Oriel College
Boat Club
The Boat Club is a really special part of Oriel College’s community and has become the dominant college rowing club in Oxford in the last 50 years. From fierce competition in bumps racing to casual rowing, OCBC brings together elite rowers, complete novices and everyone in between.


Bumps Racing
Torpids and Summer Eights are the most prominent inter-collegiate sporting competitions at Oxford and are truly unique racing experiences in the world of rowing. They comprise four days of college boats chasing each other in single file along the Isis. In front of the roaring crowds and festival atmosphere on Boat House Island, boats attempt to bump the boat in front without being caught by the boat behind. The ultimate triumph is to go Head of the River.
Other races
We do not confine ourselves to Oxford’s two annual Bumps competitions. Instead we take on the Cambridge colleges at Fairbairns in Michaelmas term and often square up to their best at the Henley Boat Races. In the winter we often race at Upper Thames Head, Wallingford Head and Head of the River Race; come the summer we usually compete at Wallingford and Bedford regatta. If we are carrying out a Henley campaign then we also race at Marlow and Metropolitan. More often than not we are the only Oxford college crew competing in these events.
