AQUATICS.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1293, 11 May 1878, Page 3

AQUATICS.

ELLIOTT AND NICHOLSON ON THE TYNE FOR £2OO. On March 4t.h, William Elliott, of Pegswood, and William Nicholson, of Stockton, brought off a match on that river, from the Mansion House to Scotswood Suspensionbridge, for £IOO a-side, and the iuterest taken in the affair was very great. The start was fixed for twenty-six minutes past lhree, and Mr J. Blenkinsopp, of the Northern Rowing Club, was appointed the umpire.

The tide was a very dead, sluggish one, owing to the fresh in the river The toss for sides resulted in favour of Elliott, who selected the north or inside station. Just after the toss had taken place the wind freshened very considerably, and lasted the river into a perfect sea of foam. The importance of the inside station then became manifest, and the odds on Elliott increased to 6 to 4 ani 13 to 8, the latter be ; ng the starting quotation. At twenty-three minutes to four o'clock the men stripped, and there was a slight false start ere they got away on beautiful terms. Nicholson was striking a long, powerful stroke of 36 to the minute, and although th« favourite was putting in 38 to minute, the Stockton sculler showed a slight advantage before they had gone fifty yards. Elliott, however, quickened up, and taking a stronger hold of the water closed np with his man instantly. The boats did not dwell long tog. ther, for Elliott, with all steam on, began to creep away, and he soon increased his lead very rapidly to half a length. The Pegswood sculler was undoubtedly going considerably the faster, and fifty yards below the Skinner Burn Gangway, amidst a scream of delight from his partisans, he drew clear of his opponent. Nicholson spurted with all the power he possessed to close up the gap, but Elliott made his boat perfectly dance again, and keeping up his spurt he led by two lengths as they passed the gangway. From the start up to this point the water had not been what may be called bad, but the men then caught the full force of the breeze, and Nicholson had much the worst of the rowing. Thus, although Elliott eased, he fully maintained his advantage to the foot of the Grindstone Quay, up the side of which heavy seas kept breaking over the men, and repeatedly brought their boats almost broadside od, but Elliott dashed through the swell, and fifty yards below the Redheugh bridge he had three lengths to the good. A great wavp, however, then struck him, and brought him almost to a standstill. Nicholson began to close up the gap, but he also encountered a heavy roller, which not only brought him to a s op, but looked as if it would swamp bim altogether. This misnap enabled Elliott to draw radidly to the front, and he reached the Redheugh biidge five lengths in advance. Time, 4min. 24secs. The heavy rolling surf came round the bend above Redheugh bridge in terrific fashion, and striking both men every now and again, brought the heads of their craft completely round. Elliott at once shot over close into the Lead Works, but the wind being off the south he got no shelter here. Nicholson followed him over, and from this point the race was of a very peculiar character, each alternately being caught and stopped by the waves. Opposite the middle of the Lead Works Elliott met a great roller, and as for the moment he seemed to be waterlogged Nicholson was enabled to reduce the favourite's advantage by a length. Elliott, however, was soon right again, and banging through the rough in fine style he made t"e gap into seven lengths at the Shot Tower, and eight lengths at the New Quay Corner.

There was then a complete change of course on the part of each man. It was next to impossible for a small boat to live in the swell at the north side of the rivor, and both competitors therefore made right over to the south of the stream. Nicholson attempted to go t o soon over, and his boat gettiug broadside to the waves, it was fully expected every now and again that he would be swamped. Elliott made the shoot with a much bettor display of watermanship. The water close under the Dunston shore was certainly smoother than it was on the north side of the river, and Elliott, -whose skill ir going there through the waves was a treat tD see, rapidly quitted his opponent, and quite a hundred yards separated them when they got in close to the Dunston Beach. Nicholson laboured hard amongst the surf, and dropping still further into the rear, he was quite two hundred yards behind his powerful opponent when they reached the point where Mr R. Jewitt's boat-house formerly stood. Elliott maintained bis long lead past the Team Gut. He then came off, and evidently was inclined to go up on the north side of the Meadows, but all of a sudden he changed his mind ; whipping his boat across the stream again, he made for the shelter afforded by the works of High Dunston. This change of tactics lost him quite one hundred yards, and Nicholson, on the other hand, cut it much too fine in passing the Dunston Gangway, r and had to ease for a moment to avoid fouling it, and a little higher up he encountered a heavy swell of wind which brought him to a standstill. Elliott, who ploughed his way through the waves splendidly, increased his advantage steadily, and at the Dunstau Boilor Works quite a couple of hundred yards once more separated them. All interest in the race* was now over, and Nicholson's only hope of gaining a verdict was by the favourite swamping and being unable to finish ; but the Pegswo d man was the cleverer amongst the rough water, and he ultimately won with ease by quite a hundred yards. Time, oOmin. 38secs.