The Leander Trust Library at the Leander Club in Henley-on-Thames is proud to present to you Greg Searle, author of the book If Not Now, When? The evening is wholly in aid of the Leander Trust. A finger buffet will be served in the beautiful club house.

Rower Greg Searle won Gold in the Coxed Pair alongside his brother Jonny, at the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992. At the age of 20, he received an MBE, and by the time he had reached his mid-thirties, his glorious career as an international athlete was over. Or was it?

If Not Now, When? is a book about obsession; about the drive to be the best you can be, whatever your age. In April 2010, and almost two decades older than the rest of the British rowing squad, Greg made the decision to come out of retirement and go for gold again at the London 2012 Olympics. His journey gets to the very heart of what it means to compete; teamwork and loyalty, the struggle to deal with disappointment and the will to win.

In the 2012 final, Greg won bronze as part of the men’s eight and sealed his status as Olympic legend.

“This is a fascinating read, laced with triumph, tragedy and a series of eye-watering accidents that always seem to befall him on his day off…He never shies away from question, nor from his own faults and foibles. Which is what makes this a compelling read.” –Daily Telegraph

“honest and inspirational tale of personal and sporting achievement” — Big Issue in the North

“Searle should be congratulated for giving us an admirably honest, intelligent and heart-wrenching account of what it takes to occupy the elite of sport” — Daily Express

The Leander Trust is a registered charity (No. 284631) to advance the education of young people and their physical education by providing facilities – including grant awards – to enable and encourage rowing and sculling; and to help by providing facilities for recreation for those who need such facilities because of their youth, social or economic circumstances. A short presentation will be held to illustrate the benefit of the Trust.