SPORT ANCIENT AND MODERN 



doubtful whether there was a better senior crew 

 in the provinces at this period than H. Gandy, 

 B. Wesley, Gee, and Crecraft, who won these 

 triumphs. The year 1904 was a blank, and 

 within the last few years more attention has 

 been paid to training junior crews than to coach- 

 ing seniors for competition at provincial regattas, 

 their short list of successes comprising the Maiden 

 Fours at Nottingham in 1905, the Nottingham 

 Corporate Plate in 1906, and the Derwent 

 Plate at Derby in 1907. From the beginning 

 the club has continued to grow in membership, 

 and many enjoyable social functions have been 

 held in connexion with the organization. 



The Nottingham Union Rowing Club was 

 established in 1871, among its founders being 

 Mr. (now Alderman) F. R. Radford, Mr. A. 

 Tootell, and Mr. F. H. Sissling. Its objects 

 included the teaching and practising of its mem- 

 bers in the art of rowing and the promotion of 

 a generous spirit of emulation and friendship. 

 The first senior crew to represent the club 

 included A. and H. Tootell and J. Radford, and 

 among the trophies won of recent years are the 

 Trent Challenge Cup and the Ladies' Plate at 

 Burton in 1901, and the Town Vase at Worces- 

 ter in 1907. During Mr. H. Bull's secretary- 

 ship from 1889 to 1895 the club made notable 

 progress. By 1890 it was able to rent its pre- 

 sent boat-house at Meadow Lane, which was 

 formerly occupied by the defunct Aquatic Club. 

 For thirteen years the late Alderman F. Pullman 

 was president of the club, and on his death 

 Alderman J. A. H. Green was elected to the 

 office. The only trophy possessed by the club 

 is the Eminson Cup for pairs, a prize given by 

 the brother of the late Mr. Robert Eminson, a 

 promising oarsman who lost his life at Colwick 

 Weir in 1894. The present captain is Mr. F. 

 Stapleton, who has held all the swimming cham- 

 pionships of Nottingham ; and the vice-captain 

 is Mr. P. S. Rawson. For long and continuous 

 service Mr. J. Pooler probably holds the record 

 for Nottingham, having been vice-captain of this 

 club in 1896, captain in 1897, and honorary 

 secretary and treasurer since. 



The Nottingham Boat Club is, with the excep- 

 tion of the Ladies' Club, the youngest rowing 

 organization in the city. It was formed on 4 May 

 1 894, at a meeting over which Mr. E. Cope, J.P., 

 presided, the officers appointed including Lord 

 Henry Bentinck as president, A. G. Page captain, 

 and W. T. Crofts and M. Ross Browne vice-cap- 

 tains. In 18973 boat-house was built on Trent- 

 side. The first crew to represent the club con- 

 sisted of A. G. Goater (stroke), W. T. Crofts, 

 B. Hardstaff, W. Page, and E. Braithwaite 

 (coxswain), but they lost in the final for the 

 Corporate Plate at Nottingham Regatta. Owing 

 in a great measure to the enthusiastic work of 

 the secretary, Mr. Frank Harrison, the new 

 organization continued to prosper, and soon 



established for itself a firm position among the 

 rowing clubs of the city. A further impetus 

 was given to it in 1895 and 1896 by the suc- 

 cess of the senior crew, B. Heald (stroke), 

 W. T. Crofts, M. Ross Browne, W. Page, and 

 A. Toplis (coxswain). They succeeded in winning 

 many open races at Nottingham, Driffield, King's 

 Lynn, Agecroft, Burton, Chester, and other 

 places, being the first Nottingham crew to cap- 

 ture the Bass Challenge Vase, value 150 gns., 

 at Burton-on-Trent. Although less successful 

 in 1897, maiden crews of the club won at Derby 

 and Loughborough, and in 1898 and 1899 

 respectively the President's prize and the Cor- 

 porate Plate were won at Nottingham. A 

 senior crew won at Evesham and a maiden crew 

 at Nottingham in 1901, while in the following 

 year the club secured for the second time the 

 Nottingham Corporate Plate. These successes, 

 however, were eclipsed in 1904, when they 

 carried off from powerful crews the valuable 

 Victoria Gold Vase at Nottingham, a triumph 

 which was repeated the following year. Like 

 its sister organizations, the boat club has of 

 recent years experienced some difficulty in organ- 

 izing senior crews equal to those of its palmy days, 

 but judged by the advancing membership and 

 the number of oarsmen in navy-blue and gold seen 

 on the river, the club retains all its old popularity. 



The rowing clubs have done much to foster 

 a love of aquatics among ladies, and in 1908 a 

 Ladies' Boat Club was formed, with Miss A. 

 Coupland as captain, Miss Wright vice-captain, 

 and Miss Niese honorary secretary. 



Newark is the only other town in the county 

 where rowing has flourished. Here there are 

 two old-established clubs, the Newark Rowing 

 Club, and the Newark Magnus Boat Club asso- 

 ciated with the Magnus School. The former 

 was formed in April 1873, the originator being 

 Mr. T- Pawson, who was the first captain, for 

 twenty-one years honorary treasurer, and to-day 

 is not only vice-president, but, after thirty-five 

 years' zealous service, an active member. Mr. 

 W. B. White was elected the first president, 

 Mr. J. Hutton vice-president, Mr. R. Castle 

 treasurer, and Mr. R. Gee secretary. In those 

 early days boats were hired, and the first race 

 took place on 24 June 1873, between old mem- 

 bers J. Longden, T. Castle, F. Wignall, 

 F. Derry, and J. Pawson (coxswain) and new 

 members P. Johnson, W. B. Taylor, F. Line- 

 ham, R. Gee, and G. Mackenzie (coxswain) 

 resulting in a victory for the former. The 

 course was from the Weir to the Devon mouth, 

 and the time 14 min. 45 sec. From the first 

 the club made rapid strides. In 1874 races 

 were rowed from Farndon Ferry to Averham 

 Weir, and on 2 August 1875 the first annual 

 regatta, which was confined to members of the 

 club, took place and was successful in every 

 respect. During these years the club kept on 



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