ROWING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 657, 6 November 1909, Page 12

ROWING.

~: ........ .... —_».■■■■ - ~-. '! : ; ) ' tßr .MKRCOBT.Ji'--'. .'". ;':;-;.;:;; "' - ; ,-.:mTuitEs.: : ;; .;.' •■.-.. To-day.-Petone Trial Fours;' Wiß.C.Ware- ;.: ',ham Fours.; ■';.- ;- •.:■..,. Anniversary Day.-N.Z. Championship Eegatta, ' Picton.' •;■ •:-■-• ' .'.; ° Jan;' 29.-Wollihgton-Regatta;;;; •"; ' :>-; ' ' Feb.-23.—Australasian Four-oared Chamnion- , >ship, Hobart.'';. : .:"" "'The Wellington-Club is inviting'entries, which .close; to-day, for the' senior .'and junior ,fours. At time ot writing there is every prospect of a record.meoting, and it ib probable that over .sixty members will participate. -.-'■'. ■Entry lists for the; Star Club's senior and junior double sculls closed,during the week and : tilled - well.-' ■ ■ , -: trial .fours begin this afternoon. ~Crews have been drawn as under :-{l) Bonner stroke),' Bland;' May, and W." H'. ; Sharon j (2) Ircmain (stroke), Carty/C. E. Drummond, and Ulurnette; (S) W. Sharon (stroke), Inglis, Goro, ;and A'alentine; (1) A.' White (stroke),: Parr, ; Arrowimith, and Packard; (5) o.' Burridge HiSk e 'i; L '- P" 1 ? Nowoll, and Barker; (0) S.truthers.(stroko), Pairant,' Staples, and Melrose.;, /.Not having/had -an' "opportunity of seeing any''of:.tho rowing, .'"Mercury" can make no comment.thereon, but would be glad to .receive for, publication any notes on mattcrs;of interest.from;tho surburbnn club, ndnfessed_to. Mercury " .at this' office. Tho Wellington Club will be busy indeed this aftornoon if the,water is suitable for racing. The :;Wareham fours will be under dis.cussiofl.hhd.the big. entry will ;mcan a very ;.strenuous day s work,, as : nil heats' and: finals are to; .bo .disposed, of straight: away-At; the conclusion; of the racing the regatta crews for the ; season will be announced. "Mercury" .understands; that the■ selection is nractica'lly complete,. but ■ that caie or two details require settlement before the choice is made public. , , Last. Saturday saw; a minatnro regatta in, process on the harbour. -Tho ideal racing condifaorifl were token advantage' of by the Star" Club to-race; off the,preliminary ; round of its three olub events. Seven heats were raced, and as; the Wellington Nnvnls, were also holding cutter races, the scene: about the; wharves and sheds; was an animated- one. Details of the racing;have already'been: published, so a few general remarks";seem to, meet the case now. The senior heats,:in which. Little beat Barron and; Oswin beat Hume, were not close enough to, be exciting. Little's crew, which this writer picked from : the beginning oi the ultimate winner, rowed with plenty, of vim and dash and completely'smothered Barron's. In the other senior event, Hume's No. 2 (Perks)' had bad. luck in losing his seat but, as Oswin then ;had- about.'a length's lead and was .rowing; comfortably, it.is not likely that this affected ,tha:result.. The showing of.Oswih's men tfas very pleasing iudeod;: but they were not;pushed, and had every clionco of sitting: np_ and rowing "pretty.''-':.- j---i. ..,'.. .'.The. first: heat of ' the junior division furrushed a'surpi-ise, Dudley, who was much fancied, succumbing to Alpo.- Alpe 'rowed vigorously and well.and.was efficiently backed up. Still (and with no desire to detract from a:good, performance);it must be, admitted that ho;,was-fortunate in one respect,;; His good luck lay,in the bad course steered by Dudley's boy, who.took his boat on a-tour quite,long enough to, account for. all the narrow; margin between : the boats, at the deciding end.'•'■■; ;.' Stansell,; well.supported,by 'his No.' 3, settled Fifo'B claims in the next heat. Fife died • fighting, but got too short in' the. final,stages, and ihus allowed Staneell, who was reaching out: well and making every pound tell,', to increase'a slight advantage and win comfortably. ,; The next heat, between Wardrop; and Robieson, saw excellent rowing "by; the former combination ,placing ' a • good • win : to its'''.credit.-' Wardtop and, Alan shaped splendidly, and Carter and Nathan (in; the N0.2 and bow seats) gav<> .their' best display to date. ,;Altogether, the: showing of .this orew was-extremely pleas-' ing, and. reflects much credit on the stroke. 'Tuesday-saw a start-made..with/the'second round, but the. attempt was' rather a fiasco. The junior race was eventful''but indecisive. At 5.80 o'clock, with beautiful water, Hunter's and Stansell's'crews left for ihe starting-post. No; sooner; had they left the sheds than a real "easterly", of--the', most" virulent-type happened along, and, before the boats could reach tho mile,mark, the" water was too rough to allow of racing, ' However, as the crews: were 1 out.-tbey were started., . Hunter was the first to' cry enough; and'he foundered off the piles ' of the new wharf. This allowed Stansell to i. ease up; and, nfter a stop for repairs, he , crossed the line unopposed. This, by the laws of;boat-racing, entitled him: to ,a win, but, t ma sporting spirit, he waived his claim,- and, at time of writins.the heat is to be rerowed. j Wednesday,' a b'oautiful night for racing, saw y the seniors in action again.; Bayfield .'was , pitted against.Little, and . Brewer 'against i Oswin. Both events were hollow victories, j Little, and Brewer displaying' good form and ( plenty of pace, and winning with ease. Bayj field's crow was outpaced,, and finished slug- ■ glshly, ;irith combination and "lift" sadly, to sepk, but Oswin, though faring no belter, | finished in far better, style. 'V . ; The condition of things at time of writing ~ is that Brewer's and Little's crews are left to fight out tho final, and a good contest it I should be. Both crows are good, solid coinj binations, rowing well individually and collcc- , tively. Each m'an in;each boat is rowing; up , to his proper form. It looks,as though Little . has the-better of the "condition," and, as I ho is rowing a tgood lively rate of striking- , ho; registered 32- per minute throughout his » ™°, with Bayfield—ho will take full advantage r of. this factor, and, in the writer's opinion, will s about win.., '..'•,... ! :„A,';good; junior race saw Alpo dispose'-'oi Wardrop-a- happening that occasioned : some , surprise; Wardrop rowed well, ns before, but t Alpe, rowed with more pace. The winnina > stroke ; has: tho knack'of getting, the best out | of; his .men, and'is; doing good work: person. .-, .alljv■ his lift from;.the; stretcher being very -.; efVOCtlVe.';: : ;*;•;:' ' : .:'-;. '■■■"■ ■:"'.: '-.;.:,' • - .-. :'''f ho-novices.have, been rowing hard, if, not r. paVticularly:wcll. .However, one docs:not look .; here, and is content ■': if .the(Seeds, that, have beeaseiva during the

reparation, appear to have fallen on likely ?,'• * a .. 60me °f 'he cases under review, Mercury" .'thinks' it' has. . ■•: j liie-n/.U.c. _" event mis also- been pushed I ong towards its conclusion. Since the results j lironicled'last week, the Shilling brothers ave clashed, with the result that the veteran \ .tc. disposed of his younger brother, giving lse to. the _ very'.disrespectful remark that there s a kick in the old horse-yet," on the hed : skids. And so if evidently was, as on l Yednesdny night tho "Old Horse" kicked gain,- nnd, again was successful, : this time outing ■ Davoy" while, on the same night, nckson beat Gray, thus leaving only the final o bo rowed.' ■:■" A,good_ deal of surprise has been oppressed 1 t the absence of "Dick" ArnstV name from ho scullmgs entries for the Foxton and Waiganui Handicaps, and various have been the peculations .and surmises as to the cause hereof. It is understood that the champion's eason for not entering was this: He would, if course,, hayo been the scratch nian, and, mdhe won the outright,. or even beaten iny of Ins opponents, who., may be world's liamiHopship aspirants in the near future, he n?i,« th ,? n be , s P°''inß his chances of a match. ~./■ ti do th i s ' ho prefers not to take )arc.' i lie: reason does not sound a very conrincing.ono altogether, but thero it is. .