ROWING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 675, 27 November 1909, Page 12

ROWING.

(Br MEncnnr.l"

Once again has the weather, .earned and received tho execrations of rowing men. Sinco lastweek's. notes were written. . there have been only . two - days upon which tho wator has beeu calm. enough to permit the wielding of the "lab'ring oar," These two . precious days were taken full' advantage of by each of the town clubs, both for regatta preparation and. racing.

.The deferred Warsham Fours of tho Wellington Club were rowed to a finish over , a course, from Oriental Bay to the Tnrnnaki Street Wharf, a short mile, in. the fixed seat boats. Eight crews competed, and the preliminary heats were won by those stroked respectively ■by Hulbert, S. Shilling, Gandiri, and Davoy. The senior finals caused' the retirement of Hulbert and Davey, and the deciding contest Was fought'out between Shilling and liis captain. Tho lattcr's crew was Hanan. (No. 3),. Maslin (No. 2), and 1 Player (bow),_ while Shilling was supported by Redding (No. 3), Wilson (No. 2), and Cairns (how). Shilling, got tho water -first in the start, but took : some timo to strike his gait, his No. 2 not getting into the swing for a time. Meanwhile Gandini rowing a longer stroke, had mads up tho gap and drawn in front. , At the three-quarter. distance he still held a-slight lead, but Shilling had got his crew in handi and was more than holding his own. With 200 yards to go, the boats wero level. Shilling's rn-en were going' nicely, and, when called upon • for the sprint, home, responded as one man,' and raced home a length ahead. Garidin's men, though rowing hard, -were labouring' somewhat, and, his boat was not running well; and Shilling's challenge, struck it >hen. things were in that state. -• •

While the W.R.C. races* were in progress the' Star Ladies' Pour fixture wasalso being settled over a course from the milo startingpost on tho southerly • course to the To Aro Baths. Twelve crews had nominated, and, as the, event has to be put through in one-; afternoon, the club officials had, perforce, to "get busy." The .were rowed backwards and forwards, the finishing-post lof one heat being the starting point of the next, and the seven races required before the winner was discovered were finished i'ust before 6 o'clock.! The final brought out !. Johnston Butt (No. 3), Robinson (No. 2), and Hackworth, who had boaton crews stroked by Hacon, Turnbull,' and C. E; Bridge. Their opponents—Kerslake (str.), , Stansell (No. 3), \Vardrop (No. 2), and Newbold (bow)—had defeated combinations stroked by E. M. Brewer; H. D. Bridge; and Lawrence. , An excellent race resulted, tho boats keeping together right up .to 'tho- last hundred yards. At this (listanco from the post Johnston made a capitallyjudged effort, and, quickening up in . 'good stylo, drowtj out and won by a length. He rowed a pretty race, and. was well supported by Butt, and', indeed, by all his crew': Butt gave an excellent exposition of, fixed-soat row-, ing,- and, if. he. .can. carry his straight-armed,' stiif-backed -style on-to tho sliding-seat boats, ho .will quite, justify .his regatta selection as, the season advances.

: The ■ Wellington Club is having 'more than its sharo. of trouble: over its ,regatta crews. At'the beginning of tho season'things seemed particularly bright -in every division, but, since then, the:, bad luok that was so apparent last season is again in evidence, W. 6. Shilling's mishap in the-senior-crew, was tho first trouble, , and ■ now : 'the Junior and Youths' Fours have sustained' losses. ■ The .fonner ,has : lost the services of Hulbert, .bow,, who has beon moved from town, .aud it-was feared thai the maidens—a good .crew which the club ia anxious to keep together—would have to be drawn upon. This, however, has been avoid' ed by the. inclusion. of G. .Klee, and,,tho;ra ; arrangement' of tho othet men.',; The' 1 crew .is' now ii. Shilling (str.),'Perry (No. 3), Klee'(No; 2), and Furness (bow), and,a new start lyiu be made as soon as the water;permits.

.The; trouble 'to,the. Youths'. Fours is- eveii' more serious; in fact," the .crew as such has ceased to' exist. Two .of tho ■ chosen members thereof ~have, proved; 'to ■ bo: unavailable for. regattas,' and '■ the crew will consequently have' to, be .recast.'': . 1 ' • .The., senior, crow, is together'' again,' and has' been mating .'tho most of - its limited' opportunities ,by. getting . in . steady' rows .whenever possible. Tho men have fitted 'in very well, and'even now there is little to cavil at iii the combination. All through -the: boat .there is a tendency to slowness in ; getting the hands out, with; ctfasequen^^ng,;at^ t the ( flpis|i,yand the stroke is apt' to finish too..l6w.'' ; Tlio' bow has a habit of. bending his arms directly after thb catch that must detract from his power in tho water, but, with attention. to detail,. these defects should be easily got rid. of. Tho stylo affected is the crisp, lively strokf: that,, has characterised this; club's work •in. its days, apd, if the hard catch and finTsn, lively; recovery and bard ...drive; throughthe .water that-is to effectiveness, in this 6tyla can be acquifod, tho crew should bo a good oue in its class. ": >,■ 7' Challenges, < and:, the rules,' enactments, arid ethics, thereof,' have,.furnished the basis of rnueh argument iii'. the .Star shed.' Biiice last notes; a second' challehgo : maiden crew, consisting of .Dawson, M'Bam,';Fife;;and Itobjesori : lias' materialised,. ~and:; tho'; .combination has 'been . showing'-, promising form,".the 'No. 8 aud twoi'.^specially, .bo.;lt is'not;iikely how, however, that this' crew will havo a fling at tho -selected representatives' as the first: challenge crew, : stroked by Cowles,' created a; mild, sensation by vfcirmally throwing down the gauntlet on Monday last, 'l'he rule, governing the contests'enacts'that' the. race, must be rowed on the first: favourable; opportunity after the challenge, so it may bo that bv the time this appears, the challengers will: nave ceased from troubling, and , the maidenss be'- at ;rcstV ;■ On tho other. hand, it may be that the challengers will- have .emerged triumphant. .In; this case there arises the point, wEch has; caused most of - the argument above-mentioned—can tlie do-' posed, crew constitute itself into a; challenging' party, with a right to>try again for its.lost t honours?. So far. as,:a search into tho,-rulo book .discloses, there is nothing: to prevent this, and, indeed, consideration' shows 'that it is only equitable thai: this should be permitted. The .challenging 'crew , has the' privilege of choosing its own timo to race, which,'of course, is only when' it is '-good'and'ready,"'whether the oihciar crew is ready or not. This is a great advantage, especially so' when,: as in. the .present instance, ■ the, ■ splected'- 1 crew .is ' picked with;., a., view, -to > its., capabilities, ! not at the present time, but two months hence; : The "crew is admittedly, not prepared to race in the class of boat required;, it has. not. had, and was not intended'. to have, tho advanced work that would be necessary to fit it for such a contest, iho rule- decrees that a selected crew may bo challenged only onbo, but it ; is apparent that the .challengers, oven if picked in their entirety after winning;; do not constitute: tho official crew, until after the race. They, then, as the • official; crow,... appear to be open to a challenge in. the usual way. •' The following crews aro: in training to reI present the Canterbury Rowing Club at' Aliaroa- Senior' Pairs—U; , It.; Guthrio (stroke) and;J. Guthrie (bow). .Junior Four—Si Fitch ■ (stroke), L. Dougall, C. Denniston and C. J. Craddock, Maiden Fours—ll. : Fitzer (stroke), B. Burn,' N. Goldsbury and I/. Parson. No. 2 crew—A. L. Boss (stroke), A. Parsonson, I Dunsford and Cogan.: Maiden Double ScullsR. Fitzer and B.,Burn. Youth'. Four—lt.;Cud--don, L. Toswill, A.. J_cobsen aud L. Sapsford. Youths' Double Sculls—L. Parson and W. Burn. - A■

The Union Club is also in the field with a strong • representation, especially in the senior, division. The pairs and double-sculling crews' are the present: New Zealand champions, and the sonior four is the same that won at the last Wellington l regatta. ' Tho crews in full aroi—Senior Four—H. E. Mansfield, W. Duggan; J. Pry and,E. O'Brien (stroke).- Senior Double' Soulls ' and Pairs—J. Fry 'and YE; O'Brien. : Junior Double Sculls—F. Allen "and S. E. Mooro (stroke).', Junior Four—T.: Booth, H. Bliss, F. Allen and S. E. Mooro (stroke). Maiden Four—D. Johnson, H. Farrier, 'W; M'lllraith and W. Beaumont (sfaoke). ; Maidon Double Sculls--H. Dallinson i and F. Booth (stroke). Youths' Four—A. Osborne, F. Dyer, R. Mann and .E. Button (stroke). Youths' Double Soulls—R. Mann and E. Button (stroke)/ The "Press" has the following oriticism of the .Canterbury Club's representatives:—Senior Pairs: 'E. It. • Guthrie (stroke) and J, S, Guthrio. • This couplo are; going' bettor to. gethcr than was expected, but are a bit short in their stroke. Junior Foiir: Fitch, Dougall, Denniston, and Craddock, Denniston is an oxOtpgo Rowing Club member,' and it is evident heihas been well coachedi Ho is tho only one in tho boat who gets liis hands away as ho should, but is very short-with liis swing Maiden Four: Fitzer. Burn, Parson tuid'Golds-'-bury. It was originally, intended that this crow should be the junior four, with Dougall in plaqo of' Goldsbury, but the','chango. is' a wise step; I'hcy. will be a strong maiden lot, and theirrowing is above tho average maiden crow. <A second, maidon-.crow,; in .'Ross, ..Parson'son," Diinsford, and- Cogan, 'are .'also shaping well and : are:; n strong, lot., Youths'j Fours: Cud' don, Tosswill, Jacobs., and ; Sniisford, .With another, three weeks'.training.this s|iptild make' a fair crew. <'

T.' HelTor,' No. 3 in tho Star Club's'senior four, again himself on tho running track by . wmuing . llio uiilo run from scratch-:- at ,tue Atblo{>e I\C.vevemng. mcetiuK on •\Vednesday 4 l