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History
The
Ball Cup rowing competition, in latter years an established regatta in
its own right, had its origins in the pre-war years of the early 1930s.
Schools
Rowing had been instigated by Westminster in 1813. Eton followed three
years later, but nearly half a century had elapsed before Abingdon,
Durham and Radley boated. By the turn of the century, some 22 schools
rowed, the sport being the exclusive right of the public schools. After
the Great War, some of the Grammar Foundations formed school boat
clubs, often enthused by teachers from public school or
university backgrounds.
One
such was King Edward VI School, Stratford-Upon-Avon, following the
appointment in 1926 of Geoffrey Riddle, late of Bedford School and
Cambridge. KES rowing was integrated with the town club and flourished
until Riddle’s departure to the City of London School in
1931.
Robin Walpole was appointed as successor and developed the school club
through the difficult pre-war years.
Coinciding
with this era was the interest of the Ball family, engineering and
foundry proprietors in the city. Frank Ball’s son Vernon was
a
pupil and boat club member in the early 1930s, when all concerned
realised that no matter how the smaller school clubs persevered, they
could never be a competitive match for the public school giants.
| Frank
Ball presented a challenge trophy, to be competed for by schools
‘with less than 40 members’ on an annual basis.
Boats would
be, typically, coxed sweep-oared fours of the then clinker built
construction. Boat transport was virtually unheard of, and visiting
competitors shared the boats of the host club. The Ball Cup competition
was first held in 1934, suitably and appropriately won by KES, and
until the war alternated between Stratford and Derby. Heresay reports
that on one occasion it moved to Bedford, and in 1939 a Junior Cup was
added by the Ball Family to cater for second fours. |
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During
the war years KES rowed on, and venues rotated between Stratford,
Nottingham and Oundle, the latter dominating throughout. The Evesham
venue was added through Prince Henry’s GS immediately
post-war,
and following the successful Walpole era Douglas Tuckey was appointed
in 1950 to manage KES boats. Tuckey expanded the competition and
Peterborough, Hereford and Bewdley joined during the next few years.
Some 12-20 schools were now competing annually for the Ball Trophies.
The
era of the following 25 years or so epitomised the ethos of The Ball
Cup ; competition standards were consistent and fair, and an atmosphere
of friendly rivalry and sportsmanship prevailed. To compensate first
round losers for a fruitless journey, Stratford Boat Club presented
Plate trophies in 1968, thus guaranteeing every crew at least two rows.
A milestone entry was that of Henley-In-Arden High School, who had
started rowing in 1963 under Bill Collins, as the first non-selective
school to compete. Henley were destined to win the event in 1972 at
Bewdley.
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Mike
Taylor took over at KES in 1967 and was overseer of the
enthusiastically supported event until his retirement. During the late
1960s and 1970s Derby School and later Sir Thomas Rich’s
established a near stranglehold on the silverware, annually pressed by
the likes of Prince Henry’s, King Charles 1, KES and Becket.
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Hereford
Cathedral and Belmont Abbey were also prominent, the latter dominating
several times as Royal Grammar, High Wycombe entered their ascendancy.
To be admired throughout this period were schools such as Cokethorpe,
Witney, who seldom won, but competed with great enthusiasm and dignity,
and for whom The Ball was a yearly highlight. Applause was also
generous for the partially sighted crews of the then named Worcester
College for the Blind.
Venues
had rippled outwards, and from Peterborough in the east to the
Gloucester canal in the west, boating King’s Gloucester and
Wycliffe, The Ball entered its fourth decade. Radical changes hovered
however, and in the eighties girls entered the fray! Traditionalists
had no time, thankfully, to draw breath, because sculling was suddenly
upon us. Although The Ball was always an invitation event, the
commonsense edicts emanating from the ARA regarding the possible
dangers of sweep-oaring to the young held sway, and a new structure
emerged.
Cometh
the hour, and Wycliffe College, later to become Wycliffe Sculling
Centre, hosted the event and defined a points system whereby over 20
age group events, sculling and sweep, boys and girls, defined the
competition. Frank Ball’s Challenge had become a regatta!
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Vernon
Ball never lost his enthusiasm for rowing in general, his event in
particular, and was always present with his wife on Ball Cup
Wednesdays. Mrs Ball attended regularly after Vernon passed on, and
still graciously and avidly receives photographs and news over tea at
her retirement home in Birmingham.
In
spite of the Ball’s popularity throughout half of the1900s,
dark
shadows were to intrude as the millennium approached. The National
Curriculum and Performance League tables dominated all; Wednesdays
became vital to exam results, and teachers’energies became
drained. Demise threatened.
Katina
Bonham at KES, indefatigably backed by Keith Osborne at Chester
celebrated the turn of the century with a millennium Ball Cup at
Chester. The Henley Stewards backed the finances, over 100 crews
competed, and The Admiral of the Dee attended.
The
involvement of the northern schools at Chester proved to be the saving
of The Ball. Enthusiasm was undoubted, but travel was out of the
question. Why not two events? Why not a North and a South
Ball?
Great
idea; now Kings, Rochester and Ponteland can both compete! In
Berkshire, Dorney Lake approached completion, Dragon School used it as
their home water, and i/c at Dragon was Michael Righton. Michael hosted
a Southern Ball in 2003, won by King’s Rochester. Attending
that
event with a lone sculler from Weobley was Graham Middleton, late of
Sir Thomas Rich’s, now retired. Katie Bonham had left KES,
and
Graham volunteered to be National Ball coordinator. He scoured the
country for misplaced trophies, liased with the north, obtained further
dispensation from The Henley Strewards, and generally put The Ball on a
firm 20th Century footing.
In
2004, 49 schools competed at Dorney, some 300+ crews. Reading Bluecoat
School won The Southern Ball Cup. In the north, on the Mersey,
Warrington Schools RA won The Northern Ball Cup by the narrowest of
margins from Bradford GS. 80 crews competed.
2005
saw yet further expansion. The Southern Ball at Dorney attracted 75
schools and nearly a thousand competitors. Nearly one hundred races (
all bar, unfortunately the traditional fours events, the last on the
programme cancelled due to squalls and lightning ) left the small
organising team promising to scream for assistance in 2006!
Putney HS took the Senior Ball; The American School in London were
runners up. In the North, Hollingworth Lake was besieged as
the
northern schools echoed the southern frenzy. Bradford GS
avenged their
previous year’s defeat by turning the tables on Warrington.
Runcorn RC hosted the 2006 Northern event, with Queen’s Park
HS
coming out on top. Back at Dorney, the girls of Sir William Perkins took the southern event.
2007
at Dorney again saw squalls, with racing again suspended for a while.
The resumption saw The American School in London avenge their
previous year's narrow miss by narrowly beating Sir William Perkins'
School. In the north, Trentham RC took the event from Grange
School, who will host the 2008 event.
2008 saw a glorious day at Dorney, with a yet higher record of
426 crews, 1036 competitors squeezed into a 114-race day. The
Ball Regatta welcomed newcomers Springhill Juniors, who with youngsters
from Burway, Gloucester and American School closely pressed eventual
winners Sir Williams Perkins.
In the North, Grange School successfully hosted the event for the first time.
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