1950

During the Carnival Week the club organised a Comic Regatta and Water Events, whilst a large stand in the Trades Fair at the Carnival displayed a very impressive number of trophies won during the season. Members subscriptions this year produced £24 15s od.

1951

At the Annual Meeting it was announced that for the first time the club had an overdraft of £28 at the bank due to expenditure on boats and buildings. It was expected that this would soon be eliminated. The insurance of the club’s boats cost £161 5s od.

At the Annual General Meeting, special thanks were extended to Messrs Rowlatt Brothers and driver w. Miles for transporting the club boats to regattas etc. for many years. Mr and Mrs Dashwood were also thanked for their hospitality at the Bridge Hotel. According to a press report of the club’s Annual Dinner at the Bridge Hotel, Norman Moore replied to a toast to the club and Eric Davies toasted the visitors; this team of after-dinner speakers carried out this duty for many years.

1952

The Coronation Cup, the club’s most valuable regatta trophy, which was purchased by the Chamber of Commerce with public subscriptions, was presented to the club as a Challenge Cup for Senior Eight’s at the Annual Regatta. The overdraft was cleared and the club finished the year with a balance in hand of £36.

1953

The club co-operated with neighbours the Ouse Valley River Club to provide riverside decorations for the Coronation. For many years during this period, Mrs D. Yates was an ardent supporter of the club; she organised many successful draws and competitions for the club and regattas. This year there were 119 entries and a profit of £107 was made.

1954

The Annual N A.R.A. Championship Regatta was held at St Neots and again it was included in the St Neots Carnival Week. It was decided to purchase a new club flag; this was later donated by Mr H. T. Evans, Life Member. The N.A.R.A. Championship Regatta was held in September but difficulties were experienced due to the waterlogged state of the Regatta Field. This long-standing problem was still being met as the field was very low-lying and heavy rain or a rise in river level quickly caused many difficulties, particularly in access for vehicles on to the field as this form of transport for visitors developed.

1955

The club, with the Ouse Valley River Club, organised the first ever River Rally with decorated and illuminated processions on behalf of the Carnival Committee. The club entered an eight dressed to represent an ‘1865’ crew. Club members constructed a concrete landing stage at the finish end of the Regatta Field to facilitate launching of boats at regattas.

1956

The club entered the St Neots-Bedford Relay Race on Boxing Day and achieved their objective of gaining the wooden spoon for last place! A decorated ‘float’ took part in the Carnival procession. Again heavy rain and a flooded field caused difficulties and a loss of £5 on the Annual Regatta. Visitors were paddling on the field carrying their shoes and socks.

1957

Club members organised a balloon race at the Carnival. It was decided that members using the club for swimming should pay 2s Od per week. There were 125 entries with £100 profit, due to heatwave conditions in contrast to 1956.

1958

During Carnival Week an invitation eight’s race was arranged and the fireworks display was operated from the club site as part of an evening event on the Regatta Field. To overcome the difficulty caused by wet conditions, the club, with permission of the owners, commenced construction of an access road from the entrance gate to the centre of the field using rubble from local builders as it became available. This was carried on and extended over a few years and proved very valuable. The new road, constructed in 1973 when the Riverside Park was developed, made use of the rubble road as a foundation.

1959

In April the club held an Open Day when David Renton, Esq., M.P. for Huntingdonshire, and Mrs Renton gave the names of ‘Ouse Queen’ and ‘Priory Queen’ to two new clinker fours as part of a programme to publicise club activities.

1960

The club considered the possibility of purchasing the Regatta Field, which was to be put up for sale at £6,000. No decision was made and the field was later taken over by the Urban District Council. A discussion was held with the Ouse Valley River Club regarding the use of the river, particularly on Sundays. It was agreed that the Rowing Club should have priority on Sunday mornings and the River Club would have the afternoons, whilst contact would be maintained regarding regattas and special events.

1960

The club considered the possibility of purchasing the Regatta Field, which was to be put up for sale at £6,000. No decision was made and the field was later taken over by the Urban District Council. A discussion was held with the Ouse Valley River Club regarding the use of the river, particularly on Sundays. It was agreed that the Rowing Club should have priority on Sunday mornings and the River Club would have the afternoons, whilst contact would be maintained regarding regattas and special events.

1961

A party of club members made a trip to Lille, France, to compete in the Lille Regatta. A cup for annual presentation to retiring Captains was presented by G. Aughton, Esq.

1962

A Bedford 12-seater crew-bus was purchased from G. Aughton of Sandy for £300. Special thanks were recorded to Mrs Moore, Mrs Yates and other ladies for preparing refreshments for meetings and other events.

1963

A special club exhibit was made in the Trades Fair in Carnival Week by E. G. Davies and helpers. It displayed many trophies won and photographs of club members from 1922 to 1963. During a severe winter, the rivers at Cambridge and Bedford were frozen and the Cambridge University Boat Race crew and Bedford crews were welcomed to St Neots where the water was being kept free by heated water from Little Barford Power Station. It rained all day at the Annual Regatta, but 120 races were completed on time at 7.15p.m. A West German crew lost in the final of the junior fours.

1964

A presentation was made to Mr N. G. Moore on his retirement as Hon. Secretary and also Regatta Secretary after 16 years’ service. It was reported that a troublesome swan had disappeared but the R.S.P.C.A. had not taken any action!

1965

Members of the club made a second visit to Lille, France, and won a four’s event. This year was Centenary Year for the club; a Centenary Dinner and Dance was held, for which tickets were 25s Od each. This Regatta attracted a large entry with 200 crews and 183 races, which then created a record for a one-day regatta at St Neots. Crews from A.S.A. Douai and U.N. Lille (France) competed in fours events, whilst Messrs E. Flavigney and Dr Berthau, officials of these clubs, also acted as judges.

1966

The club again supported Carnival Week, entering a ‘push-ball’ competition and joining in the procession with a clinker four on an illuminated float. The Regatta this year was held on a waterlogged field, but this difficulty was offset by the fact that the rowing programme was supplemented by the opportunity to watch England win the Football World Cup on two television sets specially provided on the regatta site for the occasion.

1967

The presentation of a barometer was made as a wedding present to the Chairman, Mr E. G. Davies. This continued a club tradition of presenting a barometer to club members on their marriage; this arrangement is still being maintained. At the Annual General Meeting, appreciation was expressed of the hospitality of Mr F. Chapman and later Mrs Chapman in providing accommodation for club meetings at the Bridge Hotel for many years.

1968

Two club members, named by the local press as ‘Bubbles Adlam’ and ‘Gagga Hainsby’, gained third place in the pram race at the Carnival and the club held a challenge relay race with sculls, pairs and fours against Rob Roy B.C. which St Neots won by two lengths and claimed a prize of a pin of ale. The Captain, Tony Hainsby, was appointed to represent the club on a town ‘Welcome Committee’ for newcomers to St Neots under the London C.C. Overspill scheme. The Scouts and the Territorial Army assisted in regatta communications.

1969

At the members’ annual meeting, special mention was made of the, work of Mrs Ingle, Mrs Hainsby, Mrs Cave and other ladies in arranging refreshments for meetings and other events for many years. At a committee meeting, a momentous decision was recorded-to purchase a new broom!

1970

An old Dormobile van which had been used for transport to regattas for some years was scrapped and replaced by another van from the Eastern Electricity Board at a cost of £32 10s Od. In March, Albert Saywell, a leading club member, left with his family for Australia, his departure being marked by a challenge race and a farewell party. This year there were 193 entries with 172 races and a record profit for that time of £250 was made.

1971

Bingo was commenced in the Priory Hall. E. G. Davies was appointed to represent the club on the New Hall committee. The club van was sold for £25; it was to be replaced by a boat trailer. A Bonfire Night party was held; this had been an annual event for a few years. The Annual Dinner was held at the Cross Keys Hotel- tickets £1.25 each.

1973

Another visit to the Continent was arranged by N. G. Moore and Tony Hainsby who escorted two fours to Douai Regatta. Attempts were made to encourage Longsands and Ernulf Schools to form rowing sections, without much success. A. Saywell returned from Australia and rejoined the club. Work was commencing on the widening of the river in connection with the new Riverside Park and the Regatta had to be run from the Rowing Club and the east bank of the river with some difficulty. In an experiment designed to increase the entry in the Regatta by making it possible for Cambridge colleges and schools to take part, the event was held on Spring Bank Holiday Monday, 28th May, but the trial was not successful, only a medium entry being received with a loss of £25. Therefore, it was decided to revert to the usual date at the end of July or early August for 1974.

1974

A presentation was made to C. A. (Tony) Ingle to mark his 40 years’ membership of the club, during which he had been a very successful oarsman, and has continued as a prominent committee member. A successful junior crew presented Tony Hainsby with a watch to recognise his work as Coach. The Regatta was held on the new Riverside Park with improved drainage, access and landing stages, in addition to the much wider finishing stretch of the course. The entry again was not sufficient to ensure a satisfactory financial result in view of increasing expenses but the improved site and satisfaction of visiting crews gave a promise of improvements in the future. This year all events were held over a 1000 metre course and stake boats for starts were used for part of the day until they were moved by river traffic.

1975

The St Neots Riverside Park was opened in May and the club arranged a relay-rowing event, which was included in the Festival, which commemorated the event. The new Park includes the Regatta Field. The entry for the Regatta showed an improvement, which has continued to the record levels of the 1980s. Buoys were used on the bend to firmly indicate the course stations now to be strictly adhered to by crews under A.R.A. rules. The course section of the widened river at the finish was also outlined by buoys.

1976

The club suffered a sudden and intensive disaster when, on the night of 2nd January 1976, severe gales from the south-west completely demolished the exposed boathouse and completely destroyed the club’s fleet of boats with the exception of three sculling boats which, with the oars and sculls, were being housed in another building. In all, 15 boats were lost. Of these boats, one shell four was only three months old, whilst at the other extreme in age, the veteran shell four ‘Carnival Queen’, purchased in 1949, was reduced to splinters. The club Chairman, E. G. Davies, was elected President of the 1976 Carnival Committee as the event was associated with the recovery of the club and the new boat ‘Carnival Queen II’ was named on the Market Square by the 1976 and the original 1948 Carnival Queens. A special display of club trophies, together with others won during the season, was made in connection with a Carnival civic reception. It was agreed that 50% of the Carnival profits would be donated to the Rowing Club, but unfortunately very bad weather during the week reduced this to a final figure of £19.72.

Although the club was intensively involved in recovery from the Gale Disaster in January, a much more successful Regatta was held from the Riverside Park. A challenge race in eight’s was held between Cambridge and Oxford Fire Services as a special event, which was won by Cambridge.

1977

A reunion supper was held in the clubhouse to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the victory of a St Neots novice four at Boston Regatta in 1927. The crew, A. Emery, R. Bonham, A. Rawlings, G. Cole and cox G. Harvey, were all present, as also was Life Member C. L. (Laurie) Evans who was club Captain in 1927, together with other 1920 members. The club Chairman, E. G. Davies, welcomed the visitors who were presented with mementoes by Laurie Evans, and the 1927 crew toasted the club using the tankards they had won at Boston in 1927. This very enjoyable event, which was attended by 43 past and present members, was the first large function to be held in the new clubhouse and by a happy coincidence was held in HM The Queen’s Silver Jubilee Year. The club’s experienced bingo organisers again arranged a special session as part of Carnival Week, a service they have carried out for many years.

1978

This year saw the first use of video equipment in the training of oarsmen at St Neots when a session with Mr Hendriks, an A.R.A. coach, was organised on behalf of the Eastern Rowing Council by H. L. Warren of St Ives and E. G. Davies of St Neots. A mass naming ceremony was held in September when eight new boats were traditionally christened with ale by Life Member Laurie Evans, wives of club members and sponsors of the new craft. The boats were generally named as the number ‘II’ of previous named boats lost in the gale disaster, but to commemorate the successful recovery, one of the new sculling boats was aptly named ‘Ill Wind’. The first Sprint Regatta to be held at St Neots took place in April, taking the place of the Head of River, which had been held yearly since 1957. Whilst the Annual Regatta improved in popularity and was successful, the first Sprint Regatta was held this year to replace the former Head of River Race. It was held on Saturday, 22nd April, over a 500-metre course finishing at the Rowing Club and attracting 60 entries; it was acknowledged as a worthwhile venture.

1979

Whilst the club members continued to enjoy and support the excellent club amenities and events organised by the social committee, the highlight of the year was the record achievement of the elite four in reaching the final of the Britannia Cup at Henley Royal Regatta. The two regattas were held-Sprint on Bank Holiday Monday, 7th May, and the Annual on 28th July. Both had increased entries and were successful. Stake boats were again used at the starts, but difficulties were still being experienced with moorings.

1980

At the Annual Dinner-Dance, the President, Eric Davies, made a double presentation, firstly to Alan Page to acknowledge his work as Hon. Treasurer for seven years including the intensive activities involved in the recovery from disaster in 1976. The second award was to Richard Garrett, the retiring Captain, whose work during 1979 included the Henley and other rowing achievements totalling 48 event wins. The club was praised by the local press for bringing prestige to St Neots. This year the Annual and Sprint Regattas were combined to form a complete regatta weekend, which proved to be very successful. The first two-day Weekend Annual and Sprint Regattas event was held this year with the object of reducing overall costs for the two events by the extended use of tents, communications etc. without doubling costs, and although the level of entries was not very high and the event showed a loss, the successful operation of the rowing programme encouraged the club to continue with the new project.

1981

The annual Club Races provided added interest this year as Mr Reg Thompson presented the Winifred Thompson Challenge Cup for award to the most successful junior oarsman in the Club Races. The first winner was Terry Lee. Club members again supported the Carnival by competing with the St Neots Rugby Club in a comic football match. The local press printed an interesting article and photographs of the club members taken in 1981 and in 1922. Mr G. A. Davies celebrated his 1OOth birthday in 1980 and received congratulations from present club members.

The two-day Regatta was continued with increasing entries. The use of stake boats for starts was firmly established and for this and following years these were manned on both days by the lst Eynesbury Scout Group. Valuable assistance was provided in administrative matters by members of St Neots Round Table.

1982

This was Centenary Year for the Amateur Rowing Association and the club President, Eric Davies, was one of 40 persons in the country who were awarded a Centenary Medal in recognition of their services to rowing. Special reference was made at the Annual Meeting to the continuing special efforts made by A. W. Page, H. Roberts and A. J. Hainsby in running the bingo sessions for the club, which are now being held in the new Priory Centre. 1982 -1983

During these years the success of the two-day event continued to increase, with the programme for the Sprint Regatta in 1983 becoming an all-time record for a one-day event with 265 races scheduled at every 2 or 3 minutes from 9.30 a.m. to 6.20 p.m. In spite of a very hectic time for the small club organising committee with umpires and other official helpers from neighbouring clubs, the event was completed more or less on the scheduled time. The official A.R.A. regatta records show that only the Stourport Sprint Regatta a little later in August had a slightly larger entry.

In 1983, the Hunyani Rowing Club of Harare, Zimbabwe, were made welcome at the St Neots club and took part in events on both days, winning events in senior C fours.

1983

At the Club Races, the Vaal Cup for the most promising junior member was awarded to Miss V. Farrer, believed to be the first award of this trophy to a lady member. The social committee continued to be very active and special mention was made of a very enjoyable dinner-dance held in the Priory Centre.

1984

An inscribed tankard was presented to Rodney Todman in recognition of his service to the club for many years in transporting the boats safely to and from regattas and other events. The Jill Cup was awarded to Michael Clare who, supported by his wife Pauline, very efficiently managed the club bar and the maintenance of the clubroom during the year. At the end of the year, the social committee again organised special Christmas parties for members in the appropriately decorated clubroom; these are annual events and are always successful, particularly the party for members’ children, and this year 35 children were entertained by the hard working committee. The two-day Regatta again attracted a large entry and the administration of Colin Thompson and Chris Leaf with the support of other club members ensured a successful weekend. The usual efficient organisation of the bar and general refreshments by members of the bar and social committees with helpers was rewarded by much appreciation from the visitors, and very satisfactory profits.

1985

In May, Chris Leaf and the social committee organised a ‘Nostalgia Evening’ and a number of former club members who accepted invitations enjoyed watching films and looking at photographs of the earlier days of the club. At the October members’ meeting, Chris Leaf was awarded the Jill Cup as Clubman of the Year, which acknowledged his work in all aspects of the club organisation. As this history of regattas at St Neots is completed, the details of this year’s event become available and these provide a fitting climax as the number of classes and entries for both the Annual and Sprint events represents an all- time record with 50 and 59 clubs making 219 and 327 entries on the Saturday and Sunday respectively. This large entry confirmed the popularity of the St Neots events and the small club organising committee with many local and visiting helpers succeeded in completing the extensive programme of races in spite of adverse weather conditions which caused many difficulties.

History is taken from the book The History of St Neots Rowing Club and only depicts events up to 1985.