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. Men's and women's coxed eights compete in separate divisions for their colleges, with some colleges entering as many as five crews for each sex. Summer VIIIs has seven men's divisions alongside six for women's, encompassing a total of 158 boats and around 1400 participants. Including the qualifying rounds, in which success is termed 'Rowing On', the number of participants in 2003 was over 1800.

The racing takes place on the Isis, a length of the River Thames, which is generally too narrow for side by side racing. For each division, thirteen boats line up at the downstream end of the stretch, each cox holding onto a rope attached to the bank, leaving around 1.5 boat lengths between each boat. The start of racing is signalled by the firing of a cannon, each crew attempting to progress up their division by bumping the boat in front, while avoiding being bumped by the boat behind. Once a bump has taken place, both of the crews involved stop racing and move to the side to allow the rest of the division to pass. It is possible to 'over bump' if the 2 crews in front of your boat bump (and so drop out) and your boat can catch the boat that was in front of them. They then swap places for the next day's racing, whether that be the calendar day or the first day of racing in the next year's competition.

The ultimate aim of a crew is to become "Head of the River" (top of the first division) and stay there. This entitles the winning crew to commission trophy oars in their college colours with the names and weights of the successful crew on them — commonly called 'winning blades'. As this is only possible for crews already near the top of division one, another way to win blades is to bump on each day of the competition. As the responsibility for awarding blades to crews rests with the individual colleges concerned, there are slight differences in the criteria required.

Contents

Men's Head of River from 1815 Summary

Victories
College
10 Balliol College
18 Brasenose College
33 Christ Church
2 Corpus Christi College
7 Exeter College
1 Hertford College
7 Keble College
19 Magdalen College
1 Merton College
16 New College
26 Oriel College
3 Pembroke College
3 The Queen's College
5 St. Edmund Hall
2 Wadham College
10 Trinity College
12 University College

Men's Head of River from 1815[1]

2011 Oriel College
2010 Christ Church 2009 Christ Church 2008 Balliol College 2007 Magdalen College 2006 Magdalen College
2005 Magdalen College 2004 Magdalen College 2003 Pembroke College 2002 Oriel College 2001 Oriel College
2000 Oriel College 1999 Oriel College 1998 Oriel College 1997 Oriel College 1996 Oriel College
1995 Pembroke College 1994 Oriel College 1993 Oriel College 1992 Oriel College 1991 University College
1990 University College 1989 Oriel College 1988 Oriel College 1987 Oriel College 1986 New College
1985 Christ Church 1984 Oriel College 1983 Oriel College 1982 Oriel College 1981 Oriel College
1980 Oriel College 1979 Oriel College 1978 Oriel College 1977 Keble College 1976 Oriel College
1975 Christ Church 1974 Christ Church 1973 Christ Church 1972 Keble College 1971 Christ Church
1970 Keble College 1969 Keble College 1968 Keble College 1967 Keble College 1966 Oriel College
1965 St. Edmund Hall 1964 St. Edmund Hall 1963 Keble College 1962 Christ Church 1961 St. Edmund Hall
1960 St. Edmund Hall 1959 St. Edmund Hall 1958 Christ Church 1957 Queen's College 1956 Balliol College
1955 Balliol College 1954 Magdalen College 1953 Magdalen College 1952 Balliol College 1951 Merton College
1950 New College 1949 Trinity College 1948 Trinity College 1947 Trinity College 1946 Trinity College
1940-45 No races due to World War II 1939 Trinity College 1938 Trinity College 1937 New College 1936 Oriel College
1935 Oriel College 1934 Oriel College 1933 Oriel College 1932 Magdalen College 1931 Brasenose College
1930 Brasenose College 1929 Brasenose College 1928 Brasenose College 1927 Christ Church 1926 Christ Church
1925 Christ Church 1924 Christ Church 1923 Magdalen College 1922 New College 1921 New College
1920 Magdalen College 1915-19 No races due to World War I 1914 University College 1913 New College 1912 New College
1911 New College 1910 Magdalen College 1909 Christ Church 1908 Christ Church 1907 Christ Church
1906 Magdalen College 1905 Magdalen College 1904 New College 1903 New College 1902 University College
1901 New College 1900 Magdalen College
1899 New College 1898 New College 1897 New College 1896 New College
1895 Magdalen College 1894 Magdalen College 1893 Magdalen College 1892 Magdalen College 1891 Brasenose College
1890 Brasenose College 1889 Brasenose College 1888 Brasenose College 1887 New College 1886 Magdalen College
1885 Corpus Christi College 1884 Exeter College 1883 Exeter College 1882 Exeter College 1881 Hertford College
1880 Magdalen College 1879 Balliol College 1878 University College 1877 University College 1876 Brasenose College
1875 University College 1874 University College 1873 Balliol College 1872 Pembroke College 1871 University College
1870 University College 1869 University College 1868 Corpus Christi College 1867 Brasenose College 1866 Brasenose College
1865 Brasenose College 1864 Trinity College 1863 Trinity College 1862 Trinity College 1861 Trinity College
1860 Balliol College 1859 Balliol College 1858 Exeter College 1857 Exeter College 1856 Wadham College
1855 Balliol College 1854 Brasenose College 1853 Brasenose College 1852 Brasenose College 1851 Balliol College
1850 Wadham College 1849 Christ Church 1848 Christ Church 1847 Christ Church 1846 Brasenose College
1845 Brasenose College 1844 Christ Church 1843 University College 1842 Oriel College 1841 University College
1840 Brasenose College 1839 Brasenose College 1838 Exeter College 1837 Queen's College 1836 Christ Church
1835 Christ Church 1834 Christ Church 1833 Queen's College 1832 Christ Church 1831 Christ Church
1830 Christ Church 1829 Christ Church 1828 Christ Church 1827 Brasenose College 1826 Christ Church
1825 Christ Church 1824 Exeter College 1823 no races 1822 Brasenose College 1820–1821 unknown
1819 Christ Church 1818 Christ Church 1817 Christ Church 1816 Brasenose College 1815 Brasenose College

Women's Head of River from 1998

2011 Balliol College
2010 Balliol College
2009 St. Edmund Hall
2008 St. Edmund Hall
2007 St. Edmund Hall
2006 St. Edmund Hall
2005 New College
2004 New College
2003 Pembroke College
2002 Pembroke College
2001 Pembroke College
2000 Pembroke College

Double Headship

The 'Double Headship' is an accolade awarded to any college finishing with both their men's and women's crews at the 'Head of the River' in their respective divisions. Pembroke College is the only college to have achieved a Double Headship in Eights, having both men's and women's crews at the Head of the River in 2003.

A silver 'Double Headship Trophy' was commissioned from the silversmith Peter Musson [1] 2003, to commemorate the historic occasion. Pembroke College retains this trophy.

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.archive.org/stream/oxfordrowinghist00sheruoft#page/108/mode/2up

External links