ROWING.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1639, 4 January 1913, Page 12

ROWING.

IBr "Meboott."] v REGATTA SEASON UNDER WAY, What Happened at Picton. Now Year's Day saw tho present regatta season fairly undeT way. For local rowing nion; the gathering that excited nioat interest was the time-honoured affair at Picton, which has alway-been- looked upon as a "try out" meeting for our crews. '• <• This regatta has never been looked to as ■likely to provide much in the way 6f a ■winning "scoop" for tho town'representatives, owing to the prevalence''of the >tnuch reviled northerly and its accompany, ■ing'rough water during the -spring. The present occasion was' nc- •■ exception, >al- ' though, neither club made its entry entirely, in vain—the Star men gathering' one win and the Wellington three' good SEConds. -:-:— '— ' » -.. ~...' Tho Petone men "made good"—their win Junior. Fours.being well deserved' and most popular. The suburban club does its work • qirjetly along the northerly foreshore, and being away from the eye of-thOiCritic,,tho results are hard to gauge, but it has proved that it is now a power to be'reckoned with, and it con generally bo expected v to turn put something pretty,"hot" in tho way of maiden and junior combinations. •'■ S.S, Maori's Abandoned Trip. The abandonment of the excursion trip by the Maori was a disappointment to many supporters of tho local clubs, and incidentally it had some effect on tho winning'chances of'our club representatives,as some of the crews intended going over on the day, and so missed their passages i and tho evonts for" "which' they "were entered. The. Star junior double scullers were caught in this way, arid as this crew was considered to have a, big chance in this event, its absence no doubt had its effect on tho club's position on tho roll of winners. " -' ' ' '," -*'■■ Picton Water—."Like a Plato of Soup." Tho regatta, despito the rain,'was "more successful than usual - from a rowing standpoint. Tho'water was good—"like a plato of soup," to quote an onlooker—and tho entry sheet was more representative than usual—eight clubs boingrepresbntcd. Of theso tho most-successful was Wanganui Union, with three'wins—tho Senior Pairs, Jiiiiioi 1 Sculls,'and Maiden Fours. Picton came next with a bloodless win in tho Senior Fours—thero boing no other entry—and the Junior Pairs, then came

I Star, Blenheim, Kawatirl, and Petone, with one win each. The Surpriie of the Day. The surprise of tho day was the defeat of tho champion pair—the Pioton men. The Wanganui Union duo fairly bolted with this event, and strangely enough tho Picton representatives did not even get the second place, being also beaten by the Wellington crew, Blanchard and Hegglun, who must have raced better than their practice form gave any promise of their doing, as they, in, common with all tho local crews, wore decidedly "short of a gallop;"' ":" ~ " The Ultimatum of Harry Pearco. .Tho position, in Sydney regarding Harry Pearco and the Australian championship title held by him is still unsettled. It will bo remembered that under the conditions governing the holding of the title Pcarce must legally either race one of his challengers—Alt'. Feltoh /by right of priority—before ho leaves for England to race Barry, or forfeit the honour.' He declines, to do either, and defines his position thus, according to the Sydney "Referee":— ..-■',' Pearce stated that his full intention was not to take down his deposit for a match against Alf. Felton for tho title ho (Pearce) now holds, such match to bo decided immediately' ho returns from England.' Pearce said that ho looked: upon Felton's challenge as the "first in"—it was |ho first'challenge he had been notified of m proper form—and he had duly covered the amount lodged by Felton. He Bdd>3d that as holder of the title he would bo privileged to name the course, to be'rowed upon, and also, he claimed, the time when tho, race should be decided, provided it'was reasonable time. And ho was. prepared to'row Felton at tho first possiblo opportunity on hia return from London. Pearce said he considered that bojng matched for the world's title before ho was Challenged for'tho 'title would permit of nim breaking through' the actual letter ;' of the present Australian championship conditions—at any rate, he felt he had the-bulk of publio opinion behind him. Ho held it legitimately, he 6aid, and would not give it up until beaten on the water by : a better man. These wore his final words on the subject.