A formidable sculler in Victorian times, Mr Jordan is now a keen veteran participant in the WRC triathlons. He has put in some miraculous performances, finishing off a cup of tea while the other athletes start, and then smugly tucking into a pint when the second athlete arrives at the finish line. He is chairman of the new clubhouse fundraising committee, and has to find £400,000.

Under close questioning at a recent committee meeting, he explained his plans to execute a heavily leveraged derivatives trade on LIFFE with the club's tea money. Mr Jordan is also a qualified coach, and prefers the little-used coaching technique of waiting until just before a race before making technical suggestions.

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