CHAIRMAN’S VIEW

On Sunday, 19th July the Club welcomed members to the Long Room for this year’s AGM which saw the positions of President, Captain, Hon. Treasurer and Hon. Secretary change hands.

In the June edition of The London Roar Mike Baldwin announced, in his own understated way, that he wouldn’t be seeking re-election and that after 11 years in the role he would be standing down as President at the AGM. In light of this I am pleased to report that there was a very good turnout for the meeting and after Mike had addressed those present with a few parting words he was greeted with a standing ovation. This, of course, was a significant moment for both the Club and for Mike, as he has guided, assisted and supported LRC, not just whilst President, but for much of the last 50 years. Following his captaincy in 1976 he remained central to the running of the Club, becoming Vice President in 2004 before moving on to the top job in 2015 when Mike Williams stood down. Throughout these years Mike’s influence and steady hand has enabled LRC to grow and develop into the club we now see today.

I would like to thank Mike, on behalf of London Rowing Club, for his unerring commitment and contribution across the half a century since he was Captain. His overall input to the Club has been extraordinary and members will be extremely grateful for all he has done for LRC and our sport.

The meeting also saw Hon. Treasurer Philip Carré and Hon. Secretary Andrew Boyle stand down from their respective roles. Both of them had taken office in 2020 and were part of the Club’s management team which worked hard to navigate through the difficulties the Club experienced at the time. It is testament to both Andrew and Philip that the Club now enjoys a much healthier position and outlook, and the Club’s members owe them a great deal of thanks for their service and contribution over the last six years.

Club Captain Matt Reeder also stood down at the meeting and my thanks go to him as well for an excellent year. Among his many achievements I was particularly struck by his response in the lead up to the balcony project to the prospect of losing access to the boathouses for two months. Matt dealt with this extremely well showing great determination, together with that of his Vice Captains, in organising boats onto outside racks prior to the work starting. This, of course, had a positive impact on the number of members who were able to continue boating from the Club and will have been appreciated by many.

It was a great honour for me to hand commemorative LRC medals to Mike, Philip, Andrew and Matt.

Following the elections I would like to welcome Ben Helm as the new London Rowing Club President, Edoardo Marshall as Captain, Devin Ward taking over as Hon. Secretary and Lynton Richmond as Hon. Treasurer. Vice Presidents Sophie Hosking, Richard Philips and Mike Williams were all re-elected, and Elizabeth Cottrell joins them as the newly elected Vice President. My congratulations to all those taking up new positions.

With the AGM concluded, the bar was opened and canapes were served as the Club enjoyed a celebratory party to mark Mike’s captaincy and to look back at the successes of that year. Adding to the celebrations, and recognising in particular the Henley wins in the Wyfolds and Double Sculls, LRC was pleased to welcome John Beattie, Derek Bond and coach Sir David Tanner from the four, and Bobby Prentice who had sculled at bow in the double. It was fantastic to see them all back at the Club. Mike had played a key role in both of these wins for the Club, victories which ushered in a period of sustained success at the regatta for LRC.

L-R, John Beattie, Sir David Tanner, Mike, Bobby Prentice, Derek Bond.

Martin Spencer, who had partnered Bobby in the double, sadly died in 2019. In his memory, and following a very kind donation by the Spencer family, Bobby presented to the Club Martin’s Doggetts livery and trophy (both Martin & Bobby were Doggetts winners) as well as Martin’s Henley medal. These items will now form part of LRC’s archive and the Club is extremely grateful to the Spencer family for this gesture.

Everyone at the Club that day will, I am sure, agree that it was a wonderful occasion and a fine way for members to show their appreciation for all that Mike has done for LRC over many years.

Simon Melvin
Chairman, London Rowing Club

OUTGOING CAPTAIN’S REPORT

As the outgoing Captain I wanted to give my thanks to all of the Club’s members, committees, volunteers, coaches and everyone involved in the Club. The work and effort put in by everyone over the past year (and over multiple years) has continued to help the Club run, grow and be successful. Notably, boating from the Club was slightly different through part of the year with the building of the Club’s fantastic new balcony. I wanted to thank all those who put in a huge amount of time and effort during that period to help ensure that members could continue to access boats and row.

I also wanted to mention briefly some of a number of successes from across the Club over the past year. I won’t mention them all but some of these include; winning the Boustead Cup, 3rd place and the Vernon at HORR, three wins at Henley Women’s Regatta, multiple medals at British Masters Regatta and two wins, including a composite, at Henley Masters Regatta. In addition to these successes, it has been great to see many of the Club’s members enjoying rowing on the water and training whether that be for racing or recreationally.

Finally, and before handing over to Edo for the his first report, I wanted to say that it has been a privilege to be the Captain of LRC and I wish Edo all the best for the coming season. I am looking forward to what the next year holds for London Rowing Club.

Matt Reeder
Captain, London Rowing Club

NEW CAPTAIN’S REPORT

It is a privilege to take on the role of Captain, particularly at a time when the Club is enjoying success across so many different levels of competition. I look forward to building on the foundations laid by Matt and those before him, and to sharing the achievements of our members both on and off the water.

The Club returned to the Henley stretch in July for Henley Masters Regatta, with crews competing across a wide range of events. There was some excellent racing throughout the regatta, including several deep runs through highly competitive draws.

Congratulations to all those who represented London, with the following results:

Open Masters D 1x – Quarter-final

Open Masters D 2- – Final

Women’s Masters B 4x – Final

Women’s Masters C 8+ – Winners

Open Masters C 8+ – Final

Open Masters C 4- – Semi-final

Particular congratulations go to the Women’s Masters C 8+, who secured a fantastic victory for the Club. More broadly, the strength of the results across the events reflected the commitment and preparation of everyone involved.

London was also represented with distinction at the Home International Rowing Regatta, with members selected for both the England and Wales teams.

Representing England:

• George Lauchlan – Winner in the 4- and 8+
• Cameron Moffatt – Men’s Sweep Coach

Representing Wales:

• George Cowley – Winner in the 2-
• Joe Ord

Congratulations to George Lauchlan and George Cowley on their victories, and to Cameron and Joe for their selection and contribution to their respective teams. It is a considerable achievement to represent your country, and the Club is extremely proud of everyone involved.

Across the Channel, Chief Coach Stu Heap was selected to coach the GB Double for World U23 Rowing Championships in Duisburg, Germany. This is an incredible achievement and a testament to Stu's dedication and his accomplishments in the past few years. This tops off a season for Stu where he also got two boats into finals at HRR and the best result we have had since 1998 at HORR.

At the British Rowing Championships, Arun Jackson finished fourth in the men’s single sculls, bringing an impressive season to a close. His performance followed the historic achievement of qualifying for the Diamond Challenge Sculls at Henley Royal Regatta, underlining the quality and consistency of his racing throughout the year.

Away from formal competition, the Club’s popular Thursday evening“Fight Nights” returned on 6th August. These evenings provide a brilliant opportunity for members from across the Club to race together in mixed crews, meet people from other squads and enjoy some friendly competition on the water.

My thanks go to Jenny Arthur and Basil Amin for once again organising the series. I hope to see as many members as possible taking part over the coming weeks and contributing to the energy and sense of community that make these evenings such an enjoyable part of the summer at London.

Edoardo Marshall
Captain, London Rowing Club

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

See more detail for these events, visit our Calendar of Events…

MEN’S MASTERS REPORT

Summer is here and the majority of the men are enjoying some well-deserved downtime. That being said, we sent various crews to Maidenhead Regatta last weekend, where I am very happy to report we took a win in the Men's D2x consisting of Charlie Pryor and Ed Gormley.

Racing report from Charlie, mentioning all crews.

"We had five crews racing in the bright sunshine at Maidenhead Regatta, all borrowing boats from Maidenhead Rowing Club (thank you for organising that, Zena). Ed Cole, in his 1x, had a great battle against a Furnivall sculler in his final, coming just short at the line. George Caluian stepped in at the last minute to steer Zena, Keith Cheung and Astrid Godfrey from Vesta in a Mx 4x. Despite a very neat row, they were beaten by a well-drilled Guildford crew. The MasC 4x of Mark Boyd, Charlie Pryor, Ed Gormley and George Caluian overcame a four-second handicap to win their semi-final but lost to Walbrook in the final. Mark and George, however, couldn’t quite overcome the same handicap in their MasB/C 2x final. The MasD 2x competition was three Marlow boats against LRC, in two rounds. Charlie and Ed G beat one Marlow boat, then, in the final, beat the Marlow boat that had beaten the other Marlow boat to claim their glass-bottomed pots. A summer river regatta, complete with barbecue and beer tent, is a wonderful thing."

Enjoy the rest of Summer, all!

Hopefully, a successful Master's Champs report will follow in the next edition!

Jason Bowyer

WOMEN’S MASTERS REPORT

Fresh from their success at the British Rowing Masters Championship earlier in the summer, our W MasC8+ took on the iconic Henley course at Henley Masters Regatta - this year expanded to a three day event (10th - 12th July).

After getting a bye and skipping straight past the quarterfinal, the crew lined up for their semifinal on Saturday against Southampton Coalporters Amateur Rowing Club, who had beaten Chesterton Rowing Club the day before.

Thanks to a blistering start, our women secured the lead over the opponent in the first half of the race, winning by 2½ lengths.

Sunday's final against Oxford University Boat Club - who had beaten Reading Rowing Club in their own semi by a considerable margin - promised to be a different beast entirely, but our crew returned to Henley sharper, hungrier, and utterly determined. Once again our start was explosive and we managed to get clear water. Oxford managed to close the gap slightly with a strong push around halfway, but we held on to our form and fought back, culminating in a solid two length win that sent the crew into celebrations on the water.

This victory is a testament to the relentless hard work every member has put in throughout the year and a powerful statement of the depth and ambition within the women's masters group - delivering a standout result at one of the most prestigious masters competitions in the country.

Stern to Bow - Emma Beardmore (C), Tina Albrecht, Ruth Allen, Amy Johnson, Elizabeth Saary, Marije Randall, Ulrike Forster, Marianna Raffaele and Soraya Nidai.

Left to Right: Soraya Nidai, Marianna Raffaele, Ulrike Forster, Marije Randall & Emma Beardmore, Elizabeth Saary, Amy Johnson, Ruth Allen and Tina Albrecht.

For the summer, the group continues to train for various events. Some of us are heading to World Masters in Bled, some are looking at local regattas and some are having some time off before we kick off the new season in September with the Scullers Head followed by the Pairs Head in October.

Marianna Raffaela

IRREGULARS REPORT

This season has been a memorable one for the Young Irregulars, with club coaching and a crew in the final at the Henley Masters Regatta.

One of the greatest advantages of the coaching programme has been the opportunity to receive feedback that has helped us refine our technique, introduced us to new drills and encouraged us to think differently about how we row.

As one member of the Young Irregulars reflected:

“I have generally really enjoyed having a coach; it’s great to have technical feedback on things we can’t easily see within the boat, of course, and to have new ideas for specific drills. But I also think it gets everyone into a frame of mind where we concentrate on rowing well and pushing a bit harder than we would anyway, but without the intensity and pressure that would be required to get that effect within the boat.”

That captures the experience of many in the group. The coaching has created an environment where crews can challenge themselves while still enjoying their rowing.

The progress made throughout the season was reflected in the Young Irregulars' success at the Henley Masters Regatta. Seeing Camille, Heather, Else and Rachel racing in a Henley final was a proud moment for the whole group and a fitting reward for the dedication, teamwork and consistent effort they have shown over many months.

The Young Irregulars are hugely grateful to the Club’s coaches, whose time, encouragement and expertise have made such a positive difference. Their support has helped us become better rowers, stronger crews and, perhaps most importantly, has reinforced the sense of community that makes London Rowing Club such a special place.

Eilidh McCormick

SEWAGE IN THE THAMES

If you haven’t already heard, Thames Water will, apparently, be applying for approval to dump 75 million litres of semi-treated sewage in the Thames on a daily basis. This will destroy the area of river around Kingston/Teddington.

We have been asked to spread this news as far and wide as possible.

“If we want to safeguard our water, please spend a minute signing this government petition. We need 100,000 signatures. Anyone with an email can sign the petition. We need every possible signature please.

We urge the government to review the regulations for new sewage treatment infrastructure and introduce new legislation to ensure high international standards are met; to safeguard people’s health, better protect all water bodies and reduce damaging long term impacts.”

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/763721

OBITUARY

Donald Legget (1942-2026)

Full obituaries of Donald, who passed away on 9thJuly, have so far been published by the Hear The Boat Sing website, CUBC, Row 360 newsletter and The Times.

These rightly concentrate on his coaching career. None of these accounts, however, mention Donald’s gap year between school and university when he rowed for London in its first VIII.

The crew had a good season, and was largely unchanged throughout.

The 1961 HORR crew. Donald at 5. Amongst others are Peter Coni at 2, David King at 6, Chris Harris at 7 and Mike Billinghurst stroke. Robin Weller is in the cox’s seat.

Mike Billinghurst, writing from Australia recalls that Donald was “very strong at 5, and always good fun to be around”. The crew’s results pre-Henley included winning the Antwerp Golden Oar Senior VIIIs and coming 5th in the HORR. At Henley they rowed in the Grand in the days when the first VIII always entered the event. Mike records that “the USSR Navy crew, a ‘professional’ one, jumped the start on us but we did a reasonable time in any event”.

On the train to Antwerp 1961. Donald in the foreground with Chris Harris (L) and David King (R) behind. Note high sartorial standards!

After Henley the crew rounded off the season by winning Grand VIIIs at the Met by 3 ft. (the course then being on the Tideway, long before the days of Dorney) and at Molesey Regatta, one of several upriver senior regattas at the time.

After his year at LRC, Donald went up to Trinity Hall and his time was taken up by CUBC duties, but he was able to row for his college in the May Races and won his oars for THBC in 1964. He rowed in the CUBC Blue Boats in 1963 and 1964. After Cambridge he joined Leander where he was Captain and created the Leander Cadets. By then his coaching career had begun.

EMAIL TO THE EDITOR: DONALD LEGGET

Dear Miles,

Very sad that we’ve lost Donald Legget. There are very good obits on the HTBS site by Tim Koch, on the CUBC site, particularly by Pat Delafield, and in The Times. I would not have the temerity to try to improve on these. Mike Billinghurst also covered him in his article in the London Roar of 12th June 2012 which had some good photos of him as well although this largely focused on Dave King.

Donald came to LRC in the winter of 1960 having been in the Radley 8 in 1959 and Captain of Boats in 1960. These crews contained future LRC members in the form of Ritchie Collins, Nick Cooper, Joe Fraser and Tony Woosnam-Mills.

In 1961, he was only 19 as were a lot of us apart from bow pair, Peter Ament and Peter Coni, who were both old men having done National Service and been to University. He was an extraordinarily mature oarsman for his age. He rowed at 5 and was an absolute rock behind me at 7 and, even at that age, knew the right way to move a boat and had the “feel” for it, which some people never experience. He was perceptive and many years later when we were chatting he said “you know that crew was better than the sum of its parts.” He was right and I’m still not sure why Mike and I were selected at stroke and 7 when there was a more experienced stern pair in the Thames Cup 8 in Chris Davey and Iain Gilmour. I can only assume that all the bad habits which the former had learned at Eton hadn’t been coached out of him by then. They had been, however, by 1962 when he went up to Cambridge and got a blue.

We wanted to enter the Thames Cup and put the 2nd 8 into the Grand on the basis that we were going to get beaten anyway so it didn’t matter which crew it was but the LRC heavies were appalled - “We have always put the first 8 into the Grand and it would be bad for the club not to carry on doing it.” It was almost as though we were cheating by putting the 1st 8 in the Thames Cup. Pity. We would, barring accidents, have won it as we beat UL, who did, before and after Henley. At that time Peter Coni had not reached his Machiavellian best and we had to succumb to peer pressure.

However, we did manage some good wins including the Golden Oar on the canal in Antwerp. A champagne reception was held in our honour afterwards at which Donald in ringing tones, in one of those silences which sometimes occurs, announced “Of course this stuff is dirt cheap over here.”

In 1962, he was up at Trinity Hall and rowed with Julian Ebsworth and in 1963 and 1964 was a Blue in company with Joe Fraser and Chris Davey. LRC members get everywhere. Thereafter, he took to coaching and the rest, as they say, is history.

Certainly one of rowing’s characters, he could never be charged with being undedicated nor uncommitted. He ruffled a few feathers along the way but always for the right reasons and the sport will be the poorer for his demise.

Since starting this account I have just read Tim Koch’s article in HTBS which perhaps merits further comment.

We knew in 1961 that Donald had issues but had no idea as to how these would develop and that he would undergo electrical treatment and have a breakdown.

Yes he was rude, tactless, politically incorrect etc etc but no more so than a lot of successful coaches over the years and up to the present day. He never lost his job for being predatory as has happened recently nor was he kept in place despite his behaviour as some still are, only because of the success they are achieving. A lot of his remarks were meant to be controversial - those about women’s rowing being one example. He was a huge admirer of Katherine Grainger amongst others and as for the French nearly losing us two World Wars ……!

Tim Koch has quoted Voltaire. Perhaps nearer home we should beware of falling into the trap of believeing that “the evil that men do lives after them.”

Some people get out of bed in the morning driven by greed, power, lust or the need for self promotion. Donald got out because of his love of rowing. We can understand that.

Best wishes,

Chris Harris

COMPETITIVE QUADS AND DOUBLES FOR MEN AND WOMEN MASTERS

Some of you may remember that last year, following an invitation by Bill Baker, the then Chairman, I carried out a review of the structure of Masters rowing at LRC and came up with some suggestions for possible improvements.

I put my suggestions to the Rowing Sub-Committee but only one of them was adopted namely the setting up of a WhatsApp group for the single scullers. Ben Helm picked up the baton on this and set up a group.

I wrote five articles in TLR about my review - in February, March, May, June, and August - which can be found in the back issues of TLR on the Club’s website.

Since then I have been watching the various Masters groups, which currently consist of the following;

1. Men’s groups focussed principally on rowing competitively, headed up by Jason Bowyer and James Brooks.

2. A women’s group focussed exclusively on rowing competitively, headed up by Saskia Gill.

3. A group principally consisting of women scullers, headed up by Kathleen Curran.

4. A group of men and women, mostly over about 50 years old, who mainly scull recreationally in quads and pairs but occasionally race in heads or the BR Masters Championships, headed up by Eddie Markes.

5. A group of single scullers, many of whom scull purely recreationally but a few who wish to compete, headed up by Ben Helm.

Standing back from this, I believe there may be some members who do not feel fully catered for by any of these groups. I would characterise them as men and women who want to train at least three times a week and compete competitively in quads and doubles, some in all men’s crews, some in all women’s crews and some in mixed crews.

I am keen to get a feel for whether there are sufficient people to form a group catering for them.

If you might be interested in joining a group like this, please will you email me at miles.preston@icloud.com

If sufficient people get in touch, I will take the idea further.

Miles Preston

THE ENGLAND RUGBY PLAYERS WHO HELPED MAKE LRC GREAT

London Rowing Club has produced Olympic champions, Henley winners and some of Britain's finest oarsmen. Less well known is that three of its leading Victorian members also represented England at rugby, excelling in two of the country's most demanding amateur sports. Their lives carried them into some unexpected circles—from friendships with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and J. M. Barrie to royal honours and City of London office.

Wyndham Alleyn Daubeny Evanson helped London Rowing Club win the Thames Challenge Cup in 1878 and the Grand Challenge Cup three years later, while also establishing himself as one of England's leading rugby internationals. He was great friends with Sherlock Holmes author Arthur Conan Doyle and by extension J. M. Barrie, creator of Peter Pan. Wyndham and Conan Doyle were neighbours in the Sussex town of Crowborough, where they were both members of the local golf club. The writer clearly held Wyndham in high esteem, so much so that he borrowed his surname for the character of Hiram Evanson in his pirate story The Dealings of Captain Sharkey. Through their friendship, Wyndham got to know J. M. Barrie, who used the maiden name of Wyndham’s wife, Blanche Ripley, for a character in his play The Wedding Guest. Wyndham, despite being born in Wales, was one of England’s top rugby players, winning five caps at a time when international rugby was in its infancy. Wyndham, who was the second of fourteen children, worked as a civil service engineer for the General Post Office. He died in Crowborough in 1934, aged eighty-two.

Few London Rowing Club members can have amassed a trophy collection to rival Walter William Hewitt. He was feted as one of the world’s leading and longest lasting oarsmen and was said to have won 160 rowing trophies. He was an active member of London Rowing Club for a decade from the late 1870s. He helped the club win three Grand Challenge Cups, as well as the Thames Challenge Cup and the Wyfold Cup. He was made a life member for his lengthy contribution to the club. Walter, who was born in Greenwich, played his rugby for Queen’s House, a club renowned for its tough, uncompromising forwards. He made his England debut in 1881 and collected three further caps. He was also a champion amateur wrestler. Perhaps due to years of physical exertions, he suffered a “lengthy and painful illness” leading up to his death in 1910 at fifty-five.

James Ibotson Ward was in the London Rowing Club crew that won the Thames Challenge Cup in 1880. He played in two England rugby matches. He married the daughter of the Lord Mayor of London, worked on the Stock Exchange and became HM Lieutenant of the City of London. He was appointed Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order and won the OBE. James and his mother, Catherine, had an almighty falling out with his brother Frank over the equivalent of about 12p. Frank sued them in Uxbridge County Court in 1915. He had made a claim of 5s 2d (around 26p) for first class rail travel to visit Barclays Bank in connection with the estate of his late father, who had died thirty years previously. Despite Frank having actually bought a third class fare for 2s 9d (14p), James, a member of the London Stock Exchange, and Catherine, having pointed out the anomaly to Frank, then instructed their solicitor to pay the higher amount anyway. Frank failed to open the letter with the news, which he then returned to the solicitor.

In the Victorian era, elite amateur sport was far less specialised than today. It was not uncommon for gifted athletes to excel in several disciplines, and London Rowing Club became home to these three remarkable men who also represented England at rugby.

The tales of the lives of these dedicated sportsmen who enjoyed success at London Rowing Club in Victorian times were uncovered by author Phil Hill during his research for his book The Lives of England Rugby Players 1871-1899.

The Lives of England Rugby Players 1871-1877 by Phil Hill is available in hardback on Amazon, priced £14.95.

CASAMAJOR CLUB DRAW

£75:
Neil Christie
Iain Cowell
Kathleen Curran
Mark Lucani
Kirill Anurov
George Christian
Timothy Cox
Mike Williams

£30:
Nick Cooper
Chris Coffin
David Finn
Giles Chichester
Joseph Finn

£15:
John Hobson

If you are not a member of Casamajor Club already, why not join now?

John Auber

CLUB SUPPER AND CASUAL STAFF

CLUB SUPPER
The next Club Supper will be on Thursday, 17th September. Tickets are available on MCH at £32 each for 3 courses, with bar open from 7pm and dinner served at 8pm. Members and their guests are welcome.

CASUAL STAFF
We are looking for casual bar staff to work alongside our team on the bar during events. Bar experience is required and you must be over 18 the ability to work weekends is essential. The work is not regular so it will suit someone living locally who is looking for some additional income. Sadly, it will not suit students who are heading to Uni this Autumn as the shifts will be from September onwards and you need to be available all year round, not just holidays. The role includes moving heavy furniture and will vary from working on the bar and serving at tables.
Please e mail me at events@londonrc.org.uk if you are interested in applying.

Annabel Lawrence
Events Manager, London Rowing Club

NEW MEMBERS

We would like to welcome the following new members to the Club:

Seb Benzecry
Ross Buckingham
William Chance
Jamie Cook
Amy Dillon
Molly Scott
Simone Westerhuis

We hope you will enjoy being part of the London Rowing Club community and will help us build an ever happier and more successful club.

We are always pleased to have more members so, if you know of anyone who you think might like to join the Club, please either let us know or encourage them to get in touch with us themselves.

There is information on becoming a member on our website: https://www.londonrc.org.uk/membership-enquiries or you can contact the Club’s Membership Secretary: membership@londonrc.org.uk

Devin Ward
Honorary Secretary, London Rowing Club

REPORTING SAFETY INCIDENTS

All members are reminded that if you are involved in or witness a water safety incident, you are required to report it using the following email address – safety@londonrc.org.uk

The Club will file any necessary reports on your behalf with British Rowing and the PLA. Members should not submit reports directly to either body.

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

My thanks to everyone who has contributed to this edition of the London Roar. If you have an idea for an article or would be interested in submitting a piece for inclusion in a future edition, please email me on miles.preston@londonrc.org.uk

Please do not submit an article without first liaising with me.

Miles Preston
Editor of The London Roar