Poignant New and Glittering Established Silverware On Offer in Grasmere

As Olympians start to eye up medals, Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show is making it known that it too has glittering trophies on offer – and more than ever before.

A brand-new cup, with a real touch of poignancy, is up for grabs in the Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling mixed boys and girls Under-12s event this year.  The cup is fittingly dedicated to the much-loved Roger Robson, who passed away in early 2021 and who dedicated much of his life to the promotion of this traditional Cumbrian sport.

Roger was involved in Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling for over 70 years and won the Grasmere Sports 12-stone championship in 1964, 1970 and 1980.  The event for which his trophy will be awarded is a very fitting one, as Roger did much for junior wrestling and also inclusion within the sport, extending its reach and attracting girls and women as participants and competitors. His own granddaughter, Gemma, was actually the Grasmere Ladies Open Champion in 2019.  

He held several positions with the Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling Association, acting as its president between 2005 and 2009, and then for a second term, starting in 2011.

As well as the Roger Robson Trophy, another much-coveted ‘gong’ will be on offer in the C&W wrestling programme this year, as Grasmere Sports stages the World Championship for Under-18 wrestlers (10 stone).  This will provide a real spur to those young wrestlers keeping this enthralling traditional sport alive.

Trophies dedicated to individuals who have been deeply involved in the sport for which they are awarded are to be found in various events at Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show. 

In 2022, the Chris Swainson Memorial Cup was created for the Best Young Handler in the sport of hound trailing.  This was in honour of the former hound trail manager at the sports, who passed away during Covid.  The cup that bears his name helps keep his legacy in the sport alive.

Another piece of silverware – the Bill Teasdale King of the Fells trophy – commemorates a fierce competitor in the fell racing world.  Bill was a Lakeland shepherd from Caldbeck, who ruled the sport of fell racing from the late 1940s until the early 1960s.  During the 1950s and 1960s, Bill won the senior guides race (fell race) at Grasmere Sports 11 times in total between 1950 and 1966, with this success including five consecutive wins between 1952 and 1956. He passed away, at the age of 98, in January 2023.

Fittingly, another new trophy for 2024 will be sponsored by Lowther Castle.  This will be the Lowther Salver, to be awarded in the Women’s All-Weights wrestling event and continuing Lowther’s long association with Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show.  This includes the 1984 women’s senior guides fell race win, by Lord Lonsdale’s daughter, Caroline Lowther, in the first year that women were able to enter the event.

Perhaps one of the most unique trophies, however, due to its shape and lions’ head adornments, is the Wakefield Rose Bowl, which bears the following inscription: ‘Grasmere Senior Guides Race, First Lady’ and ‘Presented in memory of the Late Lord Wakefield of Kendal by his daughter The Honourable Mrs Ruth Adorian.’

This is the glittering prize on offer to the winner of the women’s senior fell race. It was first awarded in 2013 and last awarded, in 2023, to the sensational young Yorkshire-based athlete, Charlotte Rawstron.  Charlotte will be in the field, seeking to win this trophy again this year.

The Wakefield Rose Bowl was donated as an ongoing celebration of athletic prowess from a family with a rich sporting heritage and ethos, most prominent of which was Lord Wakefield himself, a renowned Rugby Union international and captain of England.

Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show manager, Richard Hooper, says, “We shall literally have a glittering array of prizes on offer for competitors and the great news is that anyone can enter, up to 15 minutes before an event and on the day, to attempt to win these trophies.  We shall be crowning a whole host of new champions, including a World Champion, and hopefully seeing records tumble too.”

Should records be broken in the men’s and women’s senior guides race, there is more than just a trophy to be won.  A special prize of £500 is on offer to anyone who can beat Fred Reeves’ 1978 record of 12 minutes and 21 seconds, or Victoria Wilkinson’s record of 15 minutes and 5 seconds, set in 2017. 

Ends

Editors notes

Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show is an iconic event taking place in the heart of the English Lake District on the August Bank Holiday weekend. Its long historic roots date back to 1868 and it is renowned for its fell running, hound trails and Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling competitions, as well as being a fantastic family day out.