ROWING.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1449, 25 May 1912, Page 12

ROWING.

[Br "MEneußT."] THE TWO PREMIER BLADESMEN. July 18.—Olympic Eights, Stockholm. July 29.—World's Championship: Arnst v. Barry, the Thames. Sifliwd, Sealed, and Delivered. Glad tidings have been received from London. A settlement has been arrived at over the "aquatic strike" at Home, inasmuch as the Barry party have signed articles for the championship race with Ariist. No details are to hand—the cables simply chronicling the fact that the Englishman had "signed on." and that the original data proposed, July 29, had been adhered to.

It will be interesting now to learn the terms under which the dispute was settled, nnd i the agreement arrived at. As readers of this column aro no doubt aware, the conditions governing champion races on the Thames differ materially from those under which world's championship races have been sculled of late years. Even Hie distance rowed is not the same— the Thames course being 4\ miles, as against 3J laid down in the championship regulations. The question now is: Will the present raco be conducted under the local conditions, or under these which Arnst has. hitherto complied with in the winning ol his title? In other words, will the lesser code supersede the greater? "Dick" Must he in Fettle. The fact that the date has not been interfered with is gratifying to the champion'e well-wishers. After the hitches which have delayed the 6igning of the articles, following upon his accident on board ship during hie voyage Home—conditions which must have 6eriously interfered with his training—it would have occasioned no surprise had Arnst moved for the sotting back of the deciding day. In fact, in view of tho dilatoriness of the English party, he would havo been quite within ■, his rights in eo doing; but, apparently, ho has not considered this step necessary, j This speaks well for his own confidence | in his prospecte. Hβ will now be able to get down to work with his adopted henchman—"Bossy" Phelps—and, if the cable man knows what is expected of him, we should receivo periodical reports of the progress of his preparation, and of the impression which it make* on the English critics. Interstate Eight—Victoria's Race. The Inter-State eight-oared championship of Australia was rowed at Perth Inst Saturday week. The telegraphed report from (lie course, to tho Sydney papers says that the weather was splendid, and that the water conditions were ideal.

Thirty thousand people lined the banks of the course, and the latter was kept well clear by a patrol of police boats. The number of boats that followed tho race wero strictly limited.

It took a quarter of an hour to get the crews in line. Westralia, over the selection of which crow there had been considerable controversy, soon lagged behind, but tho others kept well together for the first mile. South Australia, Victoria, and Tasmania were in tho lead, with Now South Wales a length away. With a mile to go Tasmania and Victoria kept level, some lengths ahead of New South Wales and South Australia, v/ith Western Australia beaten in rear. Half a mile from home Victoria wore down Tasmania, and the former won, after a great struggle, by two lengths, South Australia the Kimo distance ahead of Now South Wales, «nd Western Australia a quarter of a mile away, got swamped. Victoria fully deserved their victory. . The rowing was clean, and the judgment admirable. This is a return to form on the part of Victorians, who (at one time practically invincible in this event) have had e succession of loan years, Tasmania and more latterly New South Wales, annex-' irig the big honours. In justice to New South Walee, however, the fact that the cream of the "Mother State's" oarsmen are away with the Olympic Eight must not be overlooked. A Debacle in the Singlet. The Amateur Sculling Championship was also disposed oi. This proved to bo a very hollow affair, mainly owing to the fact that the Tasmanian sculler, F. Coverdale—a very strong favourite for the event—capsized in tho first fifty yards, leaving only two to finish. The winaer was H, Greeu, of N.S.W., who beat J. B. Rogers (W.A.) bv four lengths over a 2t-roi!e course. .Coverdale's misfortune ij, put down to the rubl>er on one of his sculls twisting, thus causing him to "knife," and the rest, of course, was easy.

The Evergreen!. Green'e victory in the amateu? championship of Australia roesuls the fact that he is a member of one of the bestknown eculiing families in Australia, In fact, the name of Green has been prominently associated with l>oth professional and amateur championships for over CO years. The name best known to the aquatic fraternity is that of Hichard Green, sen., who is now in his VGth jear, but hale and hearty, and still able to show most of the younger men how to correctly ply a sculi. He was only 21 when he won the professional sculling championship of Australia in 1857, and was the first Australian oarsman to go to England, where he teat Robert Chambers for the English championship. Hβ pulled his first race here about 1851; and his last only six years ago, when he was 70 years cf ngo," in the Veterans' Handicap. This reinarkabio old sculler scored over 210 wins, and was the largest prize-winner of any professional known, not excluding even the famous Edward Hanlan, who claimed to have won between 150 to 160 races. Harry Green, a brother of R. Green, sen., had a great reputation at South Head as a butcher-boat puller. Ho «as drowned while going out to meet tho ship Strathdon in a butcher boat. That was somewhere about 1888, and the Sfcrathdon was sailing into port in a. galo without a pilot and without a tug. Green's boat capsized, and he was lost. Uoorge Green was another brother of tho old champion. He was also a noted waterman, and built the first outrigger sculling boat turned out iu Sydney. It was copied from the linos of the boat brought out from England by tho late Jas. Edwards, which was tha first outrigger seen in Sydney. He, too, was rowing in races as early as 1850. ■ Theti there is Richard Green, jun., who won many contests in the sailing arena, but was not very prominent with the sculls. His three sons, though, Robert, Dick, and Henry, each hnvo an amateui championship to their credit, the two former having been champions of New South Wales, and the last-named now being champion of Australia. Tho latest champion in tho family Iβ a member of the Enterprise R.C. It may bo recalled by local rowing men that a representative of the Green clan competed at the Wellington regatta single sculiing event three years ago, in tho interests of the Wellington R.C. He cud no good, however—to some extent because ho rowed in a clinker boat, and to eome extent because his sculling was decidedly below par, __-_.