Alistair Potts
Encyclopedia
Alistair James Potts (born 7 July 1971 in Chertsey
, Surrey
) is a British World Champion
cox
.
Educated at Winchester College
and the University of Edinburgh
(studying architectural history
), Potts coxed the men's four, men's lightweight eight and women's eight at the 1994 Commonwealth Regatta
representing Scotland
. After going up to Trinity Hall
, Cambridge University at the end of 1994, he was winning coxswain in the record-breaking CUWBC
crew at the 1995 Women's Boat Race
. This was quickly followed by coxing Trinity Hall BC
to the headship in the May Bumps
. In 1996 Potts recorded a record-breaking win in the Goldie-Isis reserve race and won the Ladies' Challenge Plate
at Henley Royal Regatta
with CUBC
(rowing as Goldie Boat Club). In 1998 he steered the record-breaking Cambridge
Blue Boat
in the Boat Race.
Potts won a silver medal
at the 1999 World Championships at St. Catharines
, Canada in the coxed four with Jonny Searle
, Jonny Singfield, Rick Dunn and Graham Smith
. Gold
came in 2000 at Zagreb
in the same boat class with Dunn, Smith and Toby Garbett
and Steve Williams
. This was the first time Great Britain had won the coxed four at the World Rowing Championships
since its inception. That same crew also won the Prince Philip Challenge Cup at Henley.
Potts' rowing career finished in 2000 coinciding with the completion of his doctoral thesis
on "The Development of the Playhouse in Seventeenth-Century London". Potts is now a writer and broadcaster, and had a brief acting part in the Australian soap opera Neighbours
in 2004. He and his wife Emily are directors of Party Ark, an internet-based children's party supplies business.
Chertsey
Chertsey is a town in Surrey, England, on the River Thames and its tributary rivers such as the River Bourne. It can be accessed by road from junction 11 of the M25 London orbital motorway. It shares borders with Staines, Laleham, Shepperton, Addlestone, Woking, Thorpe and Egham...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
) is a British World Champion
World Rowing Championships
The World Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA . It is a week long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer and in non-Olympic years is the highlight of the international rowing calendar.The first event was held in Lucerne, Switzerland in 1962...
cox
Sport rowing
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
.
Educated at Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
and the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
(studying architectural history
Architectural History
Architectural History is the main journal of the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain .The journal is published each autumn. The architecture of the British Isles is a major theme of the journal, although it includes more general papers on the history of architecture. Member of...
), Potts coxed the men's four, men's lightweight eight and women's eight at the 1994 Commonwealth Regatta
Commonwealth Rowing Championships
The Commonwealth Rowing Championships are held in conjunction with the Commonwealth Games since rowing is no longer included in the Commonwealth Games programme ....
representing Scotland
Scottish Amateur Rowing Association
Scottish Rowing , formerly the Scottish Amateur Rowing Association, is the governing body for the sport of rowing in Scotland. It is responsible for promoting the sport in Scotland and also for selecting crews to send to the Home International Regatta and the Commonwealth Rowing...
. After going up to Trinity Hall
Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Trinity Hall is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the fifth-oldest college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by William Bateman, Bishop of Norwich.- Foundation :...
, Cambridge University at the end of 1994, he was winning coxswain in the record-breaking CUWBC
Cambridge University Women's Boat Club
Cambridge University Women's Boat Club is the University rowing club for women at the University of Cambridge. CUWBC field three crews to race against Oxford in the Henley Boat Races, these are the Blue Boat — the women's heavyweight VIII, the Lightweight Boat — the women's lightweight VIII and...
crew at the 1995 Women's Boat Race
Henley Boat Races
The Henley Boat Races are a number of rowing races between the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. Taking place on the River Thames at Henley, they are for crews that do not compete in the main University Boat Race on the 6,779m Championship Course in London:* Women's Boat Race *...
. This was quickly followed by coxing Trinity Hall BC
Trinity Hall Boat Club
Trinity Hall Boat Club is the rowing club of Trinity Hall, a college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1827 it is amongst the oldest college boat clubs in Cambridge, England....
to the headship in the May Bumps
May Bumps
The May Bumps are a set of rowing races, held annually on the River Cam in Cambridge. They began in 1887 after separating from the Lent Bumps, the equivalent bumping races held at the end of February or start of March. Prior to the separation there had been a single set of annual bumps dating from...
. In 1996 Potts recorded a record-breaking win in the Goldie-Isis reserve race and won the Ladies' Challenge Plate
Ladies' Challenge Plate
The Ladies' Challenge Plate is one of the events at Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. Crews of men's eight-oared boats below the standard of the Grand Challenge Cup can enter, although international standard heavyweight crews are not permitted to row in the...
at Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The Royal Regatta is sometimes referred to as Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage...
with CUBC
Cambridge University Boat Club
The Cambridge University Boat Club is the rowing club of the University of Cambridge, England, located on the River Cam at Cambridge, although training primarily takes place on the River Great Ouse at Ely. The club was founded in 1828...
(rowing as Goldie Boat Club). In 1998 he steered the record-breaking Cambridge
Cambridge University Boat Club
The Cambridge University Boat Club is the rowing club of the University of Cambridge, England, located on the River Cam at Cambridge, although training primarily takes place on the River Great Ouse at Ely. The club was founded in 1828...
Blue Boat
Blue Boat
The Blue Boat is the highest level boat representing the University of Oxford or the University of Cambridge in the Universities' annual rowing clash on the River Thames: The Boat Race...
in the Boat Race.
Potts won a silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
at the 1999 World Championships at St. Catharines
St. Catharines, Ontario
St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in Ontario, Canada, with 97.11 square kilometres of land...
, Canada in the coxed four with Jonny Searle
Jonny Searle
Jonathan William C. Searle MBE is a British rower. Along with his brother Gregory, and coxswain Garry Herbert, Searle won the gold medal in the coxed pair event at the Olympic Games in Barcelona....
, Jonny Singfield, Rick Dunn and Graham Smith
Graham Smith (rower)
Graham Smith is a British rower.- External links :* at sports-reference.com...
. Gold
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
came in 2000 at Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
in the same boat class with Dunn, Smith and Toby Garbett
Toby Garbett
Toby Garbett is a British rower.- External links :* at sports-reference.com...
and Steve Williams
Steve Williams (rower)
Stephen David Williams OBE is an English rower and double Olympic champion.In April and May 2011, Steve will be taking part in Richard Parks'...
. This was the first time Great Britain had won the coxed four at the World Rowing Championships
World Rowing Championships
The World Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA . It is a week long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer and in non-Olympic years is the highlight of the international rowing calendar.The first event was held in Lucerne, Switzerland in 1962...
since its inception. That same crew also won the Prince Philip Challenge Cup at Henley.
Potts' rowing career finished in 2000 coinciding with the completion of his doctoral thesis
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
on "The Development of the Playhouse in Seventeenth-Century London". Potts is now a writer and broadcaster, and had a brief acting part in the Australian soap opera Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
in 2004. He and his wife Emily are directors of Party Ark, an internet-based children's party supplies business.
Achievements
- World Rowing ChampionshipsWorld Rowing ChampionshipsThe World Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA . It is a week long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer and in non-Olympic years is the highlight of the international rowing calendar.The first event was held in Lucerne, Switzerland in 1962...
Medals: 1 Gold, 1 Silver (Great Britain) - Henley Royal RegattaHenley Royal RegattaHenley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The Royal Regatta is sometimes referred to as Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage...
Medals: 2 Gold (Goldie BC and Leander ClubLeander ClubLeander Club, founded in 1818, is one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world. It is based in Remenham in the English county of Berkshire, adjoining Henley-on-Thames...
) - Blue Boat / Women's Blue BoatHenley Boat RacesThe Henley Boat Races are a number of rowing races between the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. Taking place on the River Thames at Henley, they are for crews that do not compete in the main University Boat Race on the 6,779m Championship Course in London:* Women's Boat Race *...
Wins: 2 (Cambridge University)
World Championships
- 2000 — Gold, Coxed Four (with Steve Williams, Rick Dunn, Toby Garbett, Graham Smith)
- 1999 — Silver, Coxed Four (with Jonny Singfield, Jonny Searle, Rick Dunn, Graham Smith)