Roger Sharpley

The son of a noted landscape artist, Roger Sharpley attended Shrewsbury School where he started his competitive rowing career and was in their eight beaten by Bedford School in the final of the Princess Elizabeth Cup at Henley in 1947. After finishing school, Sharpley completed two years National Service with the Royal Engineers before going to Cambridge where he continued rowing with the Lady Margaret Boat Club. He was captain of their second crew in 1950, when he helped them win the Cambridge coxless fours.

Sharpley became the Lady Margaret first crew captain in 1951, the year he won his Blue as a member of the Cambridge eight that won the re-run Boat Race, after Oxford sank first time out, by 12 lengths. Sharpley also helped Lady Margaret win the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley that year and was also a member of the Cambridge crew that beat Harvard and Yale in the United States. Sharpley won his second Grand at Henley with Leander in 1952, when he also competed in the Helsinki Olympics, finishing fourth in the eights.