Miss Melbourne in Furs

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 193, 4 November 1927, Page 11

Miss Melbourne in Furs

NEW ZEALANDERS AT HENLEY

Great Victorian Rowing Pageant

(By L. E. BROOKER, for THE SUN) HENLEY morning' in Melbourne this -year broke cold and overcast. True, the rain held off and the skies cleared toward midday, but the cold remained, and Miss Melbourne, used to brilliant, warm, spring weather for Henley Day, had perforce to abandon her spring' fashions and fall back on fur coats and winter dresses.

nr HE weather was so cold as seri- ' ously to affect the attendance in the afternoon, though the evening attendance was about the average. However, the colder conditions lessened the enthusiasm of the public, it was conducive to a higher standard of rowing. Thus the New Zealanders found themselves rowing in weather that was sharp and crisp, very, similar to what they had experienced at home during their training, and with everything making for fast times and good oarsmanship. These conditions contrasted strongly with those experienced during the training period in Melbourne, when weather with temperatures ranging up to 95 degrees was the rule. GOOD MANAGEMENT The racing commenced about noon on the Saturday, and thereafter races were sent away at flv,e minutes’ intervals throughout the afternoon. There was a break of about twenty minutes during the afternoon when a parade of decorated canoes was held. The last race was timed to finish at five o’clock, and accurately to time the whole afternoon’s racing was completed. There were 4 5 races altogether—heats and finals. The course is not very wide, and is confined between two lines of booms moored with buoys at about 30-foot intervals. Between the booms there is just room for three crews abreast. This 'necessitates careful steering on the part of the coxswains, but it was

very seldom that three crews were long abreast, as most of the races became confined to two crews toward the finish. In only one case was any fouling of the booms noticed, but the narrow course affected the rowing in the singles considerably. The two bends in the course were a further worry to the single scullers. The best entries for the day were in the Maiden Eights, in which 21 crews faced the starter. In the Stewards’ Challenge Cup there were five entries. This was disappointingly small, especially as entries were confined to Victorian crews. This meant that the Waitemata crew was meetingno opposition from the crack crews from other parts of Australia, and the race lost an international character •that it was intended to have. In the Single Sculls, however, every Australian sculler of note was a starter. , There were the champions of Victoria, ! New South Wales and Tasmania, as j well as our own champion, Steven-! son, and other entries to the total of ; nine. There is little to comment on in the i four-oared race. The Waitemata crew, which was officially Invited to represent New Zealand at the regatta, was too good for the opposition. The crew had been in constant training for a considerable time, both at home and in Melbourne, before the race, ana was turned out very fit, and rowing very well. The first heat was timed

for 3.30 p.m., and was won after a close race by the Nagambie Club’s crew. The second heat followed immediately afterwards, and in it the New Zealanders were matched against Hawthorn. From a good start the two crews raced on fairly equal terms until entering the straight, when the New Zealanders had about a length’s lead. This they held for a short distance, and then quickly drew away to win very easily by four or five lengths. COM FORT ABLE FINAL The. final started at 4.30 p.m., the New Zealand crew being opposed by the Nagambie crew, the winners of the first heat. The start was very poor owing to some misunderstanding of the starters’ instructions, and before the first bend was passed the Nagambie crew held a half-length lead. Rounding the second bend, however, the New Zealanders had obtained a slight lead from their opponents, and immediately on straightening up they showed a wonderful burst of speed, which gave them a clear lead of a couple of lengths. After this they went further away and finished up comfortably winning by four or five lengths again. The crew received a wonderful ovation from the crowds lining the banks. The Nagambie crew represented a country club and was a fine well-set up crew. They had a much harder heat than the New Zealanders. They were unfortunate in that they won their way to the final last Henley, only to be defeated by the Otago crew, which represented New Zealand there that year.

The time for the final was 5.27, which was particularly good. The record for the course stands at 5.14, which was put up during a heavy flood in 1924. This time was equalled by the New Zealand crew in training, when paced by Stevenson, and it seems a pity that the crew was not harder pushed, as they would very likely have eclipsed that record. It is in the Single Sculls that the most opposition was to be met. Stevenson did not look his best on the day, and the writer is of the opinion that he had an “off” day. He may even have been slightly stale, as he had been on the course for over a month. In any case his performance in the race was not equal to times he established in tri&ls a week or so previously. He drew the first heat, in which he met Marsh, champion of Tasmania, and Cambridge, who represented Victoria in the last inter-State series. 'For over half a mile the three competitors were close together, but from this on Stevenson and Cambridge led from Marsh. In the last quarter of a mile Cambridge gradually dropped behind, and Stevenson eventually won by two lengths. It was a gruelling race right up till the last few hundred yards. In the other heats Goulding, New South Wales, won from Ricketts and Hardy, two Melbourne scullers, while Pearce, New South Wales, made no race of it with Kranz and Beaglehole. Kranz was the maiden sculling champion of Victoria last year, but was badly outclassed in this race. FOULED BY GOULDING The competitors in the final were thus Pearce, Goulding and Stevenson, with Goulding in the centre position and Pearce and Stevenson on the north and south banks respectively. From the outset it was a very even race, and past the first bend there was practically no difference in the three men. Coming into the second bend, however, Goulding missed his course badly, and bored over on to Stevenson, whom he fouled. By the time the two had cleared Pearce had a clear length, which he held throughout the race. Goulding, through missing his course, got well on to his wrong side of the river, and held that course throughout the remainder of the race. It was an unfortunate occurrence both for him and for Stevenson. It hindered Goulding badly and lost him second place, as he was automatically disqualified for taking the wrong course. Further, it ruined any chance that Stevenson had. Stevenson set his teeth and made a very determined effort throughout the remainder of the race, but he could not get clear from Goulding. Both Goulding and his trainer, George Towns, were very popular, and Goulding rows a very neat style.

Neither he nor Stevenson, however, has the physique of Pearce, who is well over 13 stone, stands six feet two, and is beautifully built. Furthermore, he is only 22 years old and has been sculling only a couple of seasons. His style is by no means perfect, but he has ample room for improvement and needs only to improve consistently to become an exceptional sculler. OLYMPIC TRIALS

On the Monday following Henley, a test rac6 was held with the object of determining which Sculler should represent Australia at the forthcoming Olympic Games. In this there were some six starters. Stevenson, who of course would not be eligible, w'as not a starter. The course was accurately set out for the Olympic Games distance, 2,000 metres, and Pearce won comfortably in time slightly better than the Olympic record. On this performance it seems certain that the selector, Mr. R. McVilly, can do nothing but recommend that Pearce be sent, although no official announcement has yet been made. Pearce has up till now been coached* by his father, but it seems possible that a different coach will be sent to the Games. The other outstanding crews seen at Henley were the Mosman eight and the Richmond Club’s junior four. The Mosman crew is at present champion of NeAv South Wales, and is probably the best eight in Australia. The crew averages over 12 stone, and is composed of very thick-set men. It is very little different from the crew which rowed second to the New Zealand eight in Sydney two seasons ago, notable alterations being that C. B. Callaghan, who formerly stroked the crew, has become heavier and has been shifted to the six seat, while Callaghan’s brother has been brought from the bow to the stroke seat. The crew seemed to have a break in the three seat, but otherwise rowed perfectly together. The Melbourne Club’s senior eight rowed very well, but lacked the sturdiness and some of the liveliness of the Sydneysiders.