The World's Sculling Championship.

Hokitika Guardian, 6 January 1922, Page 1

The World's Sculling Championship.

-WIN FOR HADFIELD. DESCRIPTION OF THE RACEiBY gEliEGltAPH—mk PRESS ASSOCIATION 1 WANGANUI, January 5. The sculling race for the championship of the world was rowed this afternon on the Wanganui River in lovely weather, and in a presene of a very large crowd of onlookers. In the mornjer rrreat crowds proceeded up the river. Before the race, both men reported themselves well and confident. Arnst started favourite, but the supporters of Hadfield were sanguine. Hadfield defeated Arns|t Ibv ten lengths. A DI SAP J»(JINTIN G RACE. A,RNST r S EARLY FAILURE.

WANGANUI. January 5

The race for the sculling championship of the world was rowed on the Wanganui river this afternoon, when DlArev Hadfield, defeated Dick Arnst bv ten lengths. . ‘The contest was very disappointing, though it served to show that New Zealand possesses a world’s champion, who should go far. The day was beautifully fine and the course a picture. The tido was with the scullers and there was a light breeze against them. There was a very large crowd of spectators on the steamers and on boats of all descriptions, while there wero thousands on the hillsides.

, THE START. The scullers got away beautifully, the champion striking 28, and the chal. longer 33. After a quarter of a mile had been covered, Hadfield was a length ahead, and it was obvious that Arnst’s star had set. He was putting in powerful strokes, and there was evidence that he was labouring, whereas the challenger was rowing beautifully. and steering a course ns straight as an ar-

RADFIELD WELL AHEAD. At three-quarters of a mile Hadfield lipd increased his lead to three lengths. Arnst’s head was dropping to the left with every stroke, and he was constantly looking round after the challenger. who appeared to he rowing with ease.

ARNST IN DISTRESS. At the mile, which was covered in smin. 57sec, Arnst was striking 26 and Hadfield 24. The champion, however, was not able to maintain his effort, and at the mile and a half, ho was striking 20. and was giving signs of distress. ; About two and n-linlf lengths separat- j ed the men at tins point. _ ■ Gradually Hadfield increased his lead. ■ until at two miles, which was covered in 12min 56secs. lie was five lengths away and was still sculling like a welloiled machine., while Arnst was labouring, bis left arm and shoulder giving every appearance of being troublesome. Turning the corner to the homo stretch, Arnst momentarily quickened, l>nt it was oply a flash in the pan. Hadfield went on undisturbed. Ho evoked enthusiasm by his clean beautiful sculling. Five length* still separated the men. Arnst was rowing and Hadfield 26. THE FINISH.

A quarter of a mile from home Arnst drank a handful of water and then made a gallant attempt to finish, but Hadfield amidst the whistling of engines, and tooting of motors, sculled home an easy winner by ten lengths.

The time was 19min 45sec ARNST’R OPINION.

Arnst interviewed, after the race, said that lie had met a man who was ranch too good for him. Hadfield he said, was bette,- than his training operations had led him to suppose. Arnst had considered himself to he quite back to his old form, bat, evidently he was too old. He wished the new champion every success and was sure he would have a good career. Arnst had intended the race to he his last, win or lose. Now, it was not a matter of speculation; he was done with the game. He had hoped to equal Bill Bench’s record, but he felt that he need not be ashamed with the record he had been able to put up. HADFIELD NOT EXTENDED.

Hadfield interviewed said the race had not distressed him at all. He also spoke generously of Arnst.

THE NEXT RACE. PARDON’S CHANCE. WANGANUI, January 5. Ap interested spectator at today’s boatiim race was Daddy Hannan, whom Arnst ’’defeated on the Wairgu River a few months ago. There was talk tonight of Hannan challenging Hadfield, hut-in view of the ease with which Hadfield heat Arnst, and the ease with which Arnst heat Hannan, it is considered that the next race which will take place on the Wanganui River will more likely bo one between Paddon and Hadfield. An official film of to-day’s race was taken by the Newman Theatre. The stakes are to he paid over tomorrow night. THE NEW CHAMPION.

Darey Hadfield was born near Nelson on December I*. 1899. He started work on a farm at the age of 13£ years and later served a portion of his apprenticeship as a shipwright with his father, going to Auckland in 1910 .to complete his apprenticeship with Charles Bailey. There he took on rowincr and for two years was very successful in fours and doubles sculls. Late in 1912 he tried single sculling and in. March of the following year won the Pearce Cup, and the New Zealand Amateur Rowing Association’s

championship at Wellington. Later in 1 the same year he also won several handicap races at Auckland. In 1914, fladfield retained the amateur championship of New Zealand at Mercer, and also the Pearce Cup at Wellington, and in 1915, at Picton, again justified his claim to be amateur champion. Early in 1916 Hadfield went to the war, and was wounded at Passchendaele. After two months in hospital, be returned to the front, but was attacked by bronchitis, which sent him to England for several months. He won a sculling race at the Hammersmith river regatta, also having a seat in the winning four. The next couple of months saw Hadfield winning a variety of rowing races. As an illustration of his staying powers, it may be mentioned that one afternoon, he covered a mile eight times in ex- , hitoition races, winning on each occasion. After the armistice he represented England in the eight-oared race against France, rowing No 7. In June of the same year, Hadfield iron the single sculls at Walton and Marlow' | regattas, and in July excelled himself j by winning The Kingswood Cup at the Royal Henley peace regatta, defeating some of the world’s noted scullers, including Kinnear, the winner of the 1912 Olympic sculls and the chief sculling contests in England. Hadfield then went to Paris and at the Pershing 1 Stadium Games won the army sculling I championship, defeating representatives of England, France, America, Italy, | Belgium, and Australia. Back in New' Zealand, Hadfield in 1920 once more ! won the amateur championship of New' ] Zealand and the Pearce Cup, while j with A. White he secured the champion double sculls. Hadfield represented New Zealand at the Olympic Games at j Antwerp, where circumstances conspir- ’ ed against him, and on his return j again he retained his championship [ honours with his eves on the world’s professional championship. Hadfield ! turned professional and challenged the winner of the Arnst-Hannan race. The result is as above.

A DOUBLE CLAHVI. j j HANNAN OR PADDON? | The “Sydney Referee” prints a paragraph referring to the intention of Arnst. to give the first race to Hannan should be win the match against Had- : field. The Sydney papers comment adversely on the decision of the champion and say that James Paddon, cham- ; pion of AiiffEralin. should have first claim.

The champion of Australia, James Paddon, voices his views on the subject as follows:—“I issued, per medium of Mr Seifert, a challenge to row the winner of tho Arnst-Hndfield match. I : was quite in time for all purposes, and j naturally expected to hear, in due [ course, that the winner would accept ■ same ; but yon can judge of mv surprise when T read a statement from Arnst to The effect that should he he returned the winner of that match, he bad decided to give Hannan a return match for the title. Nothing bad appeared in print, so far as I am aware in regard to this return match w’ith Hannan until after my challenge appeared in print, and under the circumstances, you will agree with me, I think, when T assert that Arnst is doing all in his power t.o evade meeting me. T am holder of the Australian : title, but am prevented, on every little pretext, having a chance to gain the higher title. Evidently. Arnst has a vivid recollection of our last meeting on the Parramatta! I have never turned, my back upon a challenger who wished to dispute my claim to be sculling champion of Australia, being prepared to take on nil and sundry. One would naturally expect the holder of the higher title to adopt the same attitude, hut such is apparently not the case with Arnst. However, should Hadfield be successful in the match, I claim the right, per my challenge, to first race with him. And, even if he should be successful against me, T am still prepared to take on Arnst, thus proving my anxiety to have a. go at tho present holder of the title to piove which is the better man.”

A GREAT ATHLETIC CAREER. “Dick” Arnst, who is a native of Tai Tapu, first become prominent in the athletic world as a cyclist. Tn 1903 he won the New Zealand wheel race at Christchurch, and subsequently he broke the motor-paced record for every j track he started on. He won the Sydney Thousand in 1906, defeating some of the best men in the world at that time. The same year a syndicate of Christchurch sportsmen, including Dr Thacker, and Messrs J. H. Darker, and ,T. F. Buchanan, sent Arnst to Sydney to try rowing. At that time he know absolutely nothing about sculling, and the first time he sat in n proper sculling boat was on August 12th, 1906. He determined to become n sculler, and as soon as he could row n boat, he did from thirty to fifty mile ß a day. His first race was in a regatta in Sydney Harbour, on January 26fh, 1907, when, with 20sec handicap, he c ame second. . The following month he won the Mick Rush Handicap on the Parramatta with 30sec start. He entered for a race at the Maclean Regatta in March of that year, but fell out of his boat and was unplaced. Some four months later he won the handicap at Maclean from scratch, subsequently winning the handicap at TTllmarra, besides obtaining third place ot Woodhurn, on the Richmond river, and winning the Coraki Handicap from scratch at Christmas time. His numerous successes had given him confidence, and he challenged the winner of the Webb-Tressider race, which was fixed for November, 1908 While waiting for this race, he rowed and defeated Harry Pearce for a £IOO a side on the Parramatta in August 1908. After defeating Pearce he came to New Zealand to row Webb, and in defeating the latter, he attained the

coveted title of world’s champion. The first race against Webb was rowed on the Wanganui op December 15th, 1908 and on July 22nd, 1909 Arnst again defeated Webb after what he maintains was the hardest race of his career. He then successfully defended his title against G.' Welch (at Akaroa harbour, New Zealagd, on April 4th 1910) against E. Barry (on the Zambesi, Rhodesia, oh August 18th, 1910) and against H. Pearce (on the Parramatta river, Sydney on July 11th, 1911) On July 29th., 1912 he lost, the title to Ernest Barry over the Putney to Mortlake course on the Thames. Barry then successfully defended the title against three challengers (Durnan, Pearce and Paddon), until he lost to A. D. Felton on the Thames on October 27th., 1919. Arnst regained it by default through the non-acceptance of his challenge and on June 11th, 1921, he rowed his first race since he came back, easily defeating J. P. Hanan of Blenheim on the Wairau river.