SPORTING NOTES.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4139, 26 June 1874, Page 3

SPORTING NOTES.

Sporting contributors to the Canterbury Press make the following notes upon the results of the past boating and cricketing season : BOATING. While on the subject of the big race at the Interprovincial meeting, it appears to me that at present the steering without coxswains is rather a mistake. It may be admitted that a coxswain is a weight which a four-oared crew is better without, always supposing that some member of the crew is sufficiently skilled to do the piloting and his own work too ; but our experience, “so far as we have got,” tends rather to show that we have been in too much of a hurry to dispense with our pilots. In a lot, of say five boats, we may assume, for the sake of argument, that there are two crews possessing men capable of rowing and steering too. The chances of both these crews may, and from past experience we may say probably will, he spoilt by the wild steering of some or all the other three. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that we can learn from the last Interprovincial Pour-oar, that we had better be quite sure of onr rowing before wo attempt to combine steering with it. The Pair-oar Champion Eace brought out a good number of competitors, but of the rowing it is impossible to say too hard things. ■ The winners had practised together steadily, and won easily, but the rest were almost to a man members of the crews which had competed in the big race. Most of them had never had more than a few days’ practice together in a pair-oar, and, as usual, took it for granted that the fact of rowing for a month with a man in a four gave them an excellent chance of winning with him in a pair, without any extra practice. This is erroneous. No class of rowing is harder to learn properly than pair-oar, and in forming crews no rowing is more useful. This remark is not original. It is the experience of the best oarsmen in England, and I make captains of clubs a present of this imported remark with the greatest pleasure. In a Province which usually in its annual regattas has several sculling races, it does seem strange that no sculling boats of any kind have been procured by any of the clubs. Sculling has been called by one of the best boating men in England the “ poetry of rowing.” Wo don’t seem to go in for poetry here ; but we might perhaps do so in the future, on the principle that if it be found impossible to persuade four men, or even two, to go in together for regular practice, perhaps in each, or even one club, there may be found one man who could he induced to go and row by himself. At p resent this is impossible. CRICKET. There have been two Interprovincial matches this year—one with Auckland and the annual match with Otago. The former was played in Christchurch and the latter in Dunedin. In both these matches Canterbury lost. And we think that these defeats are in a great measure due to the want of practice, which was shown all through the season. It is to be regretted that several of our best players could not get away for the match with Otago, as we feel sure that had a good eleven gone down the result might have been very much more favorable. Wood is tins year at the head of the list with a splendid average of 35-4; although he has played in very few innings, still he has batted remarkably well. Corfe and E. Eowler, who were highest last season, come next with 22-3 and 18-13 respectively. H. W. Moore is next, but only played in three innings. A. J. Cotterill, Barker, J. Eowler, Monck, Ollivier, and Souter have all obtained double figures. In bowling, Sweet shows best, each wicket having cost him a little over eight runs. E. J. Cotterill has only bowled in a few innings. Souter and Puller are close up, the latter as in last season having bowled the greatest number of balls. E. Eowler has also been very successful in getting wickets.