On 31 May, University College Boat Club (UCBC) and University College hosted the Summer Eights and UCBC 2014-16 Anniversary Reunion.

Summer Eights event report by Bertie Coomber (2021, Chemistry), UCBC’s outgoing Vice President.

This year, eight Univ crews took to the river to fight for Summer Eights glory, with the senior crews rising a collective eight places on the river. After a strong showing in rowing on, both Men’s and Women’s third and fourth VIIIs were qualified into Summer Eights. Despite being surrounded on all sides by second VIIIs and beer boats, these plucky novices put their full single term of rowing experience into action, putting on a performance to be proud of. Notably, M3 went +2 after some definitive contact bumps on the crews in front of them.

Going into Saturday, both second VIIIs were on for blades following impressive +3 performances on the first three days of racing. Ultimately, M2 were able to secure their fourth and final bump on Saturday, outside Univ boathouse no less, and securing themselves blades, whilst becoming the second highest M2 on the river in the process. As the saying goes “good crews go +3, lucky crews get blades”, and it seems luck was not on the side of W2 as they narrowly missed out on getting blades. However, a strong row over on the Saturday solidified them as the highest W2 on the river.

The turbulence of Div 1 racing never ceases to defy expectations, with W1 finding themselves on bung line 1 on the second day of racing, with half a crew of new Cassies. A strong showing on the subsequent three days saw W1 finish third on the river, a most respectable position. Given the taste of headship they got this year, it is almost certain that we will find them back there soon. M1 got a good tour of the entire course on the first three days, thoroughly practising being able to row the full distance. This practice was finally put into action on Saturday, with M1 finding a bump on Keble with less than 150m to go on the course – placing them at bung line 5 for the start of next year.

UCBC 2014-16 Anniversary Reunion event report by Ciara Moore (2012, Physics)

After over a decade since learning to row, the 10-year reunion was a perfect excuse to relive fond memories at college and down at the river with UCBC. It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces and reminisce about the things that have changed, and the things that haven’t changed at all.

One of UCBC’s strengths remains its inclusivity and diversity. Seeing that Univ had nine boats entered in Summer Eights, which paralleled our peak in 2014, was a proud moment. However, the notable difference was how much higher on the river some of those boats had climbed.

As a former W2 rower myself, it was inspiring to watch the current crew become the highest second VIII on the river. Their coach, Argy, has been a constant at UCBC ever since my own time in W2 and it is heartening to see his loyal service remains, along with other traditions, such as the Summer Eights Dinner booklet.

Both first VIIIs are higher than they ever were during my time at the club and it was an emotional moment when W1 rose to headship just a few years ago. Several of my peers returned to the river back then to watch, except for my amazing friend, Hannah Farley, because she was still at UCBC and in the boat!

As special as it is to reminisce, revisit and reunite, the greatest legacies that I have from UCBC and Univ are my steadfast friendships. I look forward to another decade of watching UCBC grow, alongside the successes of my life-long friends and their families.

With our greatest thanks to UCBC for inviting us back, and to college for hosting us, we will see you soon, Univ.

Published: 18 June 2025

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