WITH the OARSMEN

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 178, 18 October 1927, Page 12

WITH the OARSMEN

> BY

“RIGGER"

FIVE EIGHT-OAR CREWS The opening: of the Wanganui rowing season last Saturday was notable because it was responsible for the appearance of five eight-oar boats, the largest number seen afloat together in New Zealand. Two of the craft were the Wanganui Rowing Club’s 20-year-old clinker-built ships, in which many Somerville Shield races have been rowed. Constructed by Edwards, they are still in excellent condition. Two other boats were new best and best shells, entrusted to the Wanganui and Aramoho Clubs by the New Zealand A.R.A., and the fifth was the Digger eight, built on the same pattern, in which Healey and his crew rowed historic races in England and France after the war. * * * TROPHY FOR EIGHTS The Somerville Shield for eight-oar racing at present ornaments the Waitemata Club’s shed. It is a handsome piece of work, and therefore the intention of Mr. Haliburton Johnstone, of Point Chevalier, to present an immense silver bowl for eight-oar racing may be attributed more by benevolent and sportsmanlike motives than any real need for such a trophy. Just as it would be regrettable if Mr. Johnstone’s handsome offer were refused, it would be unsatisfactory if both the shield and the cup covered the same series of races. Hitherto the lack of facilities for eight-oar rowing has prevented full development of the Somerville Shield series, but now that boats are available in almost every centre there should be many more challenges entered. _ HISTORIC CUP Mr. Johnstone last week informed the writer that he would extend the competition for his cup, which is at present in the silversmith’s hands —it has a history, as it pnce belonged to a Scottish peer—so that the series could allow for Australian entries. This, too, is perhaps hardly essential. Australia at present has for its eight-oar racing the King’s Cup, the striking cup won by Australian soldier-oarsmen at Henley in 1919. Where Mr. Johnstone’s cup would be useful would be in interprovincial eight-oar races. The Somerville Shield is purely a club trophy, and there is no eight-oared series. Should such a race be inaugurated, it would have to be better arranged than the interprovincial fours, a contest that has in the past failed to excite more than half-hearted interest. * * * RULED OUT Whatever hope there is for the development of eight-oar racing in New Zealand —and until that hope materalises New Zealand can never figure very conspicuously in international rowing—the Somerville Shield must be the immediate basis of it. For that reason, the attitude of the New Zealand Rowing Association, which last season declined to allow the new eights housed n Auckland to be used for a Somerville Shield challenge, is altogether mystifying. Presumably, on the obvious inference that its at tirade was guided by regard for the boats, the N.Z.A.R.A. already realises that it made a hideous blunder in not ordering the sturdier but only slightly less speedy clinker boats, instead of the fragile best and best shells. Even so, it is entirely defeating the object of the purchases when it declines to allow the use of the craft in such a good drawing fixture as a shield race would be. WORD FROM MELBOURNE Friends in Auckland have received further word from W. A. Stevenson, the Waitemata, sculler, and his coach, \Tr # W. Tinean. who are at Melbourne preparing for next Saturday’s important sculling events at the Menley-on-Yarra regatta. Stevenson has taken delivery of his new Sims boat, which he already prefers to the old skiff, and in which he will probablerace on Saturday. A certain lack of finish, and the flatness of the

sliding seat, were the only points in respect of which it compared unfavourably with the other boat * * * AUCKLANDER’S CHANCES i On what he had seen of the Aus--1 tralian crews and scullers, Mr. Logan.

when he last wrote, was inclined to fancy the chances of Stevenson, and of the Waitemata crew as well. The sculler, he mentioned, hoped to be in tip-top form just in time for the regatta, though he was still feeling the effects of the ’oyage, and was finding the variable climate trying. “It is winter one day and mid-summer the next,” said Mr. Logan, who mentioned further that all the including Pearce, whom Fioyd has been coaching on the Parramatta, would be working on the course this week. * * • LONGER ROWING HOURS The hours at the disposal of oarsmen will be substantially extended by the introduction next month of daylight saving, and on that account the Auckland Rowing CUib has already decided to make an effort to capitalise the innovation by staging trials in the evenings. Two sets of evening trials are to be rowed, with two heats on one evening, the final the next. The Auckland Club intends at present to be represented at all the northern regattas this season, and to compete in all inter-club events. * * * AUCKLAND’S PROGRAMME The Auckland Club has drawn up the following provisional programme for the 1927-28 season: October* 22—Wm. Clark Memorial Shield, four-oar. November s—Club trophies. November 19—Schmidt trophies; most likely Barrett Cup, at West End Club, four-oar. November 23 and 24—Club trophies (evening trials), four-oar. December 3—Kohn Challenge Cup, fouroar. December 17 —Mr. Moses’s trophies, pairJanuary 14—Mr. Hogan’s trophies, pairoar. January 23 and 24—Club trophies (evening trials), four-oar. February 4—Kohn Medals, four-oar. February 11—Reserved for Smith Shield inter-club events. February IS —Club “At Home”; Mr. deal’s and Mr. Farmers’ trophies, eight-oar; Caro Cup inter-club race. February 25 —Reserved for Mcllwraith Cup. , . March 12—Mr. McCormick’s trophies, pair-oar. WAITEMATA MAN ABROAD T. R. Impey, the Waitemata oarsman, is at present travelling in England and on the Continent. Leaving Auckland at the end of last season, Impey did not originally intend to stay long away, but he now writes to say that he may stay some months in England or* France. He has joined the famous Thames Rowing Club, whose palatial buildings were the headquarters of New Zealand soldier-oarsmen at the close of the war. Impey was a highly successful oarsman in Auckland, despite his lack of weight, and last season rowed in the Waitemata junior crew. ODDS AND ENDS Waitemata has a promising new man in Quinn, a strapping youth from Rotorua. North Shore is opening on November 19. The proceedings will probably be filmed by the North Shore Development and Expansion League. It is possible that there will be a gap in the Waitemata senior crew when it returns from Melbourne. N. Doubleday may stay in Australia. St. George’s got very little satisfaction out of the Harbour Board last week. The question of giving the club a new site has been deferred for , six months —not a very helpful arrangement at the present time.