EIGHT-OAR ROWING

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 299, 9 March 1928, Page 11

EIGHT-OAR ROWING

Hallyburton Johnstone Cup AUCKLAND’S CHANCES DISCUSSED NO effort is being spared by the Auckland Rowing Association in its bid for the interprovincial race this year. The race is set down for Saturday, March 24. at Wellington, and by that time the crew will have had well over a week together at Hamilton, and several days on the cours’e. During this period the crew will be under the care of Mr. T. Marshall, selector, and Mr. W. Bryden, of Hamilton, its coach.

the moment there is some doubt as to whether Solomon can get the necessary leave, but otherwise the very complete arrangements made are being gone on with without any hitch. In the event of Solomon being unable to travel, his place will probably be filled by F. Corlett, of the same club, who is a very fine oar but somewhat lighter than Solomon. Whatever happens there will probably be a rearrangement of the positions in the crew’ before the race in Wellington. The recent announcement of the Otago and Wanganui crew’s leaves only the Marlborough crew unknown. At present it looks as if the chief opposition will come from Wanganui, Marlborough and Canterbury. Each of these provinces has a good seniot four available around which to build its eight. Auckland had three good senior crews available for selection. The remaining provinces, Otago and Wellington, will rely on exceptional juniors and maidens, with a sprinkling of good seniors. HEALEY’S HEAVY CREW The WangaiKii crew is exceptionally heavy. It contains the four men of the Union Club who won the Champion Fours, although, strangely, Healey, the stroke, is separated from his clubmates. Behind him have been placed four exceptionally big men from the Wanganui and Aramolio sheds, and the rest of Healey’s crew have been placed in the bow, two and

three seats respectively. Included in the crew is Carlson, a 13st junior, who is considered as a possible member of the Olympic crew. Wanganui is the only crew to announce its choice of coxswain, the honour falling to Gullery on the toss of a coin. The other, candidate, Ross, is well known to Aucklanders, having coxed several winning Waitemata crews at Wanganui regattas. Wanganui’s greatest asset will be its very experienced stroke, Healey, whose experience of eight-oar stroking is unique in New Zealand. Marlborough’s crew, as yet unan-

nounced, will probably include the Wairau senior four, two juniors from Picton, and W. Pinkham, who, with E. T. Hegglun, of the Wairau crew', was a member of the last All Black crew. This crew sounds very strong, and although it will not have the weight of the Wanganui combination, it will have an old head in Hegglun, and the advantage of excellent training facilities. Furthermore, the Wairau crew, forming the basis of the combination, is this season rowing a stroke very suitable to eight-oar rowing—longer, steadier, and with more reliance on swing than in previous seasons. Wellington’s reputation will be in the hands of a very young crew. The failure of the Petone senior fours has kept most of the senior men available for selection out of the crew, the positions having been filled by outstanding junior oarsmen. The stroke, Williams, is very lucky to be in that position, the local opinion seeming to favour Cook, his partner in the Star Club’s senior pairs. . The same club’s junior crew supplies two very promising oars in Crease and Mullins, known up here through university rowing. Bright, who fills the three seat, is an experienced oar from the Wellington Club, and stroked the Wellington crew in the last interprovincial race at Picton. SOUTHERN CREWS The Otago crew is in a similar posi-

tion. The best known oars in it are the stroke, Brough, who fills the stroke seat, and the three man, McAra, both of whom were: in last season’s champion four. The other two men of that four were unavailable. Werges no wing working up at Seacliff, and Anderson for business reasons. The rest of the representative crew is made up of the winners of junior races. It is the Canterbury crew’ that will have to be watched most closely. In the Southern city there was available the members of the Canterbury Club’s exceptionally good crew, and the Stiles brothers, who won the champion pairs. In addition the Akaroa Club has a strong four available. The result is that the crew is, on paper, very strong. Aucklanders will need to spare no effort if the Hallyburton Johnstone Cup is to come their way on its first offering. SOMERVILLE SHIELD HAMILTON V. WAITEMATA Hamilton race Waitemata on Sunday morning in what should prove to be the best Somerville Shield race of the season. The Hamilton crew, built round a good senior four, should be a formidable combination. The Waitemata crew, stroked by T. Johnson, will be substantially the same as that which rowed in earlier races. The course, weather permitting, will be from Orakei to Queen’s Wharf. Several Auckland Rowing Association championships, including the senior fours, will also be decided over the week-end. MILNE’S TOO STRONG Milne and Choyce’s crew again ran away with the Inter-House Rowing Cup, which was raced for at North Shore last evening under excellent conditions. Mr. A. M. Wilson was starter. From a good start Milne and Choyce’s shot out, and the race became a procession, with Milne and Clioyce’s, George Court’s, and John Courts finishing in that order. The crews were:— Milne and Choyce.—V. Smith (str), J. F. McCorkindale (3), T. McCarthy (2), W. F. Swan (1), T. Organ (cox). George Court and Son —F. F. Simmons (str), P. Platt (3), V. J. Clark (2), T. J. Letts (1), G. Crawford (cox). John Court, Ltd.—R. Follas (str), M. Cooper (3), J. Kilgour, H. Sinclair. The paramount strength of Milne and Choyce’s crew, stroked by V. Smith, is making the race a one-sided argument. Some means of widening the application of the cup should be found, otherwise the race will lose its interest. UNIVERSITY ROWING TRIAL RACES TO BE HELD During the week-end a series of trial races will be rowed by the Auckland University College Rowing Club. These have been arranged to en-

able the selectors to view the nominees for the varsity eight which is to compete in the annual inter-varsity race at Wellington this year. These trials will be followed subsequently by the try-out of a number of eights, and the crew will be announced about March 19. ROYAL YACHT SQUADRON RACE FOR ALEXANDER CUP The first cruising race for the T. M. Alexander Memorial Gold Cup will be sailed to-morrow afternoon, under the direction of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. The destination is Te Kume, and the distance about 28 miles. The race will start off King’s Wharf at 2.30, the entries being: Ngatoa, Prize, lorangi, Rawene. Ariki, Victory, Thelma, Waione, Little Jim, Delville, Waitangl, and Windward. The handicaps will be declared tomorrow morning. A race for M Class will be sailed in conjunction with the Akarana Yacht Club’s event for this class. The entries are: Manene, Mawhiti, Maroro, Maratea, Mischief, Maia, Matarere.