The Bull - News

Can you help Oxford Brookes win the Temple?

Tamsin Bryant5 Comments

APPEAL NOW COMPLETE - SEE HERE FOR MORE DETAILS!

Oxford Brookes are looking for financial support to see the boys fly through Henley Royal Regatta in the Temple Challenge for 2014.

So why this year?  

Brookes are now finally after several years of building in a position where we have a squad strong enough to have a serious shot of Winning the Temple Challenge Cup 2014. 

Last Year 2012-13 Results

  • 1st and 2nd on Saturday and Sunday with two crews in Open Eights at Ghent Regatta.  Never done before.
  • Winners of 7 out of 10 eights categories at Metropolitan Regatta over both days with the fastest time ever rowed by a Brookes Crew of 5:41.8
  • HRR Qualified 4 Eights in the Temple Challenge Cup.
  • HRR the 1st eight gave the winning Dutch crew the toughest race of the regatta at just under half a length.
  • From last year we have lost only 1 man from the 2013 1st eight and have gained a very very strong intake.  In competitions pre Christmas and flooding they had dominated at every event.  

This is the strongest squad since the temple winning crew in 2006, we must do everything possible to help this current group succeed. 

This group of boys are thankful for what they have and appreciate the work that has gone in over the years from you all to make the Brookes system what it is.  

In addition to our Taurus fundraising the temple squad are doing their best to help raise money for the boat themselves.  On Thursday 10th April 2014 they are rowing 1,000,000m between 2-6pm on 25 rowing machines in the centre of Oxford.

Taurus would like to raise the funds to buy a new boat to ensure nothing prevents this years Temple Crew fulfilling their potential. Let's make it happen!

The new shell has been ordered and it is due for payment during the first week in May.  The boat club have raised some of the funds to complete the purchase of this boat, but are around £10,000 + VAT short

If you can help please donate via the options below (a direct bank transfer saves the club 3.7% in credit card fees).

APPEAL NOW COMPLETE - SEE HERE FOR MORE DETAILS!

Oxford Brookes Temple Challenge Cup 2014 Training at Cholsey

Oxford Brookes Temple Challenge Cup 2014 Training at Cholsey

Why this Boat?

The purpose of buying this shell is that this is the right size for the Temple Cup Eight this year.  It is a 95 kg shell.  We have negotiated a special purchase from GB Rowing of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Eight.

The new cost to purchase this would be £37,000.  It is in immaculate condition.

We have negotiated a special purchase route due to our relationship with GB Rowing.  

The shell has been ordered and it is due for payment during the first week in May.  We have raised some of the funds to complete the purchase of this boat, but are around £10,000 + VAT short.  

The purchase of this new shell will enable the current Second Eight Empacher shell (which is currently jointly shared between the Women's Group and the Men's Second Eight) to be dedicated solely for women's use.  This women's boat is also in very good condition. Therefore, the purchase of the new shell will enable the Women's Group to have a dedicated Empacher Eight.

If we do not complete our purchase by the agreed date, the shell will be sold to another university.

During this current academic year I have successfully negotiated the purchase of 3 no. Empacher Coxless pairs, which the university purchased in September 2013.  These are used in the GB trial process by the senior athletes.  

In February 2014 I negotiated the purchase of 2 x 2008 Empacher Coxless fours, which were paid for by the university.

In July 2013 the university completed the funding for construction of a new boathouse facility for the sum of £600,000.  

In this instance, because of all the recent purchases, the Sports Department have indicated that we would ideally wait for the next academic year before any further large purchases are made.  This is understandable in all respects.

Everyone wants the Temple Cup Eight to row in this superb new shell and do not want to lose the opportunity of this purchase to one of our main rivals.  

Richard, Henry & all of Taurus Committee hope that all of Taurus will support us in this special quick purchase.

Richard Spratley, Director of Rowing, Oxford Brookes

Brookes in the Boat Race

tamsinadams@googlemail.com1 Comment

Karl Hudspith an ex-Brookes rower has won his 3rd Boat Race for the dark blues. In what will be a memorable boat race - just don't mention the word 'CRAB'.

Karl Hudspith is quoted "you don't want to win like this but I think we showed that we are the better crew today."

Also making TV appearances were Zoe de Toledo & our very own Taurus committee member Katie Klavenes spotted helping the light blues into the boats

Please get in touch if you have any news you would like to share with Taurus at info@taurusboatclub.org.uk

Oxford Brookes rule the Waves at GB Trials in Boston

tamsinadams@googlemail.com1 Comment

Men's Chief Coach Jurgen Grobler had mixed and matched his open men's pairs for December GB trials to add some new impetus.

Taurus are very pleased to see the Brookes Boys performing so well at the event.

  1. Alex Greogory/Matthew Tarrant (Leander/Oxford Brookes)

  2. Mo Sbihi/*Scott Durant *(Molesey BC/Oxford Brookes)

  3. Phil Congdon/Mason Durant (Molesey BC/Oxford Brookes)

LIGHTWEIGHT- MEN

Single

  1. Peter Chambers (Oxford Brookes Univ)

  2. *Jamie Copus *(Oxford Brookes Univ)

Image attached has results from Boston showing the depth in the OBU squad this year.

February 2011

Ryan DaviesComment

We have now put up the February 2011 newsletter, which has been posted out to all current Taurus members. If you haven't received yours, either you haven't yet signed up to pay your membership fees or you have recently moved and haven't told us your address.

June 2006

Ryan DaviesComment

The Taurus Barbecue at Henley Royal Regatta will be in space N10 in Lion Meadow on Saturday 1st July, from end of racing onwards. Catering by the Chelsea Ramm Pub. £10 a head, £5 for students. Insults and watering-can abuse extra.

December 2004

Ryan DaviesComment

Taurus Committee held a meeting! Wonders will never cease. We had a jolly good lunch and made masses of Important New Years Resolutions. More practically, we agreed to give the student club £2800 towards five new ergos, which was a really good plan and much appreciated by the Brookes boys and girls.

November 2004

Ryan DaviesComment

Biggest weekend of the month was the 20th/21st, with the Scullers Head on Saturday followed by the Indoor Champs on Sunday. Not surprisingly Taurus members usually choose to go for water-moving rather than erg-beating, and we spotted Dave Gillard (11th) and Bart Hudson (27th), although there may have been more. The next day in Birmingham saw Jonno Devlin (5th in Men's Open) and Joe von Maltzahn (racing with OUBC) pulling their rocks off on Concept 2's.

October 2004

Ryan DaviesComment

Head of the Charles 2004, and despite a nasty fierce wind in the Charles River basin, which made for a shortened course, Brookes' top eight including a couple of well-known Taureans performed brilliantly in the men's championship eights. They beat all but one of the top US universities to finish fifth overall, and likely to get a commendation and automatic invitation back next year as a reward for being within 5% of the finish time for winners Cambridge. The only crews to finish ahead of Brookes in this high-quality competition were CUBC, the Dutch Olympic eight, Princeton heavies, and western champions UCal Berkley. Even the US national team (actually its second eight) finished one place back in sixth, although this might have more to do with a too-friendly encounter with the famous Eliot Bridge.

September 2004

Ryan DaviesComment

A load of Brookes students went to France to take part in the World University Champs, and came away with a respectable fifth place for the men's eight, and a bronze medal for Vicky Myers in a composite women's four.

August 2004

Ryan DaviesComment

There were plenty of international appearances by Taureans, but the highlight was without question the Athens Olympics, with Stevie Williams anchoring the British men's coxless four to gold. The four won an epic race by 0.08 seconds, or more or less the chunk of bow canvas on which Alex Partridge's name had been painted, but the first actual man over the line was Steve at bow. He could barely speak for hours afterwards, in a daze after the Olympic medal ceremony. He and Ed Coode were then glued to the TV screen during the post-race press conference, which annoyingly overlapped with the M8+'s B-final, including GBR. Sadly Jonno Devlin, another bow-seat Brookes man, did not have such a good result, but it was most people's view that the eight had done pretty well just to get to Athens without losing any more people after a much disrupted summer.

July 2004

Ryan DaviesComment

July means Henley, and Brookes/Taurus back on form after last year's difficulties. There were entries all over the place, but of stalwart Taurus performances on the river three stand out.

First up in the Sunday finals was the Visitors' - Henry Bailhache, Dan Marett, Tommy Burton and Oxford's Andrew Stubbs, as Oxford Brookes/Oxford - racing four Cambridge Blues. The official Stewards' report reads as follows: "Oxford were the faster crew off the start but Cambridge looked the steadier crew and at Fawley had begun to erode Oxford's advantage. But their steering was poor and, after several warnings, they hit the booms shortly after the 3/4 mile where they might just have taken the lead." Win to Brookes/Oxford by 2.25 lengths in 7:11.

Next came the Stewards' Cup. Until Friday we had expected this to contain two Taurus members - Steve Williams and Alex Partridge - but late in the week it was confirmed that Alex had a double lung puncture and would be out not only of Henley Royal but also from the Olympic team, to recover. Cue many press conferences and articles, Ed Coode slotting into Alex's place, and Partridge getting horribly drunk on Saturday night at the Taurus barbecue (good work, everyone...) This is how the final against the Australians went for Steve and the four: "Leander & IC took immediate control of this race. Their excellent technique and immaculate steering helped; but they were, anyway, the stronger and better crew." Win by 2 lengths in 6:46.

Finally it was the turn of the Ladies' Plate Leander crew, featuring good old boys Joe von Maltzahn and Ben Lewis. Racing Harvard's JVs in the final, they won as follows: "Leander got off to a very fast start, settled well and established a commanding lead by the half mile. Harvard pressed hard passing the Enclosures, but could only close to 3/4 length." Verdict 3/4 length in 6:30, and finally a well-deserved Henley medal for Ben, after too many finals to want to count them....

And of course that isn't counting all the memorable land-based performances in the Fawley Bar, Bridge Bar, and at the Taurus Barbecue (Dom, Danoi, Pete, 'tother Pete, Peiller and all the others who know who they are....)

May 2004

Ryan DaviesComment

A good time was had by all at the Taurus Annual Dinner in May, with several familiar faces turning up and much drunken-ness and partying in Thames RC. Sadly the editor as yet has received no pictures of the debauchery - come on get your negatives developed....