1954 Thames Cup Crew shooting Henley Bridge on the Tuesday of Regatta Week

Crew: Mike Ailles (bow), Brian Fuller, Keith Holroyd, Max Walker, Ray ("Tubby") Lawrence, Tony Dunn, Tim Firminger, Vin Batten (stroke), John? Saxilby (substitute cox).

This photograph has been submitted by Brian Fuller (No. 2 in the crew), with the following comments:

"We were only moderately successful having to row through the qualifiers beating Pembroke College Cambridge very easily. In the first round we met University College and Hospital and had a dead heat, we won the re-row later that day by 3/4 length, lost on the Thursday to the the Royal Air Force, the previous year’s Thames Cup winners. Our coach was Dick Hylton-Smith."

Brian also says: "I started rowing with The Quintin School and we had a reasonably successful 1953. Coached by Harold Huckle we took part in each week’s Quintin mini head moving up the pecking order until it was only Vin Batten's first VIII which could beat us. We finished 6th in the Schools Head in a clinker boat, won novices at Hammersmith, but lost juniors to the event winners each week at every regatta. After the end of the school summer term we rowed as QBC and won our juniors at the Metropolitan. After the autumn break and still 16, I got the bow seat in the QBC first eight, we started 22nd in the head but lost 11 places. For the summer season I lost the bow seat to Mike Ailles and had to change sides. Unfortunately 1954 was the only full year I had rowing with Quintin, work took me up to Glasgow where I rowed off and on with Clydesdale ARC (when they had enough members to form a crew). Then national service and 18 years in the RAF. Moved to Manchester and coached Agecroft for a time when overseas work visits permitted. Now aged 73 (in 2011) and only rowing on a Concept II at home and in the local gym in Grantham."

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