Neil Smith Memorial & Lynne Bayliss Sculling Ladder Trophies

In 2019, Rowing WA established two prestigious perpetual sculling trophies to recognise the most consistent male and female scullers of the season. These trophies are a tribute to the late Neil Smith, a former Rowing WA Board Director, whose legacy and passion for the sport inspired their creation.

A Legacy Honoured

Shortly before his passing, Neil Smith expressed a wish to establish these trophies. He intended to personally fund two perpetual sculling trophies—one for male and one for female scullers—to honour those who showed outstanding consistency throughout the season. Each year, a pewter mug is presented to the winners, and their names are engraved on the perpetual trophies.

After Neil’s passing, the Rowing WA Board honoured his contribution to rowing by naming the male trophy after him. To further honour those who make significant contributions to the sport, the Board also established a female trophy and formed a sub-committee to select a representative for its naming.

The Lynne Bayliss Trophy

After careful consideration, Lynne Bayliss was chosen as the namesake for the female sculling trophy. Lynne has been a dedicated Boat Race Official for over 35 years and has served as the Convenor of Umpires for the last decade. Her longstanding commitment to the sport includes terms on the Rowing WA Board and active membership at Curtin University Boat Club. Lynne's tireless dedication to rowing made her a deserving recipient of this honour.

Inaugural Recipients

The first sculling trophies were awarded in 2019, with Sam Marsh and Giorgia Patten being the inaugural recipients. Their victories came before the establishment of the points system, based on results from the penultimate pennant regatta prior to the State Championships.

The Sculling Ladder and Points System

In 2021, Rowing WA’s Competitions Committee formalised a guideline for awarding these prestigious trophies. This system ensures that:

• State Championships Results: Do not contribute to the tally, creating a clear distinction between the State Single Scull Champions and the Sculling Trophy recipients.
• Seeding Process: The WAIS Head Coach seeds rowers into the ladder system, initially based on the previous year’s State Championships and subsequently on ongoing regatta performances.
• Points Allocation: Points are awarded to the top 6 finishers in the Men's and Women's A/B 1x Sculling Ladder events throughout the pennant regattas. Points are distributed based on time across all divisions:

The sculler with the highest accumulated points by the end of the season is awarded the respective trophy at the State Championships Medal Ceremony.

Past Winners

For more information about the Neil Smith Memorial and Lynne Bayliss Sculling Ladder Trophies, contact Rowing WA.