Tom Cole (born 1827) was the Professional Single Sculls World Champion from 1852 to 1854. He resided in

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

. At the time, he became the Champion of the Thames which was effectively the Champion of England. After the English title gained world status in 1876, earlier winners were retrospectively given the World Champion Title.

Early races

Cole won the

Doggett's Coat and Badge Doggett's Coat and Badge is the prize and name for the oldest rowing race in the world. Up to six apprentice watermen of the River Thames in England compete for this prestigious honour, which has been held every year since 1715. The 4 mile 5 ...

on 1 August 1849. His father, also Tom, had won the Coat and Badge in 1821. In a

scratch match A scratch team is a team, usually in sport, brought together on a temporary basis, composed of players who normally play for different sides. A game played between two scratch teams may be called a scratch match. The earliest instance of the term ...

on 25 June 1850 the younger Cole was beaten by A Chitty for £25 a side over the

Championship Course The Championship Course is a stretch of the River Thames between Mortlake and Putney in London, England. It is a well-established course for rowing races, particularly the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. The course is on the tidal reaches of th ...

, that is on the Thames between Putney and Mortlake.

First title match

Cole’s first attempt at the Championship was when he challenged Robert Coombes with the match taking place on 24 May 1852. The stake was £200 a side. By this stage Coombes was about forty-four years old and past his prime and although he put a gallant fight to lose by only half a length, the much younger Cole took the prize. The course was the usual

and the time was 25m.15s.

Second title match

Coombes was still of the opinion that he could again be the Champion and challenged Cole to another match. This took place on the same course on 14 October 1852 and although the time was faster than the previous race at 23m.35s the men crossed the finish line in the same order as the last time.

Third title match

Cole’s final Title match was against

James Messenger James Arthur Messenger (26 February 1826 in Twickenham – 21 June 1901 in Teddington) was the professional single sculls world champion from 1854 to 1857. He served as the Queen's Bargemaster from 1862 to 1901. He resided in Teddington. In 185 ...

which was raced on 20 November 1854 on the usual Championship Course with a stake of £200 a side. The day was cold and foggy. Cole took the early lead and retained it to the Crab Tree at which point Messenger began to gradually overhaul him. By Hammersmith Bridge Messenger had obtained a good lead which he maintained with ease to the finish. The time was 24m.45s See also

World Sculling Championship The World Sculling Championship (1863–1957), evolved from the Championship of the Thames for professional scullers. Only the sport of boxing claims an older Championship of the World. It is notable that Jack Broughton, the "Father of Boxing", t ...

and

English Sculling Championship The English Sculling Championship developed out of informal competitions between working watermen on rivers such as the Thames and the Tyne. Various matches were made on a casual basis but in time these were more formalised. The first recognised Ch ...

References

*“The Aquatic Oracle or Record of Rowing from 1835 to 1851” published 1852. *The New York Clipper 13 June 1857. *Professional World Rowing History http://www.rowinghistory-aus.info/world-pro-sculling/index.php {{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Tom English male rowers Year of birth uncertain Year of death missing 1820 births Professional rowers Sportspeople from Chelsea, London Rowers from Greater London 19th-century sportsmen 19th-century English people