Sid Clay joined Auriol Rowing Club in 1950 at the invitation of his great friend and Territorial Army colleague Bill Gray with the promise that he would “love the sport”. However after strenuously struggling with Bill and the tide in a tub pair to and from Hammersmith to the London Apprentice at Isleworth for “tea and ale” he decided that Committee and Administration was his forte rather than active participation and to this end he quickly and quietly pitched into the sport.

Sid was Secretary of Auriol Rowing Club from 1956 to 1959 and again from 1961 to 1968, and was President from 1983 to 1984.

In the pre-computer age race, timing was a manual nightmare involving umpteen stop watches; volunteer cyclists; and much mental arithmetic. Sid formed his first timing team for the specific benefit of the Head of River Fours inaugural race in 1953 and continued to act as Chief Timekeeper thereto until 1994. In parallel he took and held office as Vice President from 1975 to 1991 and was proudly elected President of the Head of the River Fours from 1991 until his death in January 2007. He and his team also acted as back-up timing to the Head of the River Eights up until the introduction of computers.

In later life Sid retired to Birchington in Kent where he leaves behind his wife Jean and many friends amongst the local community. The British Legion, the RNLI and the Horticultural Society are now bereft of their main organiser and Committee Chairman.