Grosvenor Rowing Club

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Grosvenor Rowing Club
Image showing the rowing club's blade colours
MottoVirtus non stemma
LocationGroves, Chester, England
Home waterRiver Dee
Founded1869 (1869)
Key people
Peter Abbott (Captain)
AffiliationsBritish Rowing
boat code - GRO
Websitegrosvenor-rowingclub.org.uk
Events
Dee Autumn Head

Grosvenor Rowing Club is based on the Groves in Chester. It rows on the River Dee and has around 30 km of rowable river, much of which straight and broad.

The club colours are dark blue and orange.

History

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View of the Dee from the famous Grosvenor Bridge in Chester, looking down-river towards Curzon Park. Taken in Spring at high tide

Grosvenor (/ˈɡroʊvənər/ GROH-vən-ər)[1] or is named in honour of the Grosvenor family who own the land on which the club is built. The club names its eights (8+s) after members of the family. The club was formed in 1869 to enable the less fortunate people of Chester to take up the sport of rowing. The club's crest states "Virtus non stemma" which translates to "Valor, not garland" or "Virtue, not pedigree" derived from the motto of the Duke of Westminster's Eaton Hall home (hist. Earl Grosvenor) which is their surname, which is further up the Dee. The motto also sums up the open membership of the club since its inauguration; originally contrasting to the closed membership of Royal Chester Rowing Club which was traditionally home to the alumni of the "public" independent King's School, Chester. Today the rivalry is sporting rather than based on social class as both clubs have completely open membership policies.

In 2019 the club celebrated its 150th anniversary and were honoured to be granted a row-past by Sir Steve Redgrave on the Saturday lunchtime of Henley Royal Regatta.[2]

Recent results

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In 2019 (the club's 150 year) Lucy Iball, in the Aspirational Single Sculls (A1x), won the Bernard Churcher Trophy at Henley Women's Regatta.[3] She also became the club's first-ever women's sculler to qualify for Henley Royal Regatta in the Princess Royal Challenge Cup[4]

2014 saw the Grosvenor senior women's intermediate club fours win The Lester Trophy at Henley Women's Regatta.[5]

Grosvenor's men's 1st VIII/8+ finished 14th at the 2008 Head of the River Race after starting 153rd, beaten narrowly to the Jackson Trophy (One of three regional cups, namely for British non-tideway, non-Thames basin clubs) by 5 seconds by Agecroft Rowing Club, Manchester who finished 11th. The latter boat was seeded in 37th place which can provide flatter water.

In 2008 the men's 1st 8+ reached the quarter-finals of the Thames Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta emulating the club's successes at the 2007 regatta.

In 2007 Grosvenor's Coxless Four (4-) which reached the semi-finals at Henley Royal Regatta in the Wyfold Challenge Cup. They beat London 'D', Reading and Sydney before knocked out by eventual winners 1829 Boat Club which is the name used for composites of CUBC and OUBC alumni clubs/divisions Crabtree BC and Bosporos RC.

Honours

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British champions

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Year Winning crew/s
1988 Men L2x[6]
1994 Women 4x, Women J18 1x, Women J15 1x[7]
2003 Women L4-[8]

See also

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British Rowing, the governing body.

References

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  1. ^ Wells, John C. (2000). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. 2nd ed. Longman. ISBN 0-582-36468-X.
  2. ^ "Henley Royal Regatta" 150th Celebrations, July 2019
  3. ^ "Aspirational Single Scull" Henley Women's Regatta, June 2019
  4. ^ "Henley Women's Regatta 2019" Grosvenor Rowing Club, July 2019
  5. ^ "Rowing - Grosvenor RC Celebrating" The Chester Chronicle, June 2014
  6. ^ ""For the Record." Times, 18 July 1988, p. 35". Times Digital Archives.
  7. ^ ""For the Record." Times, 18 July 1994, p. 22". Times Digital Archives.
  8. ^ ""Today's fixtures." Times, 21 July 2003, p. 32". Times Digital Archives.
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