ROWING

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 146, 16 March 1939, Page 13

ROWING

1 Eights Day Postponed CLUB COMPETITIONS Several Yet To Be Decided (By Stroke.) The Wellington Rowing Association has decided to postpone till later in the season tlie regatta day for eight-oared crews. The races were to have been-held next Saturday, but the date is now to be fixed at tlie next meeting of the association. Club Races.

Clubs will be glad of the opportunity *to catch up on their programme of club races. Petone have arranged to row their open pairs and double sculls competitions and also tlie final of the novice pairs for the Jcnness Cup. The finalists are T. Te Puni and W. Jonassen and L. Smith and I. Vartlia, but if other entries are forthcoming, they will also be allowed to compete. , , , During tlie week the Petone clubs junior pairs competition for tlie Saunders Cup was completed, R. Lowe and E. Timlev beating R. Delaney and 11. Te Puni bv two lengths. . The Wellington club will hold its club fours on Saturday, entries closing at 2.t0 p.m. sharp.

Club Race Completed. The Wellington club's pairs competition, begun on Saturday afternoon, was completed during the week. J. Luke and E. McSherry had no ditliculty in beating W. "Mclvor and G. Hayton by three lengths. McSherry, who stroked the youths’ crew in open regattas tiiis year, ha's shown much improvement and is developing into a promising oar.

Old Members’ Day. The Star club had a good muster of former oarsmen and supporters of the club on the occasion of Old Members’ Day last Saturday. Whaleboat races in which the boats were steered by ex-servicemen, were keenly contested and there was a dead-heat in the final. The race was won by K; Frazer, I*. Taylor, A. Orr, W . Young, J. Ashby, and C. E. Holmes (steer oar). The Petone club is to hold its Old Members’ Day on March 25, when it is hoped that the water conditions will permit of veterans’ races being held over a quarter of a mile. Last year three crews took part in this event, but this year’s entry is expected to be larger. No date has yet been fixed for the Wellington club’s Old Members’ Day.

Leaving for South Africa. At one time a leading Otago oarsman and for 47 years a member of the Otago club. Mr. P. J. Priest, who will leave for South Africa this week, has been prominent in rowing circles for many years. He intends to join members of his family in Kenya Colony, where he will in the future reside. Mr. Priest first joined the Otago club in 1892 and at various periods he held the offices of secretary, club captain and vice-president. For his services to the club over a long period he was elected a life member. He was a prominent senior oarsmen and was a member of many successful crews. lie can claim the distinction of having taken part in the first interprovineial race in the Dominion. That race was staged at the conclusion of the championship regatta at Dunedin in ISOS and was styled “North v. South.” Mr. Priest was a member of the Otago club eight, which, as the champion crew in the south at that time, was selected to race against a composite crew from the North, which included members of the Picton champion four and the champion pair from Wellington. The South won by about six lengths, tlie race being rowed over a two-mile course from Ravensbourne to the Rattray Street Wharf. In later years Mr. PrieSt maintained his interest in rowing and lias given service as an official at regattas. He will carry the good wishes of oarsmen, past and present, on his departure for South Africa.