Cambois Rowing Club

Cambois Rowing Club has a long and distinguished history. Founded on the River Blyth in 1911 as a professional rowing club, they moved to the lower reaches of the River Wansbeck in 1977. Blyth Rowing Club ceased to operate in 1985 and the few remaining members of Blyth RC, in particular the renowned Pearson family, continued to row at Cambois RC. Here is an interesting BBC Look North feature on the club and of the Pearson brothers:



16th July 1934
The Blyth News reported:
CAMBOIS WIN - Organised by the North Seaton Rowing Club as an annual event, a £20 professional four-oared handicap was decided over a half-mile course on the River Wansbeck at North Seaton, yesterday. A satisfactory entry of 25 crews. The final results were: Cambois (M.Turnbull, N.Robinson, J.Gibson, G.Spratt) beat Cambois (T.Thirlwell, J.Todd, E.Drysdale, S.Drysdale) by a 1/4 length.

28th June 1948
The Blyth News reported:
CAMBOIS RC BOATS NAMED - Nearly three hundred people attended the christening of two new four-oared strake boats at Cambois on Sunday afternoon. Built of cedar and representing the last word in the builders art, they arrived from the famous yard of T, Tims of Oxford, the maker of most of the boats that have competed in the Oxford & Cambridge Univ. races for the greater part of a century. Recalling the history of Cambois R.C., Mr Nichol told the company of early feats which have established a reputation that remains unshaken to this day. Known originally as the Wansbeck Rowing Club, this body of enthusiasts grew from an attendance of four at the first meeting. Within a fortnight of the inception, membership had risen to 30. "All we had was an old boat - the Cleopatra - which was about twice as long as the new ones, and had a beam nearly as wide as that of the Queen Mary", Mr Nichol continued, amid laughter. Despite its drawbacks, this ancient craft served its purpose until better boats could be found. Regatta wins in 1912 - within a year of the coming into being of the Club' - John Wheatley (now home on holiday from America and present at the ceremony) "stroked" Cambois to win the Durham Regatta event. This performance was repeated in 1913 by Harry White, whose name is borne by one of the latest boats. Mr Nichol expressed the hope that the new additions to the Cambois Rowing Club would prove their worth. If these boats had as long a life as those they were succeeding, then he felt that after 27 years there might be little more than the names left. However, although Mr White and himself might by then have passed from the scene, it would be a grand thing if the answer to any who asked who Harry White and Joseph Nichol were was "Just a couple of the pioneers" (Applause.) Mr George Sparks presided. Among those who were present were Coun. and Mrs J. Payne, Bedlington: Coun. J.Pattison. Bedlington; Captain C.W. Walker, Blyth Harbourmaster; Mr Harry White; Mr G. Hutchinson and Mr R.S. Elliott (Cambois Welfare); Mr M. Cowal. Chairman of Cambois Social Club and Mr J. Hudspeth, Cambois. The design of the new boats was prepared by Mr J. Nevens. Cambois Colliery engineer, and follows faithfully that of their previous boats, the Wansbeck and Robert Wheatley. After the christening. a 'jumble' handicap race was run between the West Staiths and Battleship Wharf, following which tea was served to members and guests in the clubroom.

23rd September 1948
The Blyth News reported:
WON OWN REGATTA - North Seaton Rowing Club's regatta held on the River Wansbeck on Saturday and Sunday, was won by one of its own crews. stroked by G. Warnaby. They were off nine and in the final defeated Blyth (D. Pearson) off ten. Defeated semi-finalists were two Cambois crews, stroked by M. Turnbull (scratch) and T. Sharp (eight).

23rd May 1952
The Morpeth Herald reported:
FORMER STAKEFORD MAN STROKES WINNING CREW - North Seaton Rowing Club were defeated by four lengths by Tyne United in the final the Northern Amateur Rowing Trials on the River Tyne on Saturday. By this defeat North Seaton were deprived of the opportunity of representing the Tyne in a contest with a club, Barnes Amateur, in the London Clubs Regatta on 8th June. The contest will be held for the first time since the war. The Tyne club was stroked by a former Stakeford man, W. Kennedy, who was a member of the Cambois crew, stroked by Matt Turnbull, when they were winners of the Durham Handicap in 1947 and 1949. The North Seaton crew, which usually rows over a half-mile course, felt the strain of the course, between Scotswood Bridge and Newcastle Corporation Quay, which is over the mile. The North Seaton crew was stroked by R. Rees and other local clubs, Cambois and Blyth, competed.