Walton Rowing Club is an amateur rowing club, on the River Thames in England. Its large, modern, combined club and boat house is on the Surrey bank of the Thames, facing the Walton Mile straight, at Walton-on-Thames about 400 metres (1,300 ft) above Sunbury Lock cut.[1] The club organises several rowing events, and members have competed at international level.

Walton Rowing Club
Image showing the rowing club's blade colours
LocationWalton on Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom
Coordinates51°23′44″N 0°25′01″W / 51.3955°N 0.417°W / 51.3955; -0.417
Home waterReach above Sunbury Lock, River Thames
Founded1927 (1927)
AffiliationsBritish Rowing
boat & composite crew code: WLT
Websitewww.waltonrowingclub.co.uk
Events
  • Walton and Weybridge Regatta (May/June)
  • Walton Small Boats Head (December)
Notable members

History and events

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The initial establishment of a club and affiliation to the Amateur Rowing Association took place in 1927 with the contribution of members of Thames Rowing Club and Kingston Rowing Club and including active members of Thames Valley Skiff Club and the now defunct Oatlands Rowing Club. The club's first President was Steve Fairbairn. Activities ceased during World War II and in the postwar period much effort was spent on establishing a clubhouse and boat house. This was the forerunner to the present building at the end of Sunbury Lane, 1953 to 2011.

The Club incepted Walton Amateur Regatta, and co-organises its merged-with-Weybridge Regatta successor Walton and Weybridge Regatta. It organises in its own right since 1978 Walton Small Boats Head, a major December event in the rowing calendar.

The club was the first to have competed at National Schools Regatta as a non-school club – this was in 1976.[2]

Notable members

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The most successful Senior international rower who trained almost contemporaneously at the club was Steve Trapmore, who stroked the winning Great Britain men's eight at the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics and won a World Championship title two years later in a GB four.[3][4] He went on to retire with a back injury in 2003 and become a longstanding Olympic Rowing Programme and head Cambridge University coach.[4] The club has for many decades taught to row and scull many juniors and adults.

After the setting up of the Bisham and Caversham Lakes training centres, and advent of lottery funding, only a very small number of clubs in England see any training from the Great Britain squad members.

Many former members, after Walton Rowing Club experience at national championship level and/or international events, have become part of the Great Britain squads, some having secured a university rowing scholarship or access to the regional elite start programmes. While members or recently re-affiliated, nine men's juniors between 2007 and 2013 were selected for World Juniors, or World U23s.[3]

Honours

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British champions

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Year Winning crew/s
1976 Men 2-[5]
1977 Men J16 2x[6]
1992 Men J18 1x[7]
1996 Men 4x, Men L4x[8]
1997 Men L4x[9]
2003 Men L1x, Men J14 1x[10]
2004 Open J15 1x, Open J14 1x[11]
2007 Women J15 4x+[12]
2009 Open J16 4-[9]
2010 Open J15 4x+, Open J14 2x[13]
2011 Open J18 2x, Open J16 2x, Open J16 4-[9]
2012 Women J14 1x, Women J14 4x+[14]
2014 Women J16 2-[15]
2015 Open J14 1x[16]
2017 Open J16 2- [17]
2018 Open J18 4-[18]

Henley Royal Regatta

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Year Races won (for) notes
1971 Double Sculls Challenge Cup M 2x MA & CA Brigden
1993 Fawley Challenge Cup MJ 4x1 2
1 With Trent Rowing Club
2 In other years: Runners-Up (composite: half of crew) four times since the event's 1992 inception, and as entire crew once, 2011.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Club details". British Rowing.
  2. ^ "The History of Walton Rowing Club – Walton Rowing Club".
  3. ^ a b "Honours Board – Walton Rowing Club".
  4. ^ a b "Steve Trapmore". International Olympic Committee.
  5. ^ Burnell, Richard (19 July 1976). "Burnell, Richard. "Performances confirm selectors' choice for world championship." Times, 19 July 1976, p. 7". The Times. p. 7.
  6. ^ Railton, Jim (18 July 1977). "Railton, Jim. "Rowing." Times, 18 July 1977, p. 7". The Times. p. 7.
  7. ^ Rosewell (20 July 1992). "Rosewell, Mike. "MacLennan's attack pays off." Times, 20 July 1992, p. 25". The Times. p. 25.
  8. ^ ""For the Record." Times, 22 July 1996, p. 39". The Times. 22 July 1996. p. 39.
  9. ^ a b c "Full archive of results". Web Archive. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017.
  10. ^ ""Today's fixtures." Times, 21 July 2003, p. 32". The Times. 21 July 2003. p. 32.
  11. ^ ""The Results Service." Times, 19 July 2004, p. 28". The Times. 19 July 2004. p. 28.
  12. ^ "2007 archive of results". Web Archive. Archived from the original on 6 December 2016.
  13. ^ "British Rowing Championships 2010". British Rowing. 8 July 2010.
  14. ^ "British Rowing Champions 2012 declared". British Rowing. 16 July 2012.
  15. ^ "Juniors defy weather to flourish at Brit Champs". British Rowing. 21 July 2014.
  16. ^ "2015 British Rowing Junior Championships results" (PDF). British Rowing.
  17. ^ "2017 British Rowing Junior Championships results" (PDF). British Rowing.
  18. ^ "2018 British Rowing Junior Championships results" (PDF). British Rowing.
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