WITH the OARSMEN

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 592, 19 February 1929, Page 14

WITH the OARSMEN

» BY

•RIGGER”

The new Waitemata junior crew for tile AVhau has started training. The rrew is C. Fearon (str), Howard, T. Barker. J. Stevenson (bow). Howard, Xo. 3 in the crew, is a new arrival in Auckland and has been rowing for | Aramoho, Wanganui. * * * The McCormick pairs are to be ; rowed by Auckland on March 2. As it j as hardlv likely that the set of races j ■will be finished on the one day the ; event will be concluded on March 23, ■when the finals of the Walker and Hall pairs should also be decided. This j should conclude Auckland’s programme , tor the season. The Caro Cup. for double sculls, will be decided on the same day as the j Mcllwraith Cup, March 23. North Shore , is controlling the day’s sport. * * * Championships at Picton next Sat- j ■urday. Auckland is not represented as j far as the city is concerned.. * * * After travelling up to the city for the event, Hamilton did not row in Saturday’s race on account of a difficulty in finding a suitable boat. NAVVIES ON THE WHAU J3e tween 70 and SO enthusiasts turned out yesterday to work on the championship course at the Whau. Unaccustomed hands wielded slashers rind shovels to advantage and a surprising amount of work was done. « lor.se was cleared away and burned and a track was cut from the bank clown to the mud. W. A. Stevenson acted as foreman of the navvying gang and there was very little slacking. Members of the Power Boat Association helped the rowing men. A meeting of the Regatta Committee will be held on Wednesday to review progress and formulate plans for the future. * * * * SATURDAY’S RACE Once again the St. George’s crew that has been so successful in past reasons has gained a well-deserved but by no means easy victory. Nine crews 3 hied up in the comparatively calm waters of Orakei Bay for the start and those on the starter’s launch were treated to a sight all too rarely seen on the Waitemata when the boats dashed away for Saturday’s race. Water conditions were poor crossing the open bay. but none of the leading crews seemed to be unduly worried, though Whangarei dropped back two places. Pour crews fought out the race all the journey and ■J until the point was reached it was difficult to pick the winner. St. George’s, Waitemata and West Epd were all level at different stages and Auckland was also well in the hunt. In many ways the race was a triumph for the red and blacks, who wero only narrowly beaten by two senior crews. All maiden oarsmen, ns they were, the Aucklanders would Jiavo been an even tougher proposition over the bare mile and in smooth water. A feature of the race was the splendid display given by Solomon, No. 3 in the winning crew. This stalwart oarsman rowed a well-night faultless stick and was the mainstay of the St. George’s combination. West End has also to congratulate itself on the excellent showing put up by what really amounted to a scratch crew. • » • NEW ZEALAND CHAMPIONSHIPS 1931 OR 32? The high opinions of the possibilities of the course held by those who visited the Whau on Saturday prompt one to liope that the next three or four

seasons may see a New Zealand championship regatta staged there. Of course, it is quite impossible for the j A.K.A. to apply for the championships .jt xt season, for example, as the course lias yet to be proved. Even should the provincial championship regatta j prove an unparalleled success as it is J hoped it will, it will take several such ; successful events to convince the X.Z.R.A. that Auckland has the course j for the Dominion’s premier regatta. I There is also the question of accommodation to be considered, as some crews like to be camped beside the course so that they can train with the j least possible waste of time. How- j ever, as the A.R.A. finances improve, ; more money can be spent on improving the course, and those who help the local association with financial or muscular effort will realise that they are paving the way to a championship regatta in their own city.

WELLINGTON WEATHER The weather clerk looked with severity on "Wellington’s regatta on Saturday, with the result that there was so heavy a sea that part of the programme had to be postponed for a time. This was particularly unfortunate, as the Wellington regatta is usually a preliminary championship meeting and gives a good line on form for the major event. The rough water prevents the results from having any great significance, though it is interesting to note that St. Clair chased Jackson in the single sculls, followed by Bright (Wellington). Hamilton had a row over in the fours. Petone, the only other crew entering, failing to reach the post in time. Avon, present champions, gained only third in the senior pairs, but, being a river club, plenty of excuse may be found for the Christchurch men. Most of the events were won by outside clubs, Christchurch. Wanganui, Wairau and Hamilton all taking a share of the prize money. * * * PINE ISLAND EIGHTS Another meeting will be held this evening to finalise arrangements for the Stuart Reid Eights, to be rowed at Pine Island next Saturday. The boats and oars are to be taken to the scene of the race on Saturday morning and officials will follow at 1.30 on the launch Vivian, which has been lent for the afternoon by Mr. Rabley, a North Shore supporter. The spectators will be accommodated on the Condor, where everything for their amusement, including a supply of ice cream and soft drinks, will be at hand. To save time crews will race both up and down the course, and a good

i day's spori is assured. The Auckland I pair tub will also be taken up on SatI urday morning and used to flag the j 1 course and carry workers across the water. W. LOGAN IN TOWN W. A. Stevenson’s coach, Mr. W. ! Logan, is back in town from Rotorua j • and will be an interested spectator at the Pine Island Eights on Saturday. ; Mr. Logan is naturally disappointed that Stevenson lipds it impossible to i travel to Picton. as he was looking forward to a meet- i ing between the Aucklander and Jackson. However he will now probably coach Stevenson for the Whau regatta. On ! his way home from ! Rotorua Mr. Logan • spent a few days in Hamilton and was out with the Ha milton senior j crew. In his opinion the crew is going fairly well and showed considerable improvement i during the last few days’ training. It j would not be surprising if Mr. Logan j occupied the coxswain’s seat in one of the eights on Saturday. BRETT CUP RACE Brent Hogg, an ex-Cambridge Varsity blue, writes from Whangarei as follows: ‘•lt was my privilege to be on the starter’s launch on Saturday to see the start of the nine four-oared crews for the first annual race of the Brett Cup, which I was unable to follow, nor were any of the officials aboard whom T approached able to satisfactorily explain why the otitside crews were lengths behind the inside crews, which meant that they rowed a losing race all the way, consequently they were never in the hunt, as evidenced by the result. The Shore crew, in my opinion, were equal to, if not superior to, any of the other crews, judging by their combination, fitness, and watermanship, yet they were obviously lengths behind the two inside “Some of the officials advised me that j the course was surveyed, so I would be obliged if you could ascertain if this was i so, for I contend that St. George’s No. 2 I crew, on the outside position, had to row fully a furlong further than the Waitemata crew in No. 1 position. The crews in the positions 5 to 9 were in very rougli water all the way, while those on the extreme outside were, in addition, opposed to a strong current, probably as severe as a three-knot river. It may be argued that the draw of the positions is the luck of the game, but 1 contend it is obviously unfair to bring a crew all the way down from Whangarei, and ask them to take up a position such as they were compelled to, as they never had a chance against crews on the inside positions. Surefly, with such a strongly running tide, it would have been fairer to have started all the crews right off the end of the Orakei wharf in a straight line to the eastern deflector, so that the same water and currents encountered would have been shared equally by all the contestants. “I would be obliged if you could enlighten me as to the distances rowed by the Waitemata crew in No. 1 position, compared with St. George’s No. 2 in No. & position, for unless my judgment of distance by the eye is sadly warped, I contend that No. y rowed a full furlong further than No. 1 crew. “It was also advertised that if the rowers assembled off the Akarana Clubhouse at 2.45 p.m. they would be given instructions regarding the course of the race, so perhaps you could ascertain who gave these instructions, together with the names of the fortunate crews who received them. “In conclusion, I must confess that I was very disappointed with, the first race for the Brett Cup, which was not rowed under conditions equally fair to the contestants, who trained stremiously for the event, and many are, I understand. justly disappointed with the line at the start.’’