ROWING

Evening Star, Issue 19805, 2 March 1928, Page 12

ROWING

NORTH END CLUB'S SUCCESS [By Da mi Buie.] Rowing men in Dunedin were delighted to sec the North End Club win the senior fours race at the Port Chalmers regatta, as it is many years since the wearers of the red and black wore victorious in the most important event at any regatta. In the past the North End Club produced many doughty oarsmen, and it seemed a pity that with such an excellent record the club should have more or less stood ■ still, as it undoubtedly did in recent years. But matters have taken a decided turn for the better, and enthusiasm again reigns in tho old shed. May the win of its seniors spur the members of the club on to still greater efforts. Following are the records of the various clubs at the Port Chalmers regatta last week Firsts. Seconds. North End 3 0 Port Chalmers 2 4 Queen’s Drive 1 8 Otago ... ... 1 1 Oamaru 1 0 The Otago Rowing Association’s regatta will be held at Port Chalmers on March 23 (Anniversary Day). The programme is as lollows:—Junior double sculls, maiden fours, youths’ double sculls, junior fours, maiden double sculls, senior fours (best and best boats), maiden pairs, youths-’ fours, and senior pairs. The following crews will represent tho North End Boating Club at Ravensbourne regatta on Saturday next: —Youths’ fours: No. I—\V. Titchener, C. Barton, R. Clarke, H. Rodgers; No. 2—W. Wilson, A. Deans, H. Chapman, and M. Wilson. Maiden fours—P. Vallis, A. Johnston, L. M'Queen, and J. Hurrell.

For the past fortnight the members of the North End Club have been training thoroughly and consistently, and in preparation for the Port Chalmers regatta two more races were rowed for the Moller Cup presented by Mr E. T. Moller for competition among regatta crews. As two of the crew were absent at camp, the maiden crew handed the cup to the youths, who received their first challenge from the No. 2 maiden crew. Both crews started from scratch. The youths soon drew away from the maiden crew and maintained a good lead to the finish, winning by about five lengths. The junior crew then challenged the youths. The crews were; Youths—W. F. Titcheuen (sir), 0. Barton, 11. Clarke, and H. Rodgers (bow); juniors—G. Duncan (str), J. Mitchell, E. Manson, A. Deans (bow). With a flying start the youths got away from the juniors, and a hard race was rowed by both crows. At Black Jack’s Point the juniors had drawn up on the youths and were slightly in the lead. Here the water was extremely choppy, and the juniors, who were in the wmrst water, had to nurse their boat. Once through this bad patch of water, the juniors made a great effort, and drew well away from the youths. In the last stage of the race the youths quickened up, and rowed one of the finest finishes seen in any of the club races. Though the juniors beat the

youths over tho course, they did not manage to beat the handicap. At the Port Chalmers regatta the North End Club had the most successful day for many years. The youths are to be complimented on their excellent performance, especially Titchener and Barton, who also won the youths’ pairs. This crew deserved their success, as they were regularly at the shed at 6 in the morning, us well as doing their usual training in tho evening. The most popular win at tho Port Chalmers regatta was that of the North End four. This win in the senior lours is the first one for some twenty odd years, Mark Higgins _ being tho last winning senior stroke in the club. This win is a most creditable one, especially when it is borne in mind that the boat is now in its twenty-fourth year of service. The crew was as follows G. Duncan (stroke), J. Mitchell (3), E. Mauson (2), and A. Deans (bow). The success of the seniors is in a large measure due to their coach, Sir J. Maguire, tho Waitemata ex-champion, who has spent many weeks in coaching the crew. The Port Chalmers junior crew—H. Glengarry, J. Solomon, C. Nelson, and C. Lewis—has so far this season secured three wins out of three starts. This crew is a good combination, and it is hoped the members will keep together and attain senior honors before long. Tho Auckland province has the best rowing course in the dominion, now that the completion of the Arapuni dam has given a stretch of sheltered water. Onlookers can see the whole course from a nearby hill. Transport arrangements are the present drawback, but these, it is contemplated, can be overcome. A cable message in Australian papers states that the third race between Barry and Goodsell will take place on the Thames. The date has not yet been fixed.

The Port Chalmers No. 1 maiden crew (H. Cramond, J. M‘intyre, W. Smith, and J. Thompson) is now in the able hands of J. Brennan. The crew has improved considerably in both slide and water work. The No. 1 youths have had a change in the crew owing to A. O’Brien attaining the age limit. The crew for the Port Chalmers regatta last Saturday. was G. Cramond, W. Parsons, 1). Miller, and L. Madigan. Latest advices suggest that W. A. Stevenson, the Waitemata sculler, will not be going to Wanganui for the championships. His defection should leave the tile open to I. W. St. Clair, the Hamilton man, who has been a consistent runner-up. There may be a surprise challenger among the numerous promising young scullers who are now m the held. IX Davies, of North Shore, will be one of those making the trip to Wanganui. The cup presented by Mrs J. Mill to the Port Chalmers Club will be inscribed as follows:—“The John Mill Memorial Challenge Cup for the winner of club fours. Presented by Mrs J. Mill in memory of the late J. Mill, who was president of the Port Chalmers Rowing Club for twenty-one years.” It has been the custom to present medals to the crew winning the club fours, but this year , the club intends to purchase a shield, on which the names of the winners of the Mill Cup will be engraved. A Sydney cablegram stales that the “New South Wales Rowing Association decided not to avail itself of the New Zealand Amateur Rowing Council’s invitation to send a crew to New Zealand, as, in view of the coming King’s Cup race, it was unable to submit a crew strong enough to oppose the dominion’s best.” In commenting on this matter the Christchurch JStar’ says that no doubt the reason given is the one of primary consideration, hut an almost equally important one is the matter of expense. There is no “gate” in connection with amateur rowing in Australia, and every year the respective State associations are very much concerned over the raising of funds to finance crows for the King’s Cup race. They, in fact, have no money to spend on outside ventures. On the question of finance the following, from an Australian paper, is distinctly interesting:—Every State has its yearly problem to solve. How to finance the King’s Cup crew? Mr C. A. Grimloy, the treasurer of the Queensland association, has gone to considerable trouble to work out the proportionate cost to clubs to send the next Queensland crew to compete in the Australian championship on the Nepean River in May next. Under his scheme the association contributes 20 per cent., the balance being made np as follows;—20 per cent, by the club winning the State champion eights, who represent the State, and 1\ per cent, each from the oilier affiliated clubs, vvhicli means that the crew will have to find about £6O themselves, and the other chibs £22 each. The clubs have to lodge a guarantee that they will meet their obligations, otherwise they will not_ be allowed to compete in the championships or any race conducted by the Q.R.A. Australia has produced some big men in the sculling line. Trickett, the first to win the world’s sculling championship for Australia, stood Cft 3}in and weighed 12st 71b. Contemporaries of his were Elias Laycock (who won the Great Hop Bitters Prize on the Thames on November 17, 1860, and twice rowed Edward Hanlan for the championship), who stood 6ft 2in and weighed 12st 81b, and Michael Rush, who stood 6ft lin and weighed _l3st. Tom Clifford stood 6ft and weighed over 13st, and Ben Thoroughgood Cft l£in and weighed 13st 71b. The biggest of the bunch of giants was James Paddon ,who stood 6ft 3|in and weighed List, Next to him came the late Jack M'Lean, who stood 6ft_3iu and weighed 13st 101 b. By comparison Harry Searle, who, according to men who should know their subject, was the most brilliant sculler _ that ever contested the championship, was a small man. He stood sft and weighed list 81b. J. M'Lean, -whose death at Clovelly, near Sydney, was recently announced, came from the Richmond River (New South Wales) district, and was one of the biggest and best men from that place, which has produced some famous scullers. Although his name is not found on what is regarded as the official list of world’s champions, there is little doubt that it should be there.

When Beach retired, after defeating Hanlan for the championship on November 26, 1887, Kemp and Tom Clifford raced for the title on February 11, 1888. Kemp won, and then defeated Banian on May 5 and September 28. On November 7 he lost the title to Harry Searle. On Searle’s death the title became vacant, _ and Kemp, as the previous holder, claimed it, and was challenged by Neil Matterson, whom he defeated on April 25. 1890. A month later Kemp defeated M'Lean, who, however, on December 15, 1890, turned the tables and secured the championship, but lost it to Stanbury (whom he had defeated on November 17, 1890) on April 28, 1891. The official record makes no reference to Kemp’s races with Matterson and M'Lean, but in Australia they are recognised as for the championship. Searle defeated O’Connor (Canada) on the Thames for the championship on September 9, 1889, and O’Connor, after

Searle’s death', visited Australia, and the official record credits- his race with Stanbury on the Parramatta on June 3U, 1890, as for the championship. In reporting the death of M'Lean, Australian papers credit him with being champion by virtue of his defeat of Kemp. It will be seen from the foregoing that M'Lean had doubleclinched his right to the title, for, if Kemp was the rightful holder, he had won it from him, and if he was not the holder and Stanbury was (by defeating O’Connor on June 30, 1890), then M'Lean, bj defeating Stanbury on November 1/. 1890, undoubtedly was champion. Mention was _ recently made of the movement to institute other inter’varsity races in England, in addition to the annual Oxford-Camhridge race. It is now announced that a race has been arranged between London University and the newly-created University of Reading, and that it will take pla'ce on the Thames on March 3. Alf. Burns, who successfully defended his title of champion or Australia at Broadwater, Richmond River. New South Wales, recently, against Bert M'Laren, • won the title on June 5 1926, by defeating Frank Scroopo. Last year he defeated Tom Saul, who was considered good enough to match against Major Goodseli for the_ world’s championship. Burns, who hails from the Richmond River district', is regarded as the man likely to regain the world's championship for Austraiu should Goodseli fail against Barry in the race on the Than?"'

(Continued from page 12.) Hughes drives well both forehand and backhand, and rarely plays a defensive shot. Perhaps he would do better if he picked the right balls to drive. CANTERBURY MATCH. Canterbury is paying a, compliment to Otago in selecting their strongest team for the representative match in Christchurch to-morrow. The first four men for Canterbury are Ollivier, Seay, Angas, and Walker, the Wilding Shield team that won the shield from Wellington last week. The other two players are Glanville and T. W. Patterson. The ladies are just as strong, Misses Speirs, Wake, and Andrew forming the backbone of the team. A SURPRISE. The result of the Wellington-C'an-terbury interprovincial match came somewhat as a, surprise after the Christchurch men’s team had lifted the Wilding Shield the previous day. With the twelve singles matches finished the score stood at six matches all, with every prospect of a close finish. Thereafter Canterbury won only one more match, losing the three men’s and the three ladies’ doubles and five of the six mixed doubles. Their sole success in this department came when Glanville and Mrs Beale beat Goldie and Miss East 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. One of the best matches of the day was seen when Wilson and Miss Tragy met Angas and Miss Speirs, a great match ending in favor of the Wellington pair 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. Southland plays North Otago in Dunedin on March 22. A date for the Otago-North Otago match has not yet been announced..