| West London Penguin Swimming and Water Polo Club | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Club information | |
| Nickname(s) | Penguin |
| Short name | West London Penguin |
| City | Hammersmith, London |
| Founded |
|
| Home pool(s) | Various |
| Swimming | |
| League | Swim England |
| Water Polo | |
| League |
|
The West London Penguin Swimming and Water Polo Club is a British water polo and masters swimming Club with history dating back to 1916. It was formed in 1976 as the Hammersmith Penguin Swimming Club by the merger of the Hammersmith Ladies Swimming Club (founded 1916) and Penguin Swimming Club (1921). It states its date of foundation as 1921.
Founding members of the clubs included four-time Olympian and gold medallist Rob Derbyshire, who was later inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame, and his wife, Alice.[1][2][3] For over fifty years, the clubs were organised separately for men and women; between them, they had more than 40 athletes who competed at the international level, including the Summer Olympic Games.[4][5] The two clubs had several divers, including four-time Olympian Belle White, the first British diver to win an Olympic medal,[6][7] and the first to win a European championship.[6] Notable water polo players have included Francesca Snell, who competed for Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics,[8] and Ron Turner, a two-time Olympian who helped Penguin win four of their seven National Water Polo Championship titles between 1926 and 1966, both as a player and as a coach.[9] In addition, John Martin-Dye, who swam for Great Britain in the 1960 and 1964 Olympics,[10] and won three bronze medals for England at two Commonwealth Games,[11] also competed in water polo for Penguin in the National League.[12][13]
The West London Penguin men's and women's water polo teams currently compete in the British Water Polo League and the London League, and train at the London Aquatics Centre in Stratford, as well as the Latymer Sports Centre in Hammersmith.[14][15] The junior teams compete in the London Water Polo League, and train at Latymer and at Hillingdon Sports Centre.[16] The masters swimmers train at multiple locations including Virgin Active Fulham Pools, St. Paul's School in Barnes, St. Paul's Girls' School at Bute House, and Latymer Sports Centre.[17]
- ^ Gordon, Ian (2005). "John Henry "Rob" Derbyshire (GBR) – Honor Pioneer Swimmer". International Swimming Hall of Fame. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- ^ "Rob Derbyshire – Biographical Information". Olympedia. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- ^ "Rob Derbyshire – Swim England Hall of Fame". Swim England. 30 September 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
- ^ Power, K. (4 August 1978). "Death of a swim club". Fulham Chronicle. p. 34. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:12was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Besford, Pat (1976). Encyclopedia of Swimming. London and New York: R. Hale and St. Martin's Press. pp. 248–249. ISBN 0709150636.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:29was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Francesca Painter-Snell". London 2012. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
- ^ "Penguin are champs for seventh time". Gazette and Post. Shepherds Bush and Hammersmith. 17 February 1966. p. 11. Retrieved 16 May 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "John Martin-Dye". Olympics.com. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
- ^ "Athletes & Results – John Martin-Dye". Commonwealth Sport. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
- ^ "My Penguin Story: Graham and John Martin-Dye". West London Penguin. 18 March 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
- ^ "1958: The team of West London Penguin". Water Polo Legends. 2 December 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
- ^ "Men's Water Polo". West London Penguin. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- ^ "Women's Water Polo". West London Penguin. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- ^ "Junior Water Polo". West London Penguin. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- ^ "Masters Swimming". West London Penguin. Retrieved 18 May 2022.