AQUATICS.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2492, 1 April 1882, Page 3

AQUATICS.

OTAGO E.O. v CANTEBBUBY 8.0.

The third annual conteit between the Otago and Canterbury Bowing Oluba has been fixed to come off on the Eituary on the evening of Wednesday next. The Otago men arrived in town on Thursday by the Botomahana, and proceeded to Sumner, where they have taken up their quarters, in order to be close at hand and take advantage of as much practice as possible over the course chosen for the race. Through the kindness of Mr J. S. Monok, their boat (a beautifully built craft by deeper, fitted with 22in slides) has been provided with secure accommodation at a convenient distance from the jetty, and the Otago crew may be daily seen doing their preliminary work on the Estuary. The visiting crew is a strong and thoroughly representative one of the Otago club, and, judging by their appearance both ashore and afloat, they are in good form, and will take a lot of beating. The stroke, Mr W. J. Aipinall, than whom there are few better oarsmen in New Zealand, will be remembered as occupying the premier position in the Otago boat on the occasion of the first contest in 1880, and the splendid way in which he captained his crew over the course and bora off the palm with the greatest ease, will long be remembered by those who witnessed the race, and especially by those composing the Canterbury crew—who could get no show of seeing the race. Messrs Fowler and Le Oren, the Nos. 2 and 3, are strangers on the Canterbury waters, but under such a general as Aspinall they will have every chance of acquitting themselves in the boat with credit. Dr. Boberts, the bow, occupied the same position in the Otago boat on the occasion of the first visit of the Southerners, and if he shows such good form as he did then, he will prove a great acquisition. With the regard to the representatives of the Canterbury Club, it may be mentioned that the committee, for several seasons past, has been singularly unfortunate in the matter of keeping a really good crew together; not, by the way, through there being a lack of efficient oarsmen amongst the long list of members now composing the club, but from the simple reason that almost as soon as what bade fair to develop into a thoroughly representative crew had been got together and had commenced to row in good form, gome unforeseen event has transpired and scattered them to the four winds of the colony. For instance, out of what was originally known as the “boys’ crew,’’and which was fast developing into a senior crew that would have stood a lot of beating from any four in New Zealand, only one remains in Christchurch, Mr J. O. Martin, and ho has long since given up developing his muscular and physical powers by rowing, and gone in for extensive practice in the legal profession. The other members of the crew, namely, Messrs. Fooks, Lean, and Lanauze, have all removed from Christchurch. Subsequent to this another promising crew was coming on and commencing to row together in capital form, but recently events have transpired that have separated this four also, and to row the third annual contest against Otago on Wednesday next the racing committee of the C.B.C. have to fall back on such veterans as Messrs. J. O. Jores and J. W. Davis, the crew being made up as follows :—J. O. Jones, bow; J. W. Davis, No. 2; E. M. Boulton, No. 3 ; L. M. Ollivier, stroke. Taken as a whole this is the best that could be got together at the present juncture, and though one might expect to see newer blood from such a large club, yet the representatives of the O.E.U. this year make by no means a weak crew, and if all goes well, whatever the final result of the contest may be, the honour and prestige of the club may be safely left in the hands of those selected to row. The stroke, though we should like to have seen one with a little more dash and fire for a final spurt in the case of a very close race, is possessed of plenty of stamina, and for dogged determination and pluck in a boat he has already, on more than one occasion, deservedly won great praise. No. 3 has helped to win many good events on the Avon, the Heathoote, and at Lyttelton, and he was one of the crew that beat the Otago men last year on their own waters. He has, however, of late contracted a habit of rowing with a rather choppy stroke, a defect which he would do well to remedy. No. 2 is a veteran, and has helped to score many good wins in past years, but he had almost given up taking an active part in rowing until last year, when ha was again induced to try bis strength and put his remaining mettle once more to the test. This he did, and that, too, with no small amount of success. He is again in good form, and it is not saying too much to state that Le is a valuable acquisition to the present crow. Like No. 2, bow is a veteran of many years' rowing experience, and Mr J. O. Jones is so well known in aquatic circles for his great zeal in and love of this kind of sport, and is the holder of such a vast number of rowing trophies of all descriptions, that one seeing his name now mentioned as a representative of the olub in such a race would be almost inclined to think the committee had made a mistake, and were selecting a grey-haired man in order to give the bow of the boat as venerable an appearance as possible. But the oarsman in question is neither grey-haired or one who has lost any of his former energy and pluck, and however close the contest may be, be can be safely reckoned on to use every particle of strength he possesses from start to finish. Naturally he bos lost some of his old form, bnt he is still a thoroughly reliable oar, and cannot by any means be considered a weak point in the boat. The boat to be used by the 0.E.0. crew is one of Balter’S', fitted with 15in slides, and though a good one, she is not equal for racing purposes to the Clasper-built boat brought up by the Otago crew. At present the honors are equally divided between the two clubs, Otago having won the first contest, which took place, as above referred to, on the Estuary in 1880, and Canterbury bearing away the prize last year, when the race was rowed in Otago. From this circumstance very great interest is being centred in the coming struggle, and the crews being fairly evenly matched, a good race is expected to be the result.