A Record Collection of Challenge Cups

Transcript

A Record Collection of Challenge Cups

Trophies Won by the Eton Excelsior R.C. this Season

Tomorrow, Saturday, the Eton Excelsior Rowing Club end their 1937 season by holding their 86th Annual Invitation Regatta over the usual downstream course on the Windsor Reach. This regatta has become one of the most popular end-of-the-season regattas, and given good weather, promises to be the most successful of their long series.

Officially, the Excelsior Club was founded in 1851, but records prove it to have been in existence for over one hundred years. Although classed as one of the smaller clubs when compared with such clubs as London, Thames and Quintin, they have always been extremely active, and in their long and eventful history there have been very few best boat regattas without an Excelsior crew putting up a good show in the class in which they were competing. One can, therefore, understand why their successes this season have been so popular with the rowing world.

At the seven regattas for which they entered, the crews were called upon to race twenty-four times, and only suffered one defeat and this by only a narrow margin. The nine Challenge Cups won prove the excellence of the Excelsior oarsmen.

The Junior-Senior Four and Junior Eight were the first crews to represent Excelsior this year at Reading Regatta, and both crews were successful. The Junior Eight had two heats and final to row to win. In one heat, Oriel College were the opponents, this crew had done well in the Oxford bumping races.

After Reading a Junior-Senior Eight was formed. The crew was improved by the addition of N. J. W. Nicholls, D. A. Bond and E. T. Watson, who had won Junior Eights in previous seasons. This crew were sent to Kingston Regatta to compete for the Dittons Challenge Cup for Junior-Senior Eights. They had to row on very rough water, but in spite of this they won at their first attempt in this class.

The following Saturday this crew competed in the same class at Molesey, one of the biggest of up-river Regattas. In their first heat they had the misfortune to hit a steamer. The race was restarted, and the crew seemed to row even better after a nasty experience. In the Final the opponents were Westminster Bank; the Excelsior crew rowed very well, and won easily by three lengths.

The following week the Eight were entered in the Thames Cup class at Staines Regatta. They again justified their entry by winning in the Final against Quintin by ½ length.

At Maidenhead, a week later, the Eight were entered in the Senior Eight event. During the afternoon they had to row three heats and then a Final. They rowed well, beating Thames in one heat by three lengths and Quintin by ½ length in the Final.

The Junior Four also entered at Maidenhead, having to row a heat and a Final; they won in a convincing manner each time. On the Monday following, bank holiday, they entered in the same class at Henley Town Regatta, and again won quite easily in the Final by 3½ lengths.

Thus the Eight proved unbeatable, under the splendid coaching of Mr. H. O. C. Boret. He has produced in them a crew whose style is a lesson to present-day oarsmen and has gone a long way towards restoring confidence in English rowing. Many old rowing men have been heard to comment very favourably on the Excelsior crew. Their victories this season have put up a record unequalled by any club this year.

The experience gained this season should prove invaluable when the crew go to Henley Royal Regatta next year, and it would be a fitting reward to Mr. Boret for the hard work he has put in if the prestige of English rowing is maintained through the oldest club on the Thames.

The Club has a number of members who, though only having joined in the last two years, have won many races; the Eight contains two members who only took up rowing two years ago, and the Junior Four, one last year, and three this year.

The Eton Excelsior Rowing Club has this year definitely proved itself one of the premier rowing clubs, and it is hoped that now new members will be forthcoming to enable the Excelsior Club to hold this position in the rowing world.

Many people seem to believe that this Club has something to do with old members of Eton College; this is not so. The Club is composed of members living in the surrounding district and membership is open to all.

The crews were as follows:—

JUNIOR EIGHT: C. J. Tuckey (bow); A. Sharratt, P. Fitzgerald, H. C. Gough, D. S. Harrison, P. Watson, R. J. Cork, R. G. Blake (stroke) and B. J. Cork (cox).

JUNIOR-SENIOR FOUR: N. J. W. Nicholls (bow), D. A. Bond, F. W. Buck and V. A. C. Wood (stroke).

JUNIOR-SENIOR and SENIOR EIGHT: E. Watson (bow), H. C. Gough, N. J. W. Nicholls, D. A. Bond, D. S. Harrison, P. Watson, R. J. Cork, R. G. Blake (stroke) and B. J. Cork (cox).

JUNIOR FOUR: H. Shrimpton (bow), K. Clarke, V. Hubbard, E. C. Pannell (stroke) and D. Cullum (cox).

At the conclusion of the Regatta on Saturday, the Rowing Club are holding a Flannel Dance at the Castle Hotel. It is hoped that many people will attend.

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