First Trinity Boat Club
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The Trinity Boat Club, the original rowing club of Trinity College, Cambridge, dates from 1825 and was usually called First Trinity Boat Club after 1833. It was open to all members of the College.
In 1946, the club amalgamated with the other remaining boat club of the College, Third Trinity Boat Club, to form First and Third Trinity Boat Club, and in this form continues to compete today.
The Club was very successful throughout its history, but especially in the 19th century. Its early history is very well covered by W. W. Rouse Ball's 1908 book, A History of The First Trinity Boat Club, which is available online in its entirety.
Of particular note is that in 1839 First Trinity won the Grand Challenge Cup in the first Henley Regatta (not made "Royal" till 1851). The crew rowed in a boat named the Black Prince, the bow section of which is still owned by the First and Third Trinity Boat Club but which is on loan to the River & Rowing Museum in Henley. They defeated the other three entries, who were Wadham College Oxford, Brasenose College Oxford and the Oxford Etonian Club. First and Third Trinity Boat Club still names its higher quality men's eight-oared boats as 'Black Prince'. As new boats are purchased, older boats are demoted to lower boat use and are referred to as 'Black Prince II', 'Black Prince III' and so on.
1st Trinity managed to win Olympic gold on two occasions. The coxless-four of Charles Eley, James MacNabb, Robert Morrison and Terence Sanders won gold for Great Britain at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, with Canada gaining silver, and Switzerland the bronze. In the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, 1st Trinity managed to successfully defend the coxless-fours title (Richard Beesly, Edward Bevan, John Lander, Michael Warriner), with the United States getting silver and Italy receiving bronze.
First Trinity was also very successful on its home water, the River Cam. Between 1827 and 1908 First Trinity was "Head" crew in the University of Cambridge's Bumps races thirty-eight times, more than any other Club.
