William Charles Webb (21 January 1880 – 2 October 1960) was the first New Zealander to hold the professional World Sculling Championship title.

In his youth he was a natural athlete being prominent in running and cycling but he turned his attention to rowing.

His first professional race was for the New Zealand Sculling Championship against Jim Stanbury, an Australian who was five times World Champion from 1891 to 1896 and again from 1905 to mid 1906.

Stanbury was nearing the end of his racing career and put up a good row, but was well beaten by Webb in a time of 18m.50s for the three mile course.

[1] Webb then challenged Charles Towns of Australia, the World Title holder, to a match and £500 as a side stake.

The 1908 World Title race was commemorated in December 2008 when Olympic champion Olaf Tufte defeated three-time World Champion Mahé Drysdale and wild card race winner Hamish Bond on the Whanganui River to take home the $5000 cash prize.

Webb's next challenge came from fellow New Zealander Richard Arnst, with the stake at £500 a side (a sum representing several years' earnings by a working man at the time).

He was well remembered and well thought of in his home of Wanganui, where a street is named after him, and the "Billy Webb Challenge" rowing regatta is held annually.

[3] The 2016 Billy Webb challenge saw an epic showdown between Olympic champion Mahe Drysdale and silver medallist Croatian Damir Martin, which event manager Kate Austin described as "very exciting".