ROWING.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1722, 12 April 1913, Page 18

ROWING.

(By Mercuey.) IS A LEAGUER AN AMATEUR? Aspects of the Questlftn. Last week, in tho course of soino tomarts 011 tlio amateur question, "Aicr* cury" stated thut in his opinion a good deal of tlio controversy on tlio matter was duo U) misconception on tlio part of oarsmen and club executives as to tlio distinction between professionals and amateurs. This was. further impressed upon him during tho week by a conversation with one of the delegates at tho recent conferenco at which tlio proposed amendments to tho present amateur rules were thrown out. Tho delegate in question is strongly in favour of the alterations, but voted against them under instructions from Ins centre, and during tlio conversation ho remarked that the change would doubtless affect tho country clubs in his district, as many of the oarsmen played League football. Ho was surprised to hear that tho act of playing League football does not in itself make an athlete a professional, and that so long as tho player does not accept payment for playing 'he; remains a puro amateur. This, however, is the fact. 1 Tho matter has been adjudicated upon in Australia at the tiino of what is now known as tho "Miller case," when a N ruling as above was given. The N.Z.A.A.A. has also decided this point in tho same way, Playing League football, oven with or against professionals, no more infringes a player's amateur status than does playing cricket or golf against professionals, and it is for want of knowledgo of this' fact that so much of tho present trouble of the status question, has arisen. A Race Deferred. The subject of tho projected PaddonArnst niatch for the Australian championship seems to have been unaccountably dropped by. the Australian papers. It will be remembered that immediately after the new champion camo into hia title by virtue of his defeat of Felton, he was challenged by Arnst for April 25. Ho accepted, and, as was his, right, .'nominated the Richmond River, his native heath, so to' speak, as the venue of the contest. To this Arnst objected strenuously. Ho idoubted „ the gate-producing qualities of the llichmond, and refused to row off tho Parramatta course. Paddon, on his part, refused to give way,, and that appeal's to have been, the end. of it. . Considering tho interest such a match would have created, especially with regard to Arnst's return to active partici- : pation in the sport, it is strango that 1 public opinion should have allowed it to fade out in this way.' Certainly, affairs ■ appeared to be at a deadlock, hut there is generally some way out of these appar- ■ ent cul-de-sacs. In the present instance it was tho "gato" question that was holding up Arnst., Paddon, on his part; voiced the opinion that the Richmond course could produce just as big a financial return as could the Parramatta, and if this were so, thero -is no reasoii why a guarantee of a fair amount should not have been given Arnst. Under the articles, of course, Paddon was strictly ■ within, hie rights. , Ho is the champion, and tho place and time, within certain limits, are his to pick and cliooso. Arnst, as the, ohallonger, has no say at all in theso matters, strictly speaking. At tho same time, Master Dick knows very well that he, although minus his title, is still a big drawing-card—perhaps the biggest in Australia. Ho knows that any race in which ho figures will acquire' merit from his participation therein, especially so at the present juncture, when thero is a big desire that he will get back into harness, to bo ready for Barry again should the latter beat Pearce. On these arguments lio takss his stand. .Ho will race on' tho Parramatta or nowhere;- aria ! asks what Paddon is going to do about it. ■ Apparently ,Paddon is doing .nothing at alii and so tho matter rests. Meanwhile Arnst is reported as pottering about daily in his shell on tlio river, ! wasting,"!'liko Mr. Micawber, for something .to turn up. New Aquatic Honour, To-day 6ees the .inauguration; of- a raco of some importance in. New South Wales. This, is a. contest • for tho professional championship of tlio State. A set oi articles has been drawn up an& subscribed to by tlie professional controlling bodiesin Sydney, and the new title ■ (properly certificated 6omewhat on tbo lines ol' the rules governing holding of tho Australian Championship. The event is not t , bo an annual fixture. This impressionoppears to havo got abroad in Australia) but it is entirely erroneous. After its launching to-day the new championship is open to ohallcngcrs in the usual course,' and the holder has to defend his title in a specified interval or forfeit it. The world's'and Australian cliampiofia are debarred from competing, as is, only righti as : the new.! event is looked upon a 9 a step -.towards these bigger honours. For |txniay's 'race there wove, when "the mail left Sydney, five entries, viz./ Charlie' Towns, Sid. Pearco, "WiU.Riplojr (Hilnter River), Harry Gaggin (Tweed River), and W.' M'Dovitt (Tasmania)—five solid jsoullers. Some'familiar' names aro missing, notably .Felton,, Hagney, Syd. Itora'p, and Billy IV)gwell,\but possibly some of these, and it ig' hoped also Dick Arnst, will have joined' in later. As tho dates scheduled for the event are tho 12th and 19th, it would seem as though it were .to bo racod in heats, and not in a straight away "go," all sta-ting, of course, from scratch. : Star B.C. Versus U.S.S. Company. There, was an exciting finish to -the final heat of- 4ho Star' Senior Pairs on Wednesday evening. The. finalists wero W. H. Brewer and .H; La\veoii;,of the one part, 'and :F. Turnbull and I' 1 . C. Craig of tho'Other, and tip to a certain 6tago the ' proceedings -vero being' conducted strictly according to the book. Then- a party not previously cited took a hand,'and immediately threw Hie whole affair, into confusion. This third party was the : U.S.S. Company's Oorinna, which, unbeknown to .the two racing pairs,- left 'her berth at : Jervois Quay and swung out into the liaTbour. This.manoeuvre brought her across the track'of the oarsmen, now going neck and neck. 1 In tho dusk the threatened interruption was not noticed by tho smaller boats. Tot-ally engrossed in their race, they ignored the Corinna completely. Turnbull and Craig Veto tlio. first to see her. Before doing so; however, they had lier presence forced upon their notice from tho fact that they rammed her amidships, broadside on. Tho effect on' the steamer was not noticeable, but on the pair-o?r and its occupants it -was most marked. The bow section of tho former was simply, ferumpled up, and tho latter got overboard hurriedly and- waited in the water.until a rescue party from tlio shed picked them up. : Tho Coririna was ablo to contuiuo oil her_ journey, but the racing boat was badly, although fortunately not irreparably! damaged. Tho men aro to bo con-, gratulated on their escape.; Hod they ran into tho 6tcrn of tho feteamer and got. their boat aiul themselves mixed up with t'lio propeller things might havo been very serious indeed. As they arc, the race will bo re-rowed as soon as tho boat is repaired. The Old Order Changoth. The Independent Cable Servico is responsible for a cablo message showing how tho conservatism that has enveloped English rowing" and all connoted with it is gradually losing its grip. Such a prooeeding as that chronicled below would a very few years back havo given riso to ,a.i outcry of professionalism at once, Tho 'cablegram runs London, Saturday last. Harcourt Gold and A. G. Kirby, both famous' Oxford old blues, have oonsontcd in coach the Yolo University orow for its raco with Harvard. ' "Sporting Life" says they will leave for America in May, acoompanied by G. Si M'Lean, an old ooxswain of tho Oxford lioat, and honorary secretary of the Briitiih Rowing Association. It is not likely, however, that ho will assist in training the Yale crow. Gold -is ono of the cleverest coaches who over trained a University eight. He lias put tho finishing touches on the Oxford crew for several years, and also coached tlio Leander crew, tho winners at the Olympio regatta at Stockholm.

It is ono of the most difficult things to understand (ho militants that tlioy seem to boVmorp savagely inclined ngninst those who arc ill favour of tlio Sud'rajje than against those who arc uot.— taily Betty Balfour,