ARNST AND WHELCH.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 780, 1 April 1910, Page 7

ARNST AND WHELCH.

BOTH MEN CONFIDENT AND FIT. A correspondent, writing from Akaroa of the prospects iii regard to the ArnstWhelcli raco for the sculling championship of the world, states that the people of the peninsula are looking forward to seeing a big crowd and a great race. "Irf fact," ho continues, "some think Whelch is sure to win. I have seen both rowing. Arnst' looks well and says ho feels well, and thinlts lie is rowing well, tut my opinion is that his rowing form is hardly up to what it was when ho rowed Webb the first time. Ho does not seem to be as free in his action, and is rather short'on the-catch; but ho looks all right, and is down to 13st. 21b. His brother Jack is doing a bit of rowing with him, and is doing the rubbing down. Felton is pacing him, and Dick will use his (Felton's) boat and a pair of Norton's (Wellington) sculls. Arnst is confident of success. "I have seen Whelch out a of times. There is no doubt he has improved since he beat Fogwell hero last Easter. He is reaching out more, rows a much longer stroke, and puts plenty of life into it/ He still has a tendency to hurry his boat at the finish of his stroke. Whelch looks well, and is confident that he has a chance of getting home first. Naturally, local people think their man has a good chance, but seeing that Arnst is well, I cannot see, barring accident, that he has any chance. "As there is soma anxiety about the weather, it has been arranged and agreed (o by both parties to have the raco on the best course available on Saturday, no matter how bad. the weather may be."

TRAINING NOTES.

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Akarop, March 31. Both Arnst and Whelch took a day off yesterday, except for walking exercise, and spent the day polishing their boats and adjusting the riggers. 'Wh.elch is heavier than when he rowed his last race, scaling 9st. 1211b. He declares himself to be 'very fit-never better in his life-and his party is quietly conndent;' Arnst was off-colour on Tuesday night, with some slight internal indisposition, but a-day's spell set him right again. He weighed 13st. 31b. this morning, and.will probably be a shade heavier on Saturday. Whelch was out first this morning, shortly after ten, with F. h. Westenra, an Akaroa amateur, to pace him. The water down the harbour was lumpy, but the. challenger probably had ]} to 2 miles of good water, and he came back with his pacer at a solid three-quarter speed. Ho was getting a fair swing and finished his stroke with f. push that suggested improved leg work. Then Arnst and Felton left their shod, pulled but to the edge of the rough water, and came back over the same course as Whelch. The champion was pulling 23 or 24, but when at that meaBure his pacer was.of little use< to him over the last J of a mile. When he returned to his shed his only reply to a question as to'how he felt was, Grand.