Elias C. Laycock
Encyclopedia
Elias Connell Laycock (8 May 1845 – 29 May 1938) was an Australian competitive rower who three times tried to become the World Sculling Champion..
in Sydney
, New South Wales. He attended boarding school at Newtown
for a few years then changed to the Cleveland House School in Sydney's Cleveland Paddocks district. Laycock proceeded to work at various jobs after his father's theatre was destroyed by fire during a point in which the building was left uninsured for several days. Laycock worked as a sailor in England, a gold miner near the Gulf of Carpentaria
, a cattle stockman at Gippsland, Victoria, a sailor again within Australia, then another gold mining stint.
won that competition and its prize of £200 with Edward Trickett
in second place while Laycock finished third. Later that year, Laycock trailed Trickett at the Balmain Regatta.
In 1875, Laycock competed again at Clarence River this time winning the regatta over Rush. That September, Trickett defeated Laycock at a match on the Parramatta River
in Sydney. Laycock also placed second that November in a re-match with Trickett at the Balmain regatta. Laycock won the Balmain regatta the following year.
On 26 January 1877, Trickett won over Laycock at an annual regatta in Sydney which commemorates the anniversary of the colonisation of Australia
. Later that year, Laycock won the Balmain regatta a second time. Around this time, he obtained a position in charge of a quarantine station at Shark Island.
In July 1878, Laycock rowed G. Solomon in heavy boats for £60. A previous race between the two scullers resulted in a draw, consequent upon a foul. Laycock, however, led from the start and won easily. On 14 September 1878, Laycock was matched against C. Messenger, for £100 a side. Laycock won that contest on the Parramatta River after a close race, marred by confusion caused by steamers at the finish. On 1 January 1879, Laycock was defeated in the watermen's skiff race at Newcastle, principally due to being handicapped by a very heavy boat.
At the National Anniversary Regatta on 26 January 1879 in the professional sculls, Laycock beat Trickett and then created consternation by showing Trickett, then world champion, the right direction to the winning post. Next for Laycock was a match with Rush on the Parramatta River the following April. The stakes were £100, and Laycock won that race by a length and a half. On 30 August 1879, Trickett won in another match with Laycock at the Parramatta River for £200 a side. A week later, Laycock defeated Rush again. At Balmain that year, on 9 November, Laycock placed third against Tricket and Edwards in the professional sculls.
who was then champion of Great Britain and the United States. The course was again on the Parramatta River but for a distance of about 3.75 miles (6 km). Laycock took an early lead but by four hundred yards Trickett had passed him and then won by 15 to 18 lengths. The time was 22m.38s which was then the second best time recorded in Australia. Trickett had used the recent invention of swivel rowlocks.
At the Anniversary Regatta at Sydney on 26 January 1880, Laycock won the silver belt and gold medal which represented the title of Champion of Australia. He defeated McLeer and Sullivan who finished second and third respectively.
Laycock was then challenged by Pearce, a professional waterman, to row over the Championship course on the Parramatta River for £100 a side. The innovation consisted in the stipulation that the race should be contested in ordinary waterman's skiffs. Pearce won that March 1880 contest as Laycock encountered difficulty with this type of craft.
On 29 May 1880, Laycock competed at the inaugural Sculling Championship of Victoria in Melbourne. The prize was a £50 challenge cup and a sum of money. The trophy had to be won three successive times, being held for two years against all comers. Laycock, who was given 3 to 1 odds, won this event by a length against five other scullers.
Soon after Laycock sailed for England, and lost no time in arranging several races over the Thames Championship Course, from Putney to Mortlake. On 5 October 1880, he easily beat T. Blackman. On 2 November he conquered G. H. Hosmer, on 6 November he defeated J. H. Riley, and 13 November he received forfeit from J. Hawdon.
Also in 1880, Laycock won the Hop Bitters Regatta on the Thames for a £400 purse against other leading world scullers except Hanlan, who was by then the world champion.
He challenged Ned Hanlan for the World Sculling Championship in 1881 on the Thames in London but lost. The race also carried the English Sculling Championship
title. That race was on 14 February. He also challenged Hanlan in Australia in 1884 (22 May) and lost again. That race was held on the Nepean River, NSW.
Laycock stood 6 foot in height and rowed at 175 lb (79.4 kg), a more compactly built man than Trickett.
, near Sydney
. He was buried at the Woronora Anglican Cemetery at Sutherland
.
, Bill Beach
, Michael Rush
, Edward Trickett
and the Towns brothers.
Laycock Street is found in Surfers Paradise, Queensland
. Other nearby streets are named after other rowers such as Trickett Street, Hanlan Street, Clifford Street and another street named for American rower John Teemer.
Early life
Laycock was born at Pitt StreetPitt Street, Sydney
Pitt Street is a major street in central Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The street runs through the entire city centre from Circular Quay in the north to Waterloo, although today's street is in two disjointed sections after a substantial stretch of it was removed to make way for Sydney's...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, New South Wales. He attended boarding school at Newtown
Newtown, New South Wales
Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west is located approximately four kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, straddling the local government areas of the City of Sydney and Marrickville Council in the state of New South Wales, Australia....
for a few years then changed to the Cleveland House School in Sydney's Cleveland Paddocks district. Laycock proceeded to work at various jobs after his father's theatre was destroyed by fire during a point in which the building was left uninsured for several days. Laycock worked as a sailor in England, a gold miner near the Gulf of Carpentaria
Gulf of Carpentaria
The Gulf of Carpentaria is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the Arafura Sea...
, a cattle stockman at Gippsland, Victoria, a sailor again within Australia, then another gold mining stint.
Rowing career
Laycock began sculling in 1874 with his first regatta appearance on the Clarence River at Grafton. Michael RushMichael Rush (rower)
Michael Rush was an Irish Australian sculler noted for his one-on-one competitions against champion opponents, which drew vast crowds of spectators.-Youth and Early Times:...
won that competition and its prize of £200 with Edward Trickett
Edward Trickett
Edward "Ned" Trickett was an Australian rower. He was the first Australian to be recognised as a world champion in any sport, after winning the World Sculling Championship in 1876, a title he held until 1880, when he was beaten by Canadian Ned Hanlan.Trickett was born at Greenwich, on the Lane...
in second place while Laycock finished third. Later that year, Laycock trailed Trickett at the Balmain Regatta.
In 1875, Laycock competed again at Clarence River this time winning the regatta over Rush. That September, Trickett defeated Laycock at a match on the Parramatta River
Parramatta River
The Parramatta River is a waterway in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Parramatta River is the main tributary of Sydney Harbour, a branch of Port Jackson, along with the smaller Lane Cove and Duck Rivers....
in Sydney. Laycock also placed second that November in a re-match with Trickett at the Balmain regatta. Laycock won the Balmain regatta the following year.
On 26 January 1877, Trickett won over Laycock at an annual regatta in Sydney which commemorates the anniversary of the colonisation of Australia
Australia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia...
. Later that year, Laycock won the Balmain regatta a second time. Around this time, he obtained a position in charge of a quarantine station at Shark Island.
In July 1878, Laycock rowed G. Solomon in heavy boats for £60. A previous race between the two scullers resulted in a draw, consequent upon a foul. Laycock, however, led from the start and won easily. On 14 September 1878, Laycock was matched against C. Messenger, for £100 a side. Laycock won that contest on the Parramatta River after a close race, marred by confusion caused by steamers at the finish. On 1 January 1879, Laycock was defeated in the watermen's skiff race at Newcastle, principally due to being handicapped by a very heavy boat.
At the National Anniversary Regatta on 26 January 1879 in the professional sculls, Laycock beat Trickett and then created consternation by showing Trickett, then world champion, the right direction to the winning post. Next for Laycock was a match with Rush on the Parramatta River the following April. The stakes were £100, and Laycock won that race by a length and a half. On 30 August 1879, Trickett won in another match with Laycock at the Parramatta River for £200 a side. A week later, Laycock defeated Rush again. At Balmain that year, on 9 November, Laycock placed third against Tricket and Edwards in the professional sculls.
World Title Match
Laycock raced Trickett on 29 August 1879 for the latter's world Title. This race for £200 a side had the extra dimension in that the winner was to be chosen to represent New South Wales against Ned HanlanNed Hanlan
Edward "Ned" Hanlan was a World Champion professional sculler, hotelier, and alderman from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.-Early life:...
who was then champion of Great Britain and the United States. The course was again on the Parramatta River but for a distance of about 3.75 miles (6 km). Laycock took an early lead but by four hundred yards Trickett had passed him and then won by 15 to 18 lengths. The time was 22m.38s which was then the second best time recorded in Australia. Trickett had used the recent invention of swivel rowlocks.
At the Anniversary Regatta at Sydney on 26 January 1880, Laycock won the silver belt and gold medal which represented the title of Champion of Australia. He defeated McLeer and Sullivan who finished second and third respectively.
Laycock was then challenged by Pearce, a professional waterman, to row over the Championship course on the Parramatta River for £100 a side. The innovation consisted in the stipulation that the race should be contested in ordinary waterman's skiffs. Pearce won that March 1880 contest as Laycock encountered difficulty with this type of craft.
On 29 May 1880, Laycock competed at the inaugural Sculling Championship of Victoria in Melbourne. The prize was a £50 challenge cup and a sum of money. The trophy had to be won three successive times, being held for two years against all comers. Laycock, who was given 3 to 1 odds, won this event by a length against five other scullers.
Soon after Laycock sailed for England, and lost no time in arranging several races over the Thames Championship Course, from Putney to Mortlake. On 5 October 1880, he easily beat T. Blackman. On 2 November he conquered G. H. Hosmer, on 6 November he defeated J. H. Riley, and 13 November he received forfeit from J. Hawdon.
Also in 1880, Laycock won the Hop Bitters Regatta on the Thames for a £400 purse against other leading world scullers except Hanlan, who was by then the world champion.
He challenged Ned Hanlan for the World Sculling Championship in 1881 on the Thames in London but lost. The race also carried the English Sculling Championship
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 Champion was Charles Campbell who beat John Williams...
title. That race was on 14 February. He also challenged Hanlan in Australia in 1884 (22 May) and lost again. That race was held on the Nepean River, NSW.
Laycock stood 6 foot in height and rowed at 175 lb (79.4 kg), a more compactly built man than Trickett.
Family
Laycock married Lucy Elizabeth Gregory on 14 September 1876 in Sydney. They had 4 children. His father was a theatre owner and a Member of Parliament, and his paternal grandfather was a colonial pioneer.Death
Laycock died in 1938 aged 93 at his residence in Cronulla, New South WalesCronulla, New South Wales
Cronulla is a beachside suburb, in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Cronulla is located 26 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Sutherland Shire....
, near Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. He was buried at the Woronora Anglican Cemetery at Sutherland
Sutherland, New South Wales
Sutherland is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sutherland is located 26 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Sutherland Shire....
.
Legacy
Although Laycock did not win a world championship, he was still asked to pose in a photograph of key Australian scullers at a Lord Mayoral reception in December 1902 with the likes of Jim Stanbury, Pearce, Peter KempPeter Kemp (rower)
Peter Kemp was one of seven Australians who each won the World Sculling Championship between 1876 and 1907.He was born on the banks of the Hawkesbury River near Windsor, New South Wales, on 15 November 1853. As a boy growing up he taught himself to row...
, Bill Beach
Bill Beach
William Beach was a professional Australian sculler. He was unbeaten as World Sculling Champion from 1884 to 1887.Born on 6 September 1850 at Chertsey, Surrey, England, to Alexander Beach, blacksmith, and his wife Mary, née Gibbons...
, Michael Rush
Michael Rush (rower)
Michael Rush was an Irish Australian sculler noted for his one-on-one competitions against champion opponents, which drew vast crowds of spectators.-Youth and Early Times:...
, Edward Trickett
Edward Trickett
Edward "Ned" Trickett was an Australian rower. He was the first Australian to be recognised as a world champion in any sport, after winning the World Sculling Championship in 1876, a title he held until 1880, when he was beaten by Canadian Ned Hanlan.Trickett was born at Greenwich, on the Lane...
and the Towns brothers.
Laycock Street is found in Surfers Paradise, Queensland
Surfers Paradise, Queensland
Surfers Paradise is a suburb on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 Census, Surfers Paradise had a population of 18,501....
. Other nearby streets are named after other rowers such as Trickett Street, Hanlan Street, Clifford Street and another street named for American rower John Teemer.