Wallingford Regatta

Wallingford Regatta is a rowing regatta which takes place on Dorney Lake, Buckinghamshire near Eton next to the River Thames in southern England. It attracts crews from schools, clubs and universities from around the United Kingdom.

The regatta was formerly "Wallingford Skiff Regatta" the only organised boating in 1949 on the Wallingford stretch of the Thames above Cleeve Lock. It had taken place every year in peace time since the late 1890s [ [http://www.wallingford.rowing.org.uk/ Wallingford Rowing Club] ] and there is evidence that it existed as early as 1861. [ [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/A2A/records.aspx?cat=005-benyon&cid=-1&Gsm=2008-06-18 National Archives Benton Papers 'Cash Book'. D/EBy/A131 1857-1864] ] In 1949 the regatta committee founded Wallingford Rowing Club which purchased some old boats and, with mostly novice rowers, started competing in other regattas. The regatta was develped as a conventional regatta although it still awards the Wallingford Skiff Regatta Cup.

The regatta was held on the same reach at Wallingford for most of its existence, but river conditions caused problems [ [http://archive.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/1998/4/29/86027.html This is Oxfordshire "Regatta cancelled" 29 April 1998] ] and there was pressure for larger facilities. In 2005 a local pub regatta on the same reach was gate-crashed by a BBC programme creating a remake of Three Men in a Boat. [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2005/12/28/bvboat28.xml&sSheet=/arts/2005/12/28/ixartleft.html Daily Telegraph "Three men in a remake" 28/12/2005] ] Wallingford Regatta itself had moved to its current course on Dorney Lake in 2001.

See also

* Rowing on the River Thames

References

External links

* [http://www.wallingford.regatta.org.uk/ Wallingford Regatta website]