ROWING.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1605, 23 November 1912, Page 12

ROWING.

[Br "Meiicuet."] December 16—Akaroa Regatta. January I—Lyttelton Regatta, Marlborough. Marcn 20—Championship Regatta, Wellington, THE TOWNS-PEARCE SITUATION. Some Personal Explanations. Much ink is being spilt in Australia on the subject of Harry x'earce and his challengers. "Mercury" went into tho matter at some length last week, since when the Australian mail shows that similar views as to the doubtful sportsmanship of tho challengers have been published irecly in Sydney. These adverse criticisms havo drawn personal explanations from both ex-champion Georgo ' Towns and Harry Floyd— trom tho former as sponsor for his brother Charles, and from tne latter as the representative of J. Paddon. The other challenger, Felton. has withdrawn his deposit, so need not be reckoned with furtlier. Floyd puts his side of tho case before the public in tho following letter to tho "Sun":—' "Regarding tho ohallenge to Pearce, some people seem to adopt the same attitude over the challenges as tho-Wanganui people did when Arnst challenged Webb-=-that is, thought it was like Dick's cheek to ohallenge. We all know that since last Easter a sweepstake has been mooted to establish a State championship, but the men would not decide on. it until after the northern regattas were over. Well, to try and bring tho 6weepstake . about Peter Kemp and George Towns, seeing the men were not willing to put up their own. money, offered them a- substantial prize and free entry.. Even this did not seem to draw them, and, seeing that if anything was to bo done to get a race with Poaroe it would have to be done soon, as he said he would row any one of bis challengers, I decided to put in a formal ohallenge on behalf of Jim Paddon at the settling after the Coraki handicap. But, to tho surprise of a few of us. Jack Mitchell jumped in with a challenge to Pearce from Felton, and lodged .£25 deposit. He withdrew it, however, next day, and so I lodged a similar deposit for Paddon, and, as far as we know now, Felton has no money up. 1 A Little Pastime for Pearce. "I would like to say," Floyd goes on, "that,there would have been no talk of a sweepstake if Pearce had not been getting his stake together to tow Barry, and I think it is pretty clear there was no talk at Easter of Pearce going to England, so that disposes of that charge. Then they complain of someone coming along, at thß eleventh hour with a challenge to him. Well, I think it is pretty well known to most sculling people that it is little use of any man going to England to row before March or April, so what is to stop Pearce from rowing even up to a week before he leaves, 'especially as the subscribers to His stake are so sure of him being fit to go Home.and bring back the championship. It would only be a nice bit of pastime for him to row these, men if he is so good,,and I know if I had a man as good I would not want anything better than all these challenges, A Pertinent Question. "Pearce's friends ask also that if there was a promising man about why did he not come alonfj before, as Pearce has proved by winning seven races that he is the best man in Australia? Well;" submits Floyd, "I'd just ask those people to sit down and ask themselves how long it is since Pearce defended his title. They will find it 'will bo just on two years by the time he leaves for England. Now, anyone that knows the past history of the game Understands what Bill Beach did in that time, then Harry Searle, and later Dick Arnst, and it is possible for some of our present-day men to do something similar. Would it bo fair now that Pearce has collected his stake for,, some Soulier to come along later - on and beat him. and so collar the money to go to England with? I, for one, have never oven thought of such a thing, as it would then be time to consider whether we had a man good enough to send after Barry." This certainly put'the matter in a new light, but, unfortunately, it does not relieve the awkwardness of Pearce's situation. As matters stand, it appears ho must either upset all the arrangements connected with his English'trip, and break into his training to defend liis Australian title, or forfeit the title, and so reach England minus the status accorded him i by its possession. Arnst's Counter-Challenge. Perhaps the best way out is supplied by Arnst in his counter-challenge to the challengers. Tho position in this respect is thus defined by the ex-champion in an interview:—. .. "You can announce on my behalf," Arnst said, "that I'll give Towns a race in twelve weeks' time, but the stakemoney must be ,£2OO a-side. Or the wholo of the best scullers wo have can join in. a sweepstake at <£100 each, ana I'll allow the crowd lOsec. But I'll make the stipulation that the handicap must be allowed at the finish, for obvious reasons. I am not going to interfere in Harry Pearce's trip to England to meet Barry, but I'll row him for .£2OO a-side, and allow him lOsec. handicap at the finish'. If Pearce wants to make money I advise him to stay at home and row me. If he is the better man it will be a more profitable race than that with Barry. What is he going to get' out oi tho Barry race, even if ho wins? He will havo to pay ,£3 a week for board, at least .£5 a week for a trainer, and a fair fee for a rubber-down. He would not come back with much : money if he won." And Towns's Reply. To this Towns replied:— "I'm willing to row Arnst for .£2OO a-side with lOsec. start. The lOsec., though, would have to be allowed at the start. It doesn't make much difference whether I get the start at the beginning or at the end of the race, but ifl get the allowance at tho start it gives me a chance of seeing how the other fellow, is doing. -1 can't say anything definite at present, as I want to see if Pearce's three challengers are going to row tho proposed sweepstake. When that matter is settled, and if it fails to cojne off, I'll have a go at Arnst." Pearce Sits Tight. As for Pearce, that niueh-harricd sculler appears to be preserving a diplomatic silence. At the beginning of the controversy he announced emphatically that he was not going to alter his arrangements for any challengers, and has sinco I quietly gone on with his training, and the collection of his stake, moneys. According to this week's cable messages, this latter business is to be a bigger affair than was thought, as in addition to the actual stake of .£SOO, it appears very probable that Pearce will have to find most of his expenses as well. The message advised .that Barry had cabled that he would allow .£IOO for expenses. A glance at Arnst's , estimate appearing above will show that for fares and training expenses this amount is hopelessly inadequate, and it is witli regard to his extremely "close" attitude in this matter of expenses that the only exception can be taken to the present world's champion. Still, it is an exception that bids fair, if persisted in, to lay him, however unjustly, open to a charge of burking challenges, and this will not tend to add to his popularity. When it comes to raising purses, personal popularity is a biir asset for a professional sculler. However, to return to Arnst and Towns. Tho former's challenge has apparently had one effcct—it lias disposed of Paddon and Felton. This is rather curious, considering that both these men were evidently anxious to row Pearce level. It seems stronco that if they thoiwht they could beat Pearce they are unwilling to accept a handicap from Arnst, who, after all. only beat Pearce by four lengths, which is not so much as ten seconds. Local Club Form. Locally, the prevailing "southerlies" since the last notes were writen have had the effect of stimulating matters iu the town clubs—although the Petouo men do not view the situation in quito the same liffht. In both the Wellington and Star sl°cds a start has been made with tho selection of regatta crews, but so little work has been done"so far through weather conditions and the clashing of club races that have been held over in consequence, that it is impossible jot to ex-

press any opinion as to the merits or domerits of the combinations selected. Both clubs disposed of complete events on Saturday afternoon—the W.R.C. bringing the Wareham Fours to a conclusion, and the Stars disposing of the Ladies' Fours. A propitious chango of wind enabled the contests to be decided on tho southerly course, and as each club got off something like ten races, tho three-quar-ter milo course assumed quite a regatta appearance. The fact that the representatives of both clubs woro rowing over tho same course and in the same class of boat— the iixed-soat fours—invited a comparison between the form of the men engaged. But comparisons are proverbially odious, and they are especially so at tho present stage of the gamo, when the presence of so many novices in the crews, and the absence of having opportunities naturally tell against the reproduction of an oarsman's best form. As the season progresses, however, less tolerance in this respect will bo shown. Shew Bad Luck. The winning crews in the Saturday events were as follow:— Star Club: C. Holmes (str.), P. Lackworth (3), Hurley (No. 2), and G. Wallace (bow). This was a good crew, and went to the post favourites from the start. The "good thing," however, was all but upset by a crew stroked by R. L. Evatt, with Young (3), D. Holmes (2), and Watson (bow), who really lost tho final by a piece of sheer bad luck. Tile race was a splendid one all the way, each crewrowing a lively -10-per-minute clip, and when near tho post Evatt, held a slight advantage. Just on the line, however, his bow orabbed slightly. The resultant roll broke his poppit string, and he lost his oar. This was, of courso, a momentary oheck before the boat's impetus carried it over the line, and meanwhile Holmes had got in one extra stroke, and won by a foot—a most sensational finish. It was the hardest of luck, for Evatt and Holmes _ showed excellent sportsmanship by offering to row again, but the veteran very rightly and sportingly declined. It was bad luck, and that was all. By all rules and by equity the race was properly won by Holmes. "Each boat must abide by its own accidents." So runs tho law in the "Rules of Boat-racing." The Wellington Club event was not so sensational in its working out as the winning combination was easily the best in the\ontest, and so 1 had matters pretty much its own way throughout. It consisted of Blanchard (str.), E. M'Gill (3), S. Murray (2), and Lacey (bow). The runners-up were Donaldson (str.), G. Johnson (3), Bray (2), and Harvey (bow).