Rowing at the 1908 London Summer Games:

The European championship had always been won by a Belgian or Italian pair, although with coxswain, but neither nation entered a pair. At Henley, the event for coxless pairs is The Silver Goblets and Nickalls Challenge Cup. It was won in 1906-1907 by Banner Johnstone and Ronald Powell, and in 1908 by Harold Barker and Albert Gladstone, but neither pair entered the Olympic event. Johnstone and Gladstone competed at the Olympics for Leander in the winning eight-oared crew, while Barker competed for the gold-medal winning Leander four.

The Olympic final came down to the two British pairs, both representing the Leander Club. Fenning and Thomson opened on 38 strokes and opened 3/4 length lead by the time they passed Temple Island. They continued to pull away and were never really challenged.