West London Penguin Swimming and Water Polo Club

The West London Penguin Swimming and Water Polo Club is a masters swimming and water polo club based in London. It is an Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) registered club in the London region. The masters swimming teams are composed of male and female swimmers of all ages, with an intermediate level for casual and former competitive swimmers and the advanced level for more experienced and competitive swimmers. Some swimmers are also nationally ranked.

Penguins
Full nameWest London Penguin Swimming and Water Polo Club
Founded1916 (1916)
GroundFulham Pools
WebsiteClub website

The club has a number of water polo teams, with the competition level teams participating at the highest level in the British Water Polo League (Men and Women categories). Club member Francesca Snell was selected to the Great Britain Olympic Water Polo team for the London 2012 Olympic Games.[1]

History

The Hammersmith Ladies Swimming Club was founded in 1916 for women swimmers and the Penguin Swimming Club was a men's swimming club founded in 1921. With mixed gender swimming clubs a rarity in the early 20th century, the clubs co-existed for many years, training in and around Hammersmith area, notably the Hammersmith Public Baths in Lime Grove.

Little is known about the Hammersmith Ladies Swimming Club however, Penguin SC was a notable presence in swimming circles. They featured in the 1935 opening of the Uxbridge Lido, and played against the USA Olympic Water Polo team in 1948 at the open air pool in White City. Penguin SC remained at the forefront of British swimming right up to the 1970s when they merged with the Hammersmith Ladies Swimming Club in 1976 to form the Hammersmith Penguin Swimming and Water Polo Club before adding "West London" to their name to reflect a broader representation in London. The masters swimming section remains rooted in the Hammersmith and Fulham area but the club is open to all.

Training

The masters swimmers train three times per week at the Fulham Pools on Lillie Road (Mondays), St Pauls in Hammersmith (Wednesdays), and Latymer Sports Centre in Hammersmith (Fridays). All sessions are evening sessions as most members are adults with daily commitments. The water polo teams train at LAC Olympic Park (Stratford), Latymer Sports Centre in Hammersmith and St. Pauls school.

Notable Members
  • Jack Budd, Water Polo - Summer Olympics 1924, 1928
  • WG Burn, Water Polo - Summer Olympics 1928
  • John Derbyshire (swimmer), Swimming - Summer Olympics 1900, 1908, 1912
  • AE Dickson, Swimming - Summer Olympics 1920,1924
  • Micky French-Williams, Swimming - Summer Olympics 1932, 1936
  • PM Gant, Swimming - Summer Olympics 1924
  • D Gibbs, Swimming - Summer Olympics 1928
  • Millie Hudson, Swimming - Summer Olympics 1924
  • Doris Hamblen, Swimming - Summer Olympics 1928
  • A Harris, Swimming - Summer Olympics 1948
  • Stan Hawkins, Swimming - Summer Olympics 1952
  • M Hudson, Swimming - Summer Olympics 1924
  • John Martin-Dye, Swimming - Summer Olympics 1960,1964
  • Eric McDonald, Swimming - Summer Olympics 1924
  • Gregor Matveieff, Swimming - Summer Olympics 1924
  • S Mercer, Swimming - Summer Olympics 1924
  • Terry Miller, Swimming - Summer Olympics 1952,1956
  • EP Peter, Swimming - Summer Olympics 1920,1924,1928
  • Harold Pycock, Swimming - Summer Olympics 1924
  • Les Savage, Swimming - Summer Olympics 1920, 1924
  • Ron Turner (water polo), Summer Olympics 1952,1956
  • Isabelle White, Diving - Summer Olympics 1912, 1920, 1924, 1928
  • Igor Zagoruiko, Water Polo - Summer Olympics 2000, 2004
  • Francesca Snell, Water Polo - Summer Olympics 2012

See also

References
  1. "Francesca Painter-Snell". London 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
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