Brasenose College Boat Club (Oxford)
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Brasenose College Boat Club (BNCBC) is the rowing club of Brasenose College, Oxford in Oxford, England. The foundation date of the boat club is unknown but it did beat Jesus College Boat Club in the first ever Head Race in 1815. The club's colours are black and gold, with black blades. The 1st VIII, however, may wear the distinctive "Childe of Hale" colours — red, purple and yellow — which are synonymous with Brasenose rowing.
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[edit] History
In the 19th century, BNCBC was very strong and regularly won events in Oxford, and at various regattas around the country, notably the Henley Royal Regatta, and regularly contributed rowers to the Oxford boat for the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. Brasenose regularly held the headship at Oxford Torpids and Eights, and won a large number of Blades for bumping in every race.
In the 20th century the club remained very competitive and continued to achieve success in various events, yet this declined as the century progressed. Externally, Brasenose suffered due to the difference in the standard of rowing between Oxbridge colleges and non-University clubs reducing greatly over the twentieth century, possibly due to standards within college clubs falling or to the quality of rowing in other clubs improving, but probably a combination of the two. For example BNCBC, like all other Oxbridge college crews, now have difficulty achieving a standard of rowing to even qualify for events at the Henley Royal Regatta, let alone to win these events. In spite of this, rowing within Oxford remains exceptionally popular and Summer Eights, the main inter-college event, see well over a thousand students competing, typically around 6 boats from Brasenose. BNCBC last held the headship in the mid 1990s, and currently sit in the middle of the Men's Division 2 for Eights, and near the top of Men's Division 2 for Torpids.
[edit] BNCBC today
A sense of this history still pervades the club (whose Women's Captain is currently Jenny Foreman)[citation needed], especially on formal occasions and amongst former members. One former Brasenose rower recently purchased and donated an oar dating from 1887 that he had discovered in an auctioneer's basement. This now hangs in the traditional Captain's Room (now occupied by the Club President) in College together with other paintings, oars and memorabilia.
