Second Trinity Boat Club

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The Second Trinity Boat Club was a short-lived rowing club at the Trinity College, Cambridge in England. Little is known about the club, as very few records survive from 2nd Trinity. 2nd Trinity was reserved for members of the clergy and theology students who were studying at Trinity, and, by 1876 the club folded due to a lack of members.[1]

2nd Trinity competed in the early bumps races in Cambridge from 1829 until its demise in 1876, going Head of the River in 1835 and 1849.

The club was originally known as the Nautilus Club, changing its name to Second Trinity, Queen Bess to reflect the name of its boat, a common practice at the time. The name of the club continued as Queen Bess until 1838, when it ceased competing. The club reformed in 1840 as the 2nd Trinity Boat Club, but was often described as Reading Trinity and nicknamed the Hallelujahs, in reflection of its membership. By the mid 1860s, the club was in decline, and despite efforts by the First Trinity Boat Club in 1866 to limit their memebership in order to boost those of 2nd Trinity, this failed to help, and the decline continued. 1st Trinity voted to remove their membership limit once again. By 1870, the club had abandoned its original entry requirements, and allowed new students who did not have a connection to theology courses, and this allowed the club to continue for a few years, even rising back up to 7th in the bumps races in 1873. Thereafter, numbers dwindled once again, and by the Easter term 1876, the club had dropped to last but one in the first division. At a meeting of all three Trinity clubs, the 2nd Trinity Boat Club was formally dissolved, with its members given an invitation to join First Trinity.[2]

In 1894, a group of students had claimed to have re-founded 2nd Trinity, and raced in the bumps, but the new 2nd Trinity was not recognised by the CUBC and did not race again.

One of 2nd Trinity's trophies, the Baines Cup[3] is used to day as the main prize of the Second Trinity Challenge Sculls, a sculling race run by the current 1st & 3rd Trinity members.

An account of its history can be found at First and Third Trinity Boat Club.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Bumps, John Durack, George Gilbert & Dr John Marks, 2000, ISBN 0953847519
  2. ^ A history of the First Trinity Boat Club, W.W. Rouse Ball - 1908
  3. ^ 2nd Trinity Challenge Sculls history