ROWING.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1503, 27 July 1912, Page 12

ROWING.

[Di "Mebouei."] THE THAMES RACE ON MONDAY. Monday—World's Chamiponship, Arnst v. Barry, Thames, England. "Richard Is Himself Again." Tho rowing ovciits at the Olympic Gained have rather dimmed tho interest in the training preparations for Monday's championship on • old Fatner Tnaines, but during the week since tho Ebttlement of tho world's amateur rowing championship—for really that was what tho Ulympic racing amounted to—tho cable man has vouchsafed us a little, a very little, information regarding tho professional championship holder and challenger. briefly, this ia to the effect that Arnst is down to his usual fighting weight, 13st. ■lib., while tho Englishman is scaling list. lOlb. Alsu that tUo latter has been indulging greatly in starting practice and sprint work. Per contra, the cable man also informs us that the Home critics are not impressed with Arnst's "pace," albeit, ho is very fast off the mark. This latter is from the "Ditilj- Telegraph," but perhaps this authority hps never had the pleasure of steing "Jiichard the Great" in a real hurry, as he was, for example, In the first mile of his second Webb race at Wangauui, or in his more reccut con* test with Harry Pearce. However, the cable message brings us the news that we wanted, which is that tho champion has got down to racing trim, and will apparently "saddlo up" in good Si. The difficulty of doing this tlftor his long spell ashore, and under tho fresh conditions in England, has been the one disturbing factor in the minds of his friends "down under." Now (.hat he has surmounted this obstacle there should (theoretically) be nothing to prevent his putting Barry with tho other championship discards. ■ •

How Can Arnst Lose? Of course, there is always tho luck of the day. A small snag in the river, a loose nut on a rigger, twinge of cramp at a critical moment—a championship may at any time turn on one of these contingencies. But apart from outside influences it is liard to sro how Arust CAN lose. i Consider ■ the conditions. Ho has a stone and a half the better of the weights, is abnormally strong even for his big poundage, has proved himself as an exceptional stayer, has infinitely nioro match-racing experience than his challengei, and, moreover, ho can scull sufficiently well for all practical purposes.

Barry Measures up Short. Against all this how does Barry measuro up? A good athletic figure, but built in a slenderer, far less powerful mould than Arnst and with but two qualities to pit against tho latter's natural advantages. These are: Firstly, a greater familiarity with tho course, and secondly, a greater elegance of style—to the casual eye—than has the ckainpiou. This second quality may be more apparent than real. Certain of the critics— veteran Harry Floyil for one—assert that the elegance has been attained at the expense of effectiveness, and in any case, it in no way approaches the vast superiority to Arnst's "form" that would seem to be necessary to outweigh tho letter's physical advantages. Barry Thinks Knowledge of the River is Equal to Ten Lengths. . ' So tho issue appears to lie in the matter of Barry's moro intimate knowledge of the vagaries of the coiirse. As was stated in this column some months'ago, tho Englishman informed a friend of tho writer's that he himself considered that this knowledge would givo him a ten lengths' advantage over a stranrer. , Well, taking it at that, on\ Monday there should bo a good race, for' the ten lengths are, in tho writer's opinion, just about the difference over a IJ-mile course between tho scullers, as such. If Barry is wrong in his estimate, so, in proportion to his error, should ho suffer defeat. If on the other hand he makes good and by virtue of his good sculling itn<l expert knowledge defeats His doughty opponent, then lot us be among tho first to hail him as a phenomenally good man —for phenomenon ho will indeed bo.

"Barry Just Dodging Along"—A Letter From Arnst. At this juncture the latest news from Arnst himself will be of interest. Two letters from the champion havo been published—one written to a friend in Sydney, awl dated 'June 5, says:— , "I am getting along real well with my training, and everything is going ■ on grandly. . I am getting into "great fettle, and have been rowing five weeks to-day. In that time I havo taken off Ist. Mb., so yon see it is not a . hard place in which to reduce weight when one seta out properly to get it off. Everything for the race on July, 29 is properly settled, and I got things fixed up as I wanted them, so that leaves me nothing to worry about. I havo a,; fellow to nib me down who used to rub 'Sam' Langford when he was here, and I will have 'Bossy' Phelps and his mate in a double scul- 1 ler to pace me later on. Barry is just' dodging along, and is.doing no hard work, and ho reckons he is not going to either for a few weeks. In fact, he does not train hard at all, sd I can't see that he will bt too good in a gruelling race."'

"Dick" Hoists the Silver Fern, Later fresh-hand information comes to a friend in Auckland under dnto Juno 13, in ivliich Dick says:— '"You can rest assured I will not be far away when it comes to the finish of the race. I am certainly going to wear the silver fern, for it has always' seen me homo to victory. I did a satisfactory trial a week ago over a mile and threequarters, and when properly wound up should have a real Rood chance.- The climate suits mo all right, and I like the river." The Biggest Rowing Race in History. It was with a bitter pang that rowing men read of the defeat of the Australian Eight at Stockholm—bit'.er . because we were keen on seeing the enterprise of.our cousins across the Tosman Sea rewarded, and also becausii we had hoped that the, to English eyes, unorthodox Australian methods, were to be vindicated for all time by a good win in this, the biggest international rowing race in history. For the present contest was all thatmelodramatic and "high-falutin" as tha appellation sounds. However, the greatest credit is due to the Leamlcr crew i'or their splendid victory, and there is great consolation in the fact Hint if Australia couldn't win, the crew that beat her did— mid especially ami particularly in Ihe fact that that crew represented England. Why the Olympic Times Were Slow. Some surprise has been expressed locally at the slowness of the times recorded in tho recent racing) Certainly, this is hard to understand, especially as we were told that the water was "dead," and. turthev, that the distance was to absurdly short for eight?. But it mjy he that the c<mso is to Ik- fuund in t.liu fact that the course is not straight, as will be Ken from Iho tolloivii'g description from an English paper ;— The full distance is abpnt 1J mile, of which nbout i niiia is almost straight, 'but just about here there is an awfcwArd bond caused by a large bathing-enclosure on the northern side. Af'er passing this the crews will have to straighten rip ;o as to shoot under a Irjdge with three low pitched arches each of CO feet span. From tho bridgt. t« tin, finish is about 300 yards, ami present no difficulties for coxswain.*, who, however, will need to bo careful in taking the bead at the baths. The course is in the heart of the city of Stockholm, immediately along one of the main thoroughfares and promenades, Tho Strandviiscn, with which tho bridge connects with pjuro Island. The rowing space is but e-eventy-two feet wide, and on this two boats have (.0 race, and a? in the eisht-" a crew will wii'iil frnm the end of the nnr blades nn either sj<ln a space of 22 feel, fliere will h<\ noMiincr [0 spare if MlO 3G feet to which a boot is restricted ■