Rowing at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
| Rowing at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Venue | Vedder Canal |
| Location | Chilliwack, Canada |
| Dates | 30 July – 7 August 1954 |
Rowing at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games was the fourth appearance of Rowing at the Commonwealth Games.
Competition featured five events being held at the Vedder Canal in Chilliwack, Canada. A temporary dam costing $23,000 was required to ensure there was sufficient water in the canal during competition.[1]
New Zealand topped the rowing medal table with two gold medals and two silver medals.[2][3]
Attribution:Province newspaper
Medal table
[edit]* Host nation (Canada)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  New Zealand (NZL) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 2 |  Australia (AUS) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 |  Canada (CAN)* | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 4 |  England (ENG) | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Totals (4 entries) | 5 | 5 | 4 | 14 | |
Medal winners
[edit]
Attribution:Province newspaper
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single sculls | New Zealand
|
England
|
 Canada
|
| Double sculls | Australia
|
New Zealand
|
Canada
|
| Coxless pair | New Zealand
|
England
|
Australia
|
| Coxed four | Australia
|
New Zealand
|
England
|
| Eights | Canada
|
England
|
none |
Single sculls
[edit]Final[4]
| Pos | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Don Rowlands |
8:28.2 |
| 2 | Sidney Rand |
8:43.4 |
| 3 | Bobby Williams |
8:51.3 |
Heats
- Rand 9.05.0 bt
Peter Evatt 9.18.3 - Rowlands 8.52.1 bt Williams 9.14.8
Double sculls
[edit]- Only three entries[5]
| Pos | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mervyn Wood & Murray Riley |
7:54.5 |
| 2 | Bob Parker & Reg Douglas |
8:05.2 |
| 3 | Donald Guest & Larry Stephan |
8:28.5 |
Coxless pair
[edit]- Only three entries[5]
| Pos | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bob Parker & Reg Douglas |
8:23.9 |
| 2 | Tom Christie & Nicholas Clack |
8:24.1 |
| 3 | Dave Anderson & Geoff Williamson |
8:29.7 |
Coxed four
[edit]Final[5]
| Pos | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dave Anderson, Peter Evatt, Geoff Williamson, Mervyn Wood & Lionel Robberds (cox) |
7:58.3 |
| 2 | Bruce Culpan, Kerry Ashby, Murray Ashby, Bill Tinnock & Stanley Callagher (cox) |
8:04.4 |
| 3 | M.G.C Savage, John Macmillan, Alastair Davidson, Maurice Legg & David Glynne-Jones (cox) |
8:04.5 |
Heats
- Australian 8.10.0 bt New Zealand 8.13.9
- England 8.22.7 bt Canada (Walter Plata, Joseph Bialik, Daryl MacDonald, Gordon Cudney, Eric Blair) 8:35.7
Eights
[edit]- Only two entries, the Canadian crew was from the University of British Columbia and the English crew was from the Thames Rowing Club.[5]
| Pos | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Douglas McDonald, Glen Smith, Herman J. Zloklikovits, Ken J. Drummond, Lawrence West, Ray Sierpina, Robert Wilson, Thomas Toynbee & Thomas Harris (cox) |
6:59.0 |
| 2 | Alastair Davidson, Alan Watson, Geoffrey Page, John Pope, Joe Eldeen, M.G.C. Savage, Maurice Legg, John Macmillan & David Glynne-Jones (cox) |
7:10.5 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Dam is built to ensure rowing". Manchester Evening News. 2 August 1954. p. 8. Retrieved 25 September 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Medal Standings 1950". Commonwealth Games Federation. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ^ "Commonwealth Games Medallists - Rowing". GBR Athletics. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ^ "R.A.F. Oarsman Reaches Singles Sculls Final". Bristol Evening Post. 4 August 1954. p. 11. Retrieved 25 September 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ a b c d "Rowing". Birmingham Daily Post. 5 August 1954. p. 23. Retrieved 25 September 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
