Jeremiah McCarthy

In 1965 Poplar Blackwall & District RC members Jerry McCarthy and Ray Easterling reached the semi-final of the Silver Goblets at Henley after beating the reigning Olympic coxless pairs champions George Hungerford and Roger Jackson (Canada), before losing to the German pair of Gorny and Bergau. McCarthy and Easterling went one better in 1966 by reaching the final where they lost to the German pair of Jörg Lucke and Heinz-Jürgen Bothe.

McCarthy missed a lot of the 1967 season with a broken wrist but made a successful return to rowing and in 1970 represented Great Britain at the World Championships in the Men’s double sculls with Pat Delafield. He also competed in the pairs with Matt Cooper at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich and reached the B final. Also that year, McCarthy and Cooper won the double sculls gold medal at the inaugural British Rowing Championships at Nottingham. . By occupation McCarthy was a River Thames Lighterman. He coached the eights at the Poplar Blackwall & District club. His nephew Jeremy won the coveted Doggett’s Coat and Badge in 1992.