Young Cumberland and Westmorland wrestlers heading to Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show will have the opportunity to scoop a new trophy named in honour of a wrestling legend.
The Roger Robson Memorial Trophy has been created to mark the contribution of a man who was involved in the traditional Cumbrian sport for over 70 years and who was responsible for ensuring that women could also be involved in wrestling competitions.
Roger, who died in January 2021 aged 78, was known for his on-the-field wrestling, his wrestling articles in the papers and his involvement in the behind-the-scenes promotion of the traditional backhold form of wrestling.
It is fitting that this new trophy will be awarded at Grasmere, where Roger was a three-times champion, winning the 12-stone championship in 1964, 1970 and 1980. He also won the Grasmere Guinness Trophy for best performance, in 1964.
He was also the wrestling manager at Grasmere Sports, organising the event that wrestlers regard as the pinnacle of the Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling world’s tournaments.
Having set up the Carlisle Wrestling Club in 1971, with Ted Dunglinson and Tom Harrington, Roger joined the governing board of the Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling Association, in 1975. He became president between 2005 and 2009 and served a second term in 2011.
He encouraged the expansion of the sport, to encourage female inclusion and participation, which came in 2003, with the first wrestling bouts for women at Grasmere Sports.
His son followed him into wrestling but one of his proudest moments was seeing his granddaughter, Gemma Coulthard, win the Grasmere Ladies Open in 2019.
Along with Ted, he forged links with other wrestling associations, particularly encouraging a relationship with Breton wrestlers.
In the 1980s, this led to the foundation of the International Federation of Celtic wrestling. Since this time, Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show has welcomed both Breton and Icelandic wrestlers, with the Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling Association also sending members to compete in both France and Iceland.
Roger’s family ran a mole-catching business, but he worked hard to get to university, which led to him becoming an English teacher.
His writing skills helpfully allowed him to pen articles for local newspapers and the association, and also put together correspondence for overseas wrestling organisations. This all helped grow the sport and international collaboration within it.
The Roger Robson Memorial Trophy will be awarded in a mix-entry category, in which both boys and girls aged under 12 years can compete.
This includes any youngsters travelling within this year’s Icelandic and Breton contingents.
Linda Scott, who will become Grasmere Sports wrestling manager, when current manager Chris Bland steps down in 2025, said: “It will be a really huge honour for one young wrestler to win this trophy and be the first holder of it.
“I am sure that some are already thinking about that and what it would mean to win the Roger Robson Memorial Trophy.
“Roger was a very special man, who did a huge amount for wrestling, having initially been inducted into the sport by his father and uncles. We are delighted that his family will be in attendance to present the trophy at Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show and be part of what will be one youngster’s very proud moment.”
At the same time, the wrestling programme at Grasmere will feature a World Championship, for Under-18 wrestlers, under 10 stones.
Linda added: “This is an opportunity for slighter teenage wrestlers to have a stab at a world title, in a category that can be dominated by heavier wrestlers, if no weight limit is applied.
“Having the chance to lift a world championship trophy should be another great incentive for those slightly older wrestlers not eligible for the Roger Robson Memorial Trophy and often not able to compete on the same playing field as heavier wrestlers in their age group.”
Grasmere Sports chairman John Hibbert said: “We are delighted to be able to honour Roger Robson with this new trophy; a true tribute to all he did for the sport.
“Roger would no doubt be proud to see that the wrestling programme at Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show will be as vibrant as ever, producing a real spectacle for the crowds that flock to the wrestling open-air arena.
“In this amphitheatre type environment, with all the beauty of the fells around them, wrestlers will give their best and put on a real show, from the moment the referee issues the instruction ‘on guard.’”
