WITH the OARSMEN

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 160, 27 September 1927, Page 12

WITH the OARSMEN

BY

“RIGGER”

Boisterous weather over the weekend made rowing almost an imposisbility on the harbour. The conditions for some time past have been aonormal, and already much good coaching time has been lost and crews, especially maidens, will be thrown- back. Among the crews seen out was the Waitemata Senior Four. The four, which "leaves for Melbourne on the Maheno next Friday, has been in fairly constant training, although the weather conditions have made for a good deal of broken work. CREW FOR AUSTRALIA The drew travels by way of Sydney, going by train to Melbourne. Considerable trouble is. anticipated in the transport of the crew’s best-and-best boat, as no direct steamer is available and it is almost impossible to send boats by train from Sydney to Melbourne, because of the changing over at Albury, where the different railway gauges meet. Advice has been received from the New Zealand Rowing Association confirming the appointment of Mr. A. M. Mackay as manager of the crew for the trip. Mr. Mackay has held the office of club captain of the Waitemata Club for some years past and is also a member of the Auckland Rowing Association. A few seasons back he was rowing in the Waitemata Club’s crack Junior Four, which had an unbeaten record for t w o consecutive seasons. All Auckland oarsmen will join m wishing the crew every success on its visit- ... AUCKLAND CLUB The annual report of the Auckland Rowing Club has come to hand and shows the club to be in a thriving condition It succeeded in winning the Smith Shield, the premier four-oar event on the harbour, and had a long run of success with the light maiden crew. Furthermore, the finances of the club are well on the right side. It will be onlv a matter of a couple of seasons when the club should be holding a position as strong as it did before the war. It has young and capable oarsmen coming on who should make good seniors in a very few years. OLYMPIC GAMES Among the news telegrams this week is word from Wellington that the New Zealand Olympic Council will endeavour to raise funds to send a rowing eight to this year’s Olympic Games. This was backed up by the formation of a branch of the Olympic Council in Auckland. It appears to -Rigger” that a considerable amount of effort will be required to raise the necessary money, as some thousands will be required.

It is to be hoped that the eight can be sent, as apart from Rugby football, rowing seems to be the one sport where New Zealand is definitely ahead of other countries. The last New Zealand representative eight won very convincingly in Australia in 1925, and no doubt it was this victory that influenced the Australians in deciding not to send an eight to the Games this year. Of the last representative crew the members at present rowing are Healey, Bayly, G. St. Clair, Brown and Johnson, most of whom would be available for the Olympic crew if picked. Since that crew was selected new forces have come to light, in the shape of the Otago four and the Waitemata four. It will be hardly possible to leave the selection of the crew till the next championship regatta in March or April of next year, as the crew will probably have to leave about that time. * * * NEW ZEALAND.COACH The coach of the New Zealand crew in Australia was Mr. H. Ayres, who will probably be one of the selectors for the next eight. He is responsible for the coaching of the Canterbury Club’s crews and also coaches the crews from Christ’s College. .Playing rover for the South combined team at Eden Park on Saturday was W. Bay ley, who is a “redcoat” man from the Hamilton Club, having won the Champion Fours in 1925. Bayley is still rowing, aitnough the crew did not meet with much success last season.. Mr. Bryden. who refereed the game, is also weli known in rowing, having coached the Hamilton Club’s senior four for some seasons past.