WITH the OARSMEN

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 296, 6 March 1928, Page 14

WITH the OARSMEN

BY

“RIGGER”

Union comes back. It is the first j time in five years that the famous Wanganui Club has held the fouroared championship. * * * INTER-HOUSE ROWING An inter-house rowing race will be held on Thursday evening at six o’clock on a course from Stanley Point to the Devonport Wharf. The change in plans is to enable Vic Smith, Milne and Choyce’s strooke, to row in the race before leaving for Wellington to represent Auckland in the Provincial Eights * * * MERCER AND NGARUAWAHIA Mercer and Ngaruawahia crews were sluggish at Rangiriri on Saturday, and will have to undergo hard training if they expect to capture any events on Saturday week. Mercer went well in the Junior Fours until two was unlucky enough to come off his seat. This upset the crew, which was obviously distressed at the finish, and found the extra half-mile most trying. ♦ * * RANGIRIRI OFFICIALS Mr. A. M. Wilson and Mr. E. Buckler were efficient in control of the rowing at Rangiriri. They ran the whole of the rowing section of the regatta on their own, Mr. Buckler spending nearly four hours in the starter’s launch and Mr. Wilson acting as judge. Although all the races were run an hour behind time, it was certainly not the fault of these officials. * * • AUCKLAND JUNIORS Auckland j'unior four gave a disappointing display at Rangiriri, pulling dully about a dozen lengths in the rear of the leaders. The stroke of the crew finishes his stroke with elbow spread. * * * It is interesting to note that the St. George’s heavy maiden crew, which competed in the junior championship at Rangiriri, did quite well, gaining third place and defeating the Waitemata junior crew. * * * LEAP TO FAME Jackson, the new sculling champion, has achieved a remarkable leap into fame. He sculled as a maiden last year, and won the junior singles at Wellington the previous Saturday. He is by no means a polished or experienced sculler, but he is young, and very big. A fine Rugby forward, he has a tendency to run to fat, and trained down from some 15 stone odd to about 13, and could have afforded to take off a little more. He will be a good match for Stevenson—a race that will be looked forward to next season. ® * * ST. GEORGE’S IN THE MONEY St. George’s did not go to Wanganui for nothing. They showed smartness at the start, and in addition collected £5 prize money through being placed third. Hamilton’s failure to complete the course, apart frorh the ethical point involved, cost the club the amount which St. George’s gained. In addition, Page and Soloman were selected in two unofficial New Zealand Possibles and Probables crews chosen to show their paces on Sunday morning. Another Aucklander in one of these boats was L. E. Brooker, Waitemata, who was visiting Wanganui lor the regatta. * * • CREW FOR TRAINING

To-morrow week (Wednesday) the Auckland provincial crew will go to Hamilton for a week’s preparation, under E. A. Brydon, on the Waikato River. At the moment it is doubtful if F. Soloman, number three in the boat, will be able to secure the necessary leave. Another point that has cropped up, raised by one of the Hamilton men, is payment of travelling expenses. The position of these two men should be ascer-

tained at once. If Soloman cannot undertake the training, fine oar though he is, he should be replaced in justice to those who can get away. SOMERVILLE SHIELD The next important event on the calendar is the Ngaruawahia regatta, on March 19, and then the Barrett Cup fixture, at West End. The same day, March 24, the inter-provincial race will be rowed at Wellington, and on Easter Saturday, April 7, an inter-varsity eight-oar race will be rowed, also on the waters of Port Nicholson. These fixtures cover the main attractions of the remaining part of the season. In Auckland the cessation of daylight saving will mean the curtailment of evening rowing. * * * ST. CLAIR OUT OF IT St. Clair, it is feared, is finished as a sculler. At no stage of Saturday’s race was he in the lead. He was by far the best stylist in the race, but age is beginning to tell its tale. Brough, the stroke of Otago’s champion four, was a distinct disappointment as a sculler, and lack of polish could not be made up for by size and weight. Turner showed promise at the start, but he is a bullocker, not a sculler. Given coaching, he has the heart and strength to make a champion. Davies was a non-starter on account of rough water at Auckland making it impossible to get his boat across and on to the train.

CANTERBURY NOMINEE F. H. Brown of the Canterbury Rowing Club, has been nominated for selection for the eight to represent New Zealand at the Olympic Games. ♦ * * IN THE BACKGROUND Hamilton was very badly in the background at Wanganui, and won only one event, the light-weight maiden fours. St. Clair could not keep up with the leaders in the single sculls, and Molesworth, the other Hamilton entrant, ran into the willows. RANGIRIRI SURPRISES There are some surprises in the redistribution of A.R.A. titles as a result of the Rangiriri regatta. North Shore was the only city club in the picture, Hamilton collecting the bulk of the honours, * * * CHAMPIONS IN RETROSPECT

An unpleasant feature of the championships was the manner in which Wairau and Hamilton dictated the delay in the start of the senior fours. Both crews went up above the starting line and simply refused to come down. The starter (A. Gray) invited the other crews to start without them, but they sportingly refused to do so. The result was a holdup which caused intense annoyance to the thousands of onlookers, and stamped the mark of inefficiency upon the Wanganui Association’s control of Its fixture. Union, which won three championships, collected £IOO from these alone. Star, of Wellington, won three good races, and lifted £ 48. This club has had a great season, and next summer expects to line out a clinking senior crew. Aramoho won three of the minor events. Auckland visitors included T. Marshall, provincial selector, and W. Logan, coach to St. George’s.

FAULTY STEERING The pair-oar race at Wanganui was a repetition of the pair-oar race of the previous Saturday, when Wairau lost to Avon through faulty steering. Avon’s pair, the Stiles brothers, have not been heard of in big rowing before this season. * • • TAYLOR AGAIN J. M. Taylor, the young Hamilton stroke, is setting up performances that endorse the eulogies printed in these columns earlier in the season. As a stylist he has few equals. The victory to which he took the Hamilton light-weights on Saturday was won on a course w T ith which Taylor is closely familiar. At Wanganui College he stroked his house and school crews, and knows every inch of the river. * * * PROMISING MEN Two promising young oarsmen are H. F. McLean (Star) and W. H. Carlson (Wanganui Rowing Club), both of whom rowed in the crack trial eights. Both are young (they were the pillars of their respective youths’ crews, which finished first and second in the championships), and both tire tall and powerfully built. Both, incidentally, are Rugby footballers of representative standard. McLean has been chosen in the Wellington eight, and Carlson is almost certain of a seat in the Wanganui boat. The first trial crew was: Brough (str), Sandos, Hegglun, Page, Carlson, McLean, Sutherland (Wairau), Brooker. The other was Healey (str), Galbraith, Stiles, Soloman, Gray, St. Clair, Saunders (Wairau), Stiles. * * * WEST END PAIRS West End staged the preliminary round of pair-oar trials last Saturday. First Heat.—G. and F. Conway (6s) beat C. Parvin and F. Bryan (10s), by two lengths; J. Skinner and G. Dowli V(2s) beat L. McDonald and P. Soufflot (10s), by a canvas; L. Strange and J. Haylock beat V. McFarlane and R. Macey, both off the same mark, by half a length, in a clinking race; Bloxham and Felton, a bye. Second Round. —Conway brothers beat Bloxham and Felton (10s); Strange and Haylock beat Skinner and Dowling by three feet in another fine race; Norden and McFarlane, a bye. The trials will be concluded later in the week. • ♦ ♦ WEST END CREWS West End entries for the Ngaruawahia Regatta, the closing regatta of the season, will be: Open Maiden Four.—J. Haylock, L. Strange, J. Stratton, V. McFardane. This crew has unfortunately suffered another change since Hamilton, Macey having left the district. His place has been filled by J. Stratton. The crew is very light, but should give a good account of itself. The maiden pair-oar remains the same, J. Haylock and V. McFarlane. It is unlikely that the junior four or junior pair will be available, as two of their members cannot make the trip. There is a possibility of the following senior four having a try-out for the first time this season: W. N. Bright, J. Skinner, B. Rutledge, O. Felton. The crew has plenty of length, but will be badly short of training. With the very necessary training they would probably give a very good account of themselves. The club will be represented on Saturday next in the Maurice Caro Cup—an inter-club fixture—by A. C. Norden and Floyd Conway. Ten lads from the Training College have again joined up with the club.