FINEST IN HISTORY

NZ Truth, Issue 1213, 28 February 1929, Page 16

FINEST IN HISTORY

(Prom "N.Z. Truth's" Special Rowing .Correspondent.) "When young Turner, the Tauranga sculler beat "Gus" Jackson by six inches m the national champion single sculls at Picton he achieved his life's ambition 'm the' most sensational race m the history of the contest. '.'...

IT was a genuine surprise, and yet on looking over the two men as they stripped before the race it was plain > that Turner was the much fitter man, 1 Turner has been rowing three years and has improved each sea- '■ ■ son. This season his record reads three starts, three wins, and he is now New Zealand's champion. ' He ha.d trained carefully for last i Saturday's race, and went to the post i m perfect physical condition, s Still, few, if any,- expected it ito be a . really hard tussle, as the big fellow had • sculled so well. the. previous;: Saturday at Wellington.

Turner roAved with splendid judgment. He hopped away smartly, and when they had settled down was just ahead of Jackson, who was rowing 36 to the minute, with Turner doing a shade quicker. It was a wonderful race between the two from start to finish, with never a length between them, while for the greater part it was impossible to, say who was leading. So they battled on to the finishing line, and the judge must have had difficulty m deciding. Turner got the decision by six inches and -he deserved it for his dashing, plucky sculling. .