Founded 1863 (1863) Website downingboatclub.co.uk | ||
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Membership | ||
Downing College Boat Club (or DCBC) is the rowing club for members of Downing College, Cambridge. Downing men have not been below the top 9 boats for over 3 decades, on occasion being the only boat club with a second boat in the first division, and regularly ahead of other college first boats.
Downing men and women have rowed internationally, winning World Rowing Championship medals, and even Olympic medals.
History
Despite the college admitting undergraduates in 1821, Downing's boat club did not form until 1863, with their first race being in the spring of 1864.
Downing women formed in 1981 and held their first headship of the Lent Bumps from 2004–2005, regaining it in 2011, and attained their first headship of the May Bumps in 2011. They retained both headships in 2012. Not until the 1960s did the men's 1st VIII regularly feature in the 1st division of the Lent and May Bumps, holding the headship for several years in the 1980s and 1990s (15 in total, including a double-headship in 1996).