ABOUT US 

OUR humble origins can be accurately dated back to the early post World War II years when, at the request of the then borough council's Mayor Mr RG Symes, the club was reformed at a public meeting at Romsey Town Hall on June 4th 1948 by Mr JBS Atlee. This followed the demise of an original pre-war swimming club, which apparently had an active, if not somewhat brief, existence, and which was wound up at the outbreak of war.

Using the then open air Crossfield swimming pool in Romsey, the English climate dictated that the new club only ran in the summer months! In those early pioneering days, Romsey Swimming Club's primary function was to provide swimming lessons to the local community, and was started by parents who wanted to teach their children to swim and to learn life saving skills.

Between 1971 and 1974, Romsey Swimming Club was in suspension whilst the Crossfield pool was closed for refurbishment and roof enclosure, but was reformed in 1974 as a "friendly teaching and competitive club" whose sphere of operation was mainly limited to the Hampshire area.

However, a seed was sown, in that the club operated all year and introduced a competitive element, which was to prove a foundation for the future. Club records show that the Club functioned successfully with a healthy lessons/teaching programme and several inter club galas with Hampshire clubs such as Jubilee SC (now Basingstoke SC), West End SC (no longer active), Gosport St Vincent SC (now Gosport Dolphins), and City of Southampton SC, although gala wins were few and far between. It is interesting to note that the club relied heavily in these post 1974 years on local Romsey families - the Attlees's, Burgess's, Cooke's, Ludwell's, Jones', Mills' and Williams' chief among them. We also take extreme pride in the fact that the late Lord Louis Mountbatten was our President in 1977 and was to donate a magnificent trophy, originally known as the Mountbatten Trophy, but now known as the Wilkinson Sword, to be swum for in an annual gala between Romsey Swimming Club and West Wight SC.

1977 was a landmark year, as in October the club took part in the Andover/Redon (France) Town Twinning Gala - our first taste of the "big event". The club record book for 1977 also notes that Romsey Swimming Club's "stock" included 6 stop watches, 60 arm bands, 2 pairs of goggles, and one brick!

By the early 1980's, Romsey Swimming Club was in friendly gala competition with larger and stronger clubs such as City of Southampton, Eastleigh Fleming Park, Hart and Rushmoor Royals, with much enthusiasm but little success.

But 1985 saw the first of several significant changes. A new club committee with a "vision", incorporating men such as David Coombs and Barry Brooks, appointed a young and untried Steve Harrison as Chief Coach, with a view to improving the standard of competitive swimming, whilst maintaining the successful and primary club role of lessons and teaching.

Within three years, the first results began to show. 1988 saw the then largest number of club entries in the Hampshire County Championships, with Vanessa Gibbs placed 8th, Judy Brooks and Susan Batchelor each placed 9th. One year later, Vanessa Gibbs became the first ever Romsey club swimmer to make a Hampshire Final, and no fewer than 8 swimmers achieved Southern County Championship qualifying times.

However, the end of 1989 and the beginning of 1990 saw dramatic and ambitious changes which were to shape the club's future. The enforced closure of the Crossfield pool in January 1990, together with the opening of new pool facilities at Totton Recreation Centre (October 1989) and Romsey Rapids (April 1990), presented a unique opportunity for growth and expansion of the highly successful teaching and learning base, as well as the rapidly improving competitive standards, into the local communities of both Romsey and Totton.

As a consequence, Romsey And Totton Swimming Club was formed in 1990. Now uniquely a two centre swimming club, expansion necessitated further changes. In the very early 1990's, two further quality coaches - Mike Williams and Di White - were appointed to assist Chief Coach Steve Harrison, with Tony Weston coaching the successful Masters section; a club "house" system was adopted; and a Parents and Supporters Association was formed.

October 30th 1990 marked the undoubted watershed in the club's development. For the first time, the club won the prestigious Mountbatten Trophy against West Wight SC. For the club, it confirmed that the "vision" of the 1985 committee was indeed the way forward! To build on the success of our expansion and growth, the club then entered League competition for the first time in 1991, with a team in each of the South Coast Junior Cup and Minor League competitions. By 1992, the club had won the New Forest Sports Trophy, had an even greater entry at the Hampshire County Championships (with Annie Bainbridge and Steven Hendley gaining first ever podium places), and had retained the Mountbatten Trophy.

In 1994, the club then embarked on its most ambitious challenge to date, by taking on the "big clubs" in the National Speedo League. Entering just one team in division 3 south, within two years of long coach trips across Southern England, the club gained promotion to division 2 in 1996.

By now established as one of the top five clubs in the County, the club's development has continued up to 2002 with County Caps awarded on a regular basis; frequent finalists and champions at the Hampshire's and Southern Counties; ASA National Championship qualifiers in Annie Bainbridge, Leanne Cartwright, Heidi Knight, Steven Hendley, Vicki White, Mark Goodman, and Tony and Peter Fields. The club formed a successful Bi/Triathlon section, introduced a monthly club magazine called RatsRap, our own club swimwear design and logo, and a club swim shop.