ROWING.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1342, 20 January 1912, Page 12

ROWING.

(Bt Meucdtii.) OUR MAN STROKES CAMBRIDGE. February 7.—N.Z, Championships, Lake Waihola. j February 17.—Wellington Regatta. February 24—Clvristehurch Hegatta. ; D. C. Collins—of Wellington. Of local matters there is nothing that can bo said that is printable, from which it will bo gathered that tho weather lias / been misbehaving itself again during tho past week. _ And it has, with a persistence and virulence that quite.equals its best efforts in this direction during tho ■ season. Except for a brief respite on Sunday, there has beon "nothing doing/' There is a rowing matter of interest to ; hand by tho English mail that is of great 1 interest to Wellingtonians. It will -be re- 1 membered that, last week, wo were' in- 1 formed by cablegram that D. C. Collins, a 9on of Dr. Collins, M.L.C., of this city, had been chosen to stroke (ho Cambridgo University eight this season. 1 How Young Collins Climbed. It was known that the ex-Wellington College boy had been rowing with some success at tho 'Varsity, but tho news of this achievement camo somewhat as a surprise. Last year ho won a clinker four race, stroking tho First Trinity boat, and, later, ho got a second as stroke in tho coxswainless fours, and ho was also chosen as stroke of the ■ No. 2 boat in the trial eights. It is the account of this last raco that has now come to hand. It reports:— The 50th Trial Eight Race over the Adelaide courso at Ely on Saturday afternoon created a surprise. The general impression was that the crew stroked by D. C. Collins was the better combination, but calculations were largely upset by tho disappointing form of the heavy mon in the middle of tho boat S. E. Swann, the Blue, who shewed exceptionally clever tac- > tics, elipped his rival at the start, and in the initial minute secured nearly a length's advantage. Before half tho courso had been negotiated daylight was seen behrocn the boats, • and Swanu, who maintained a good 1 length, ultimately won easily. Collins, who rowed at lOst. 81b., although beaten, receives special mention for showing good racing form, and ap- . parently satisfied the "powers that bo" ■ of his ability to stroke tho eight in the ; big race, which is about the biggest hon- : our that can happen to a 'Varsity oarsman. In another note on his prowess, tho 1 "Sportsman" says; "D. C. Collins, who , stroked the losing crew, is a colonial, ' and an all-round athlete. He has twice . represented his Alma Slater at cricket 1 against Oxford, and since ho has taken i up rowing has been greatly missed by the Trinity llugby club. • The Australian Eight for Stockholm. Another English item of intarest is published in the Sydney "Daily Telegraph" ; apropos of tho projected visit of an Ausi tralian eight to Stockholm, as under:— , "Dr. 11, It. Ward, who, it will bo remembered, stroked tho Now South Wales inter-State (winning) crew at . Hobart, 1910, writing from New College, Oxford, 30/11/1911, savs: 'So far as I can seo there is no central body governing rowing in England.' Anticipating an Australian crew competing at Stockholm in 1912, Dr. Ward communicated with the Uenlcy,onThames committee with tho object of getting their permission tu allow the Australian oightoar crew to compete at their regattas, more especially for tho grand challenge cup, which is 'the' raoo in England. However, he finds two difficulties in the way. First, the very conservative rules of English amateur rowing regardi ing the exclusion of tho manual labourer, and, seoondly, only crews from clubs are aoceptel In conclusion, D.\ Ward sa;rs: i 'I tun disappointed that our Australian , crew,will not be allowed to compete for • the, gTand challerge cup at Henley-on- ■ Thames, as it is "the" race in England, and if a New South Wales new, such as won tho inter-Stale race last year, com- , poted. I am morally certain that they would win, although tho course is only 11 • mile. The services of Messrs. Ireland, Doyle, and myself ttill be available as ; emerge acies if required. 1 " > Grand Old "Jack" M'Grath. ! Among tho cojrpetita-s for the cham- . pion sculls at the New Zealand regatta at Lake Waihola next month will bo the ! Otago vete.'an, "Jack" M'Grath. lie has ! a great record in New Zealand amateur | sculling and rowing. In fact in tho former department it is one that stands ' alone in tho Dominion, if not in the world. It was 'way back in 1892, iust 20 years ago, that lie won his first championship. ■ This was at Christclnirch. and since then ' his namo recurs on tho resord book with ; extraordinary frequency. 1 In 1895 he again won tho champion : sculls, in 1897-8 ho won both sculls and 1 double sculls, in 1900-1 and 1901 ho again ■ got tho double. From 1900-1, with Maurice 1 Priest, he won the double sculls for four i consecutive years, and in 1903-4 the single ' sculls again. \ Since then he haa not oompeted in I champion sculling events, but in local regattas in Otago has met with a steady ! vun of success. His best performance dur- : ing this period was in Maxell, 1909, when 1 lie stroked and won four raoes in one af- ' ternoon, the events lining tho Interprovincial Fours, Senior Fours, Senior Pairs, and Double Sculls, a remarkable performance for any oarsman, but a plienomi enal one for a man of his years. It is hardly to be expected that he will : beat the present champion, C. E. Stone, . of Auckland, who has held his position . for throe consecutive years, but ho can bo [ relied upon to put up a good race even now. There is no need for .Tack ! M'Grath to "oomo back"—he never went t away. , . ■ Tho Canterbury Championship Fours . aspirants are the same crow, with tho ex- ; ception of the bow,' that had such a , successful run last year in maiden and [ junior raoes, and that have already won ; two junior races this season, at Port : Chalmers and Akaroa. The "Weekly ' Press" reports that they are rowing in i verv form at present, and opines that they will make a "rattling good [ show" in the big race. The "Press" also says: "There is some ■ talk of another senior four coming out for. Canterbury, in view of Christclnirch Hei catta. st" will consist of ,T. S. Guthrie ■ (stroke), L. A. Dougall (3), T. 0. Fox (2), ■ and H. Wallace (bow)." The last-named was in the Star crew 1 that won the senior fours at Napier last • year, and Dougnll is the half-mile runner of that ilk who has gi'-en up the track and gone back to his-old love, the oar. Blenheim Man's Tilt at Fortune. On Thursday morning ".Mercury" received a call from Charles Hogglun, how of tho Blenheim Club's champion four. The oarsman reported that he was leaving for Sydney yesterday, and that if opportunity offered he intended to present himself for selection for the Australian Eight'for the Olympic Gaines. Ho went around with the necessary letters of introduction from Mr. Bayfield, secretary of tho N.Z.A.K.A. to the New South Wales rowing authorities, but it is to bo feared that he will find tho difference at present existing over tho amateur slahis question an effectual bar to his ambition. Being a New Zealand oarsman he is not eligible to compete in Australian interstate racing under the Sydney Executive's recent ruling, and this would seem to absolutely debar him from consideration . as our Olympic representative. Hogglun will I*> misled from Ihe ranks of New Zealand oarsmen. His record is a good ono, and in big racing dales from ISIOS, when he occupied the lv»w ;rat ill Ihe winning crow in (he senior fours af (he Wellington llogatta, and got his liM championship win, at Napier. In 190:1 a( Mercer his crew rowed second in I lie ehampioii-liip lo Wailemala, and at I'iclon the following year finished second to (he redoubtable Wanganui Union ■mart el, (ha( in the same year won the inlei'-Slal" four-oared elianipioMiip «t lloharl. lleirglun was l>iw in the Blenheim crew that rowed second to Union in Tasmania, and la-t year ran into championship honours ;v>ain, the Blenheim men beating the Wancanui quartet on ihoir own Wafer ill (he big race, and a \vrMi previously healing them at ihe Welling! m regatta.