Oxford University Boat Club
in the mutiny year of 1987, the events of which received considerable publicity in the book True Blue: The Oxford Boat Race Mutiny and the film True Blue
.
Rowing club
A rowing club is a club for people interested in the sport of Rowing. Rowing clubs are usually located near a body of water, whether natural or artificial, that is large enough for manoeuvering of the shells . Clubs usually have racks to store boats and a dock to put them in the water...
for members of Mansfield College, Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. It was founded in 1965 by a group of students led by Michael Mahoney, later College Dean. It is run by the Boat Club committee, which is elected annually by members of the Mansfield College student body. It is affiliated to Oxford University Rowing Clubs
Oxford University Rowing Clubs
Oxford University Rowing Clubs is the confederation of OUBC, OUWBC, OULRC and OUWLRC. It is the body which has authority over the conduct of all College crews, and is responsible for organising inter-collegiate contests.-Inter-collegiate Events run by OURCs:...
(OURCs).
MCBC currently shares a club room and boat storage space with St Hilda's
St Hilda's College, Oxford
St Hilda's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England.The college was founded in 1893 as a hall for women, and remained an all-women's college until 2006....
College Boat Club at the Longbridges boathouse, which opened in April 1997.
On July 4, 2005 Longbridges boathouse was hit by an arson attack which destroyed most of the equipment owned by MCBC. However thanks to the efforts of the committee, the college and the generosity of alumni, the club was able to replace old equipment with newer boats and two new sets of blades.
The club always fields a Men's First VIII and a Women's First VIII in the annual inter-collegiate Torpids
Torpids
Torpids is one of two series of bumping races held yearly at Oxford University, the other being Eights. Over 130 men's and women's crews race for their colleges in six men's divisions and five women's; almost 1200 participants in total...
and Summer VIIIs
Eights Week
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...
bumps racing competitions. As a new entrant, initially placed at the bottom of the rankings, the club achieved several years of regular success in the 1960s and 1970s as it slowly worked its way up through weaker boats to reach its natural level. In May 2008 the club achieved its highest positions in Summer VIIIs to date, with the Men's First VIII gaining 11th place in Division Two (equalling the peak reached by the Men's First VIII in 2004) and with the Women's First VIII reaching second place in Division Three (winning blades for the second year running in the process). In 2009 the Women's First VIII won blades again with a crew featuring three university level 'blues' rowers and are now the 10th crew in Division Two. The presence of three 'blues' in one boat was unprecedented in Mansfield's Boat Club history, and goes some way to proving the oft repeated notion that Mansfield College punches above its weight at inter-collegiate sport. The club also usually fields a Men's Second VIII and a Women's Second VIII. The Men's Second boat won 'blades' in the 2009 Summer Eights which was a considerable achievement.
The most famous alumnus of MCBC is Donald MacDonald, who was President of Oxford University Boat Club
Oxford University Boat Club
The Oxford University Boat Club is the rowing club of the University of Oxford, England, located on the River Thames at Oxford. The club was founded in the early 19th century....
in the mutiny year of 1987, the events of which received considerable publicity in the book True Blue: The Oxford Boat Race Mutiny and the film True Blue
True Blue (film)
True Blue is a 1996 British sports film based on the book True Blue: The Oxford Boat Race Mutiny by Daniel Topolski and Patrick Robinson. It follows the 1987 Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race and the disagreement amongst the Oxford team known as the "Oxford mutiny". For the US DVD release, the film was...
.
See also
- Mansfield College
- University of OxfordUniversity of OxfordThe University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
- Bumps raceBumps raceA bumps race is a form of rowing race in which a number of boats chase each other in single file, each boat attempting to catch and "bump" the boat in front without being caught by the boat behind....
- TorpidsTorpidsTorpids is one of two series of bumping races held yearly at Oxford University, the other being Eights. Over 130 men's and women's crews race for their colleges in six men's divisions and five women's; almost 1200 participants in total...
- Eights WeekEights WeekEights 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...
- Oxford University Rowing ClubsOxford University Rowing ClubsOxford University Rowing Clubs is the confederation of OUBC, OUWBC, OULRC and OUWLRC. It is the body which has authority over the conduct of all College crews, and is responsible for organising inter-collegiate contests.-Inter-collegiate Events run by OURCs:...
External links
- Eights Week Chart, 1980-2008 (use menus for other charts)
- Rowing Mansfield College Boat Club Website
- Oxford University Rowing Clubs