Discover the Legacy of Excellence

Explore the remarkable journey of Oxford Brookes University Boat Club and its unparalleled success in rowing history. From unheralded beginings as Oxford Poly, the club has become perhaps the strongest force in British and arguably even global rowing, winning 13 titles at Henley Royal Regatta in the last two years.

The book traces this remarkable history and explains how the men and women of Brookes now regularly beat top international and even Olympic crews at major regattas. Brookes also provides athletes to international crews and alumni hold dozens of Olympic and World Championship gold medals.

It is also the story of two brilliant coaches, Richard Spratley and Henry Bailhache-Webb, and how they have combined to drive Brookes forward, year after year. The book provides insights into training methods, motivation, pyschology and how the incredible Brookes club culture has been developed.

As well as appealing to rowing fans, anyone who is interested in developing a high-performance culture in thier own organisation will learn something from the book and from Brookes' history.

Oxford Brookes - A Sporting Miracle?

Explore the remarkable journey of Oxford Brookes University Boat Club over the last thirty years.

Inspiring Coaches and Coaching

Learn about the key coaches who have inspired hundreds of athletes and transformed Oxford Brookes into a world-class rowing club.

Athlete Interviews

Read exclusive interviews with Olympians, top athletes and key figures in the rowing world who share their experiences and insights on success. (Photograph ©AllMarkOne)

Discover 16 pages of colour photographs showcasing the club's triumphs from 1990 to 2024. (Photograph ©AllMarkOne)

The Team

Thanks....

Thanks to everyone who helped with the book, starting with Richard Spratley, the Brookes rowing supremo for over 30 years and now Director of Rowing, and Henry Bailhache-Webb, Head Coach. My gratitude to Sir Steve Redgrave for providing the Foreword and to Matt Akers, without whom it would not have happened at all.

Thanks to other Brookes coaches past and present – including Peter Haining, Dan Janes, Hugo Gulliver, Chris Tebb and Sam Sheppard. Peter Lowe, who recruited Richard into Brookes in 1992, was very helpful, as were Tasmin Bryant and James Symington from the committee of Taurus, the Brookes alumni club. Other interviewees included Haydn Morris, Kevin Morris, Russell Cook, Clive Couldwell, Tim Magee, Alex and Jane Gandon from the Poly days, then David Peill, Andrew Hall, Alex Henshilwood, Jenny Bates, Mike Sweeney CBE, Rachel Quarrell, Alex Partridge, Matt Hnatiw and Max Bird – all were helpful and provided further insight.

Rory Cruickshank of AllMarkOne provided brilliant photographs, and in terms of the book production, the team at the SPP and Brown Dog Publishing were excellent, with particular thanks to Frances Prior-Reeves. Richard Spratley’s partner, Jane, also provided invaluable marketing advice and my wife, also Jane, put up with me talking about Brookes for a solid year.

About the Author

Peter Smith

Peter back in the cox's seat in Ely at the Cambridge Lightweights 50th anniversary in September 2024

Peter Smith was born in Sunderland, where rowing is not particularly popular, but learnt to cox at Lady Margaret Boat Club (LMBC), the boat club of St John’s College, Cambridge. Luckily for him, LMBC was very strong during his three years there, so he won Head of the Lent and May Bumps medals, the university Coxed Fours, various regatta trophies and medals. LMBC represented Cambridge at the British Universities event and won silver, and Peter coxed the Cambridge Lightweights to victory over Oxford in the 1978 race in a record time (because of the raging tailwind).

After university he joined Mars Confectionery, who showed little enthusiasm for giving him time off to cox an aspiring under-23 GB squad boat. He did some coaching and coxing at a local club, then became simply an enthusiastic follower of rowing. Having become a member of the Stewards’ Enclosure at Henley Royal Regatta whilst still a student, he has attended every year since 1977.

His professional life has revolved around procurement and supply chain management, with board-level roles in the public and private sectors, as well as non-executive posts in both sectors. He has advised the National Audit Office, the UK Treasury and Cabinet Office, amongst many others, as a consultant, and ran a successful business website for eight years. He is a top-20 influencer in his field and now lectures at several business schools.

He has also written four business books, including Bad Buying – How Organisations Waste Billions Through Failures, Frauds and F*ck-ups, published by Penguin Books in October 2020, lifting the lid on some amazing global stories of disaster in the business (and government) world! His latest passion is how procurement can contribute to wider global issues, and his book Procurement with Purpose – How organisations can change the way they spend money NOW to protect the planet and its people was published by Brown Dog Books in November 2021.

Away from procurement and writing, he is active member of Humanists UK, plays the bass guitar, keeps fit (cycling, walking, gym), supports both Sunderland and Brentford football clubs, and attempts to grow fruit and vegetables.

Contact Us

For any comments about the book, bulk orders, speaking requests or any other questions, please contact me here. Peter Smith

"More often than not, university recognition goes to Oxford and Cambridge due to their long history and the annual boat race. However, Brookes’ results on a year-by-year basis is second to none and it has also proved to be a great pathway to the national team, with some of their graduates going on to achieve honours at World Championships and the Olympics – including in Paris this year". (Sir Steve Redgrave, from the Foreword)

John Smith

★★★★★