ROWING CHAMPIONS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 817, 26 February 1910, Page 3

ROWING CHAMPIONS.

NEW ZEALAND CREWS FIRST AND SECOND. FOUR-OARED INTER-STATE RACE. Hobart, Feb. 24. _ At the amateur championship meeting, the Inter-State four-oared race resulted in the two New Zealand crews heading the contestants. The placed crews are: — Union (Wanganui, N.Z.) 1 Blenheim (N.Z.) 2 Nagambie (Victoria) 3 The race, which had been postponed from yesterday owing to the weather conditions being unfavourable, came off to-day over the championship course of three miles on the upper reaches of the Derwent. The water was smooth, but the wind was against the crews. The positions taken up were : Nagambie (Victoria) on the eastern shore, then Derwent, Wanganui, Sandy Bay, Wide Bay, Blenheim, and Adelaide in that order.

A good start was effected. Queensland were the first to catch the water, and obtained a slight lead before any distance was travelled. After 200 yards had been passed Union (Wanganui) picked Queensland up, Nagambie following suit, then Blenheim and Derwent.

Union then went to the front. Rowing a fine even stroke, and putting every ounce of weight into it, Union were rapidly outpacing their opponents, Nagambie being next, then Blenheim, Derwent falling back, and Queensland going right to the rear, with Adelaide last. The farther they went, the bigger the gap Unions made from Nagambie. Blenheim began to catch Nagambie, and Derwent also put in some fine work, the order then being ; Union three or four lengths ahead of Nagambie, Blenheim and Derwent almost in a line for second place. During the third mile Union gave no chance to their opponents to get near them, having half a dozen lengths between them and Blenheim. The conditions then commenced to be too strenuous for Nagambie, and they went into third place, Blenheim taking second, while the pace told its tale on Derwent, who fell back fourth.

There was no further alteration, Union winning by six lengths, Blenheim second, Nagambie third, Derwent fourth, Queensland a bad fifth, Sandy Bay next, then Adelaide. The time was 20 minutes 42 2*ssec.

Cheers, hearty and prolonged, greeted the winners from the crowd on the steamers, and they were renewed as they reached Bridgewater.

Members of the crews, seen subsequently, admitted that the race was a hard one, and that the pace set by the men from Wanganui gave them no chance.

Prior to the race Nagambie were : avourites, and Derwent were next n favour.

To-night the winners were presented with a handsome shield, specially made for the race, while each member of the crew was given a gold medal. Ex-champion W. Webb coached the winning crew.