Llandaff Rowing Club

Llandaff Rowing Club is based on the River Taff in Llandaff, a district in the city of Cardiff, Wales. The Club was founded in 1946 and is affiliated to the Welsh Amateur Rowing Association (WARA).

Location

The boathouse and facilities are based on the River Taff, in Llandaff. The stretch of the Taff that the Club rows is approximately 1300 metres long with two obtuse bends in its length. The rowable river runs from the weir up under a road bridge linking Llandaff to Llandaff North as far as a gas pipe spanning the river, where it becomes too shallow to row any further.

Rowing at Llandaff Rowing Club

The Club is made up of all levels of rowing, from a novice squad to top senior level crews of all stages.
The Clubs racing kit comprises black shorts and white singlet with a black hoop around the middle of the chest with the club logo in the centre of the band.
Llandaff rowing blade spoons are painted white with a black vertical stripe. [OarSpotter.com - http://www.oarspotter.com/blades/UK/Club/British_Club.html]

Club History

"After World War II, returning members of Taff (1879) and Cardiff (1884) Rowing Clubs found their boathouses burnt-out, or collapsed through wood rot, and their boats and memorabilia missing.

Members joined forces to form Llandaff Rowing Club, rebuilding the old Taff Clubhouse and using the Cardiff Boathouse for temporary storage. At first, progress was very difficult because of problems in obtaining building materials in the post-war period and the absence of boats and the silt which had filled the river in places. As luck would have it, the Clubs' own boats, which had been washed up on the estuary mud flats had been rescued by residents of the lower part of Cardiff and protected under tarpaulins. After restoration work, rowing restarted at the end of 1946 and the first regatta was held in 1947.

In the 1950's the club blossomed and became a force on the regatta circuit. The Welsh National Rowing Club was formed in 1958 to represent Wales at the Empire Games, at which many of Llandaff's senior members officiated.

Jeremy and Timothy Luke began to compete at the top level in pair oared events reaching the trials for the 1960 Olympic Games, with the Edwards brothers winning the silver medal for coxless fours at the 1962 Empire Games in Australia.

Further international success in coxless pairs was achieved by Charlie Wiggin winning the Silver Goblets at Henley Royal Regatta and a bronze medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games.

More recently, David and Robert Luke have won at Henley and represented Great Britain in World Championship events.

In 1993, a veteran squad was formed with the object of competing internationally. The squad has won regularly at National and World Championship, 1996 being an especially successful year with six gold medals at the World Masters Regatta." [Llandaff RC website - http://www.llandaffrc.com/history.shtml]

On the 8th March 1998 the Clubs land training facility was official opened by Rhodri Morgan, MP. The facility was supported by local business as well as members of the Llandaff Rowing Club Social Committee.

Notable members

Some famous members / alumni include:
Jeremy Luke (silver medallist 1962 Empire Games)
Timothy Luke (silver medallist 1962 Empire Games)
Charlie Wiggin (GBR squad rower; bronze medallist 1980 Moscow Olympic Games)
David Luke (GBR squad rower; World Championship events)
Robert Luke (GBR squad rower; World Championship events)
Dave Currie (GBR squad rower; bronze medallist 2007 World Championship) [Rowing Zone Biographies - http://www.rowingone.com/] [IC Wales - http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/sports/tm_headline=rowing-welsh-rowers-8217-world-cup-joy&method=full&objectid=19462172&siteid=50082-name_page.html]

External links

* [http://www.llandaffrc.com Llandaff Rowing Club official website]
* [http://www.walesrowing.com/index.html The Welsh Amateur Rowing Association]
* [http://www.oara-rowing.org/ The Amateur Rowing Association (ARA) ]

References