VARSITY ROWING

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 80, 25 June 1927, Page 11

VARSITY ROWING

SYDNEY VISIT INVITATION EXTENDED WILL TRIP BE MADE? THE New Zealand University . footballers had more than one mission during their recent stay in Sydney. One of these was to inquire about Varsity rowing over there, with the objet of inducing a visit from a Sydney University crew. Some of the footballers (says the Sydney “Evening News”) were keenly interested in the Sydney University Boat - Club, and were most disappointed that they could not remain to witness the inter-Varsity race. It is proposed that the Sydney University Boat Club should send an eight or four crew to New Zealand next Christmas to compete in the local club regattas. There are many races held around Christmas and New Year’s Day, and the visiting crew could make a round tri p by steamer, stopping at each place for a race. WOULD HELP THE SPORT The interest aroused by this visiting crew could then be carefully nursed into enthusiasm, and, as a result, they hope to be able to form boat clubs at several of the Universities, especially at Auckland. There are many rowing clubs throughout New Zealand, but, as a whole the standard of rowing is not remarkably high. The last All Blacks eight that visited Australia an& beat our crews was an exceptional one, and is no criterion of the sport. Many of the keen University students have done some rowing in local clubs, and have even made up their own crews, borrowing boats and training from the clubs; but this it not like having their own club. A difficulty arises, on account of the nature of fhe Universities in New Zealand. There are four altogether; two in the North Island, at Auckland and Wellington, and two in the South, at Dunedin and Christchurch. All of these are smsHl, and have only a few different faculties at each. So in forming a boat club they would be handicapped by lack of numbers; also, the sport would not have the beneficial results usually derived therefrom, due to mixing with men from other faculties in sport, as they are separated too much.

But since rowing is a popular sport in New Zealand, perhaps its foundation at the Universities would increase the number of students, as many sports go at our University. AUSTRALASIAN RACE?

As a natural result of the formation of University boat clubs, there would ensue an inter-Varsity boat race of New Zealand. This event would grow with time, and perhaps later on they would send over a New Zealand University eight to Australia, to compete in the Australian Universities boat race, which would then become the Australasian Universities boat race.

SOCCER SHOTS

ABOUT GOAL JUDGES ARE THEY NEEDED? The protest of the Tramways Club against a goal awarded to Shore, which gave them victory last Saturday, had to be dismissed by the management, as on a question of fact the decision of the referee is final. But at Home there has been an agitation for the appointment of goal judges who would be stationed behind each goal and whose functions would be to signal when a goal was scored. Often a quick attack outpaces the referee and he has to give a decision from well back. At other times a melee or mix-up in the goal mouth obscures the referee’s vision of the ball, and on all these occasions the presence of a neutral judge would greatly assist the controller with the whistle. It is not suggested that Mr. J. Low was not in a position to judge the disputed point in the Shore-Trams match; Mr. Low is always exemplary in keeping up with the play and giving prompt decisions, but a number of knights of the whistle find it hard to keep pace with the flight of the ball in a lively game and find themselves out of positon to decide whether the whole of the ball has actually passed into goal at times.