IN THEIR SHELLS

NZ Truth, Issue 1210, 7 February 1929, Page 15

IN THEIR SHELLS

Lyttelton Will See Eight-oarecf Rowing For First Time

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Sowing Correspondent.)

Eight-oare£ racing always has a flair of. the spectacular, and Lyttelton will be provided with plenty of thrills this year when the crews take out their long 1 shells for the championship m March.

OTAGO, Canterbury, Wellington am Marlborough will be represented and possibly an Auckland crew wil compete. . ' ; Last year's race was a splendid one and there is every, prospect of an evej more exciting contest this year. Taking last year's form as a.guidt Canterbury and Otago should agaii fight out the finish, with the odds it favor, of Canterbury. • There is the makings of a solid crew m Marlborough with such oarsmen as the evergreen Hegglun, L. Jackson, W. E. Gibbons, C. Saunders, W. G. Pinkham, and others to choose from. ' Wellington should be able to put a strong crew m the field, and It is hopec better luck will attend them than was the case last year, when they could noi start owing to nutting a hole m theii boat. v , Wanganui is not at all likely to be represented, but the race promises tc be a very fine one. It is to be hoped the weather conditions will be favorable for good rowing, m which case a thrilling struggle should be witnessed. The Queen's Drive Club hopes to send its senior four to the championship regatta to be held at Pic- . ton this month, and is negotiating with the Otago Club for the use of -; its best-and-best four. ; The Wanganui Union Club received a new best-and-best four, built by George Towns, last week. This boat has been built on the same lines as the one damaged at Melbourne, and 4s a very. fine craft. v .

a ■ Last year the rowing 1 of the Union I, crew was not up to real championship 1 standard, and it was Plealey's generalship which won the event, s, The crew showed greatly improved i form prior to going to Henley-on-Yarra, and should be a much better c combination this year, though not yet i up to the standard oC the champions i from the same shed of twenty years or so ago. The Wellington regatta, to be. held on February 16, is likely to be a most successful one. No doubt the majority of the crews which are to compete at the. championship regatta the following Saturday. 1 will be seen out at Wellington,, and this 1 will invest the principal events with 3 great interest. t Wanganui Union will. foe strongly represented at. Wellington. Though the champion four will not compete, Trail 5 and Jackson Avill figure m the.cham- » pion doubles, while Jackson will row I- m the singles. \ : Jackson has been doing a lot of row - L ing, mostly m company with Trail. He should be m good form, but his pros.pects of beating Joe Bright and Stevenson (if the latter competes) will depend greatly on the state of the water. It will need to be smooth for Jackson to do his best, but if he can do that he will certainly win. ... The Auckland Rowing Club celebrated its 60th birthday on January 26, when an "at home" was held, and the main attraction was fours for George Hogan's trophies. :