Oarsmen are Taking Varsity Race Seriously

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 596, 23 February 1929, Page 11

Oarsmen are Taking Varsity Race Seriously

Aucklanders Prepare for College Eights FRIENDS ENTERTAINED During the week-end student oarsmen will hold a set of trial fours on the Waitemata so that Mr. L. E. Brooker, sole selector for the Varsity Rowing Club, may pick a crew to represent Auckland in the i nter-Varsity Eights to be rowed at Christchurch on Easter Saturday. race, which has now become an annual affair, was first proposed by Aucklad students in 1923. It was four years later when the first race was rowed on the Waitemata, with results disastrous to the home crew. Auckland swamped and the race was rerowed, for Victoria College (Wellington) to win comfortably. Last season the race was again won by Victoria and, though there will be a field of four crews, the probability ig that Victoria will be first across the line again this season.

Solomon and Brooker appear to be the only certainties for the Auckland crew so far. The position of stroke should lie between Robs and Blakey. The former should be favourite, but because of family reasons it is possible that he may not be able to make the journey. Brooker will, of course, row seven, and his experience should be invaluable to any stroke who lias sufficient sense to take advantage of it. Blakey is said to be out of training, and he has certainly not yet made an appearance at regattas this season. D’Authreau is another member from the St. George’s shed who is in the running for a seat. Waitemata offers Lowe, in addition t « Brooker. ■■■

to x> r o o k e r. Though Lowe is a keen oar with a fine pair of shoulders, his work is inclined to be rough, and it is rarely that a crew in which he is rowing will be seen swinging along smoothly. 1C he could manage to combine his powerful leg drive with liis lift, Lowe could" 1 be put down imme-

diately as one of the certainties. Kreese (North Shore), who rowed for Victoria last season, is another candidate for a position, though he will have to improve his style considerably before his place is assured. Victoria’s crew is based this season on a successful Star crew, with Mullins as stroke. The crew will average about 12 stone in weight, though Auckland should be even heavier. Canterbury will probably be based on a crew from the Canterbury Rowing Club, with Stephenson as stroke. It is possible that Stephenson will not occupy stroke seat, but, should he do so, he will set a hot pace. His victories in pair-oared racing at home and away regattas have been noteworthy during the last two seasons. Little news of Otago has filtered

through so far. though it is said that X orris, an old Wellingtonian from Star, will be in stroke seat. He is at least three inches over 6ft and weighs 13 stone. Several members of the crew will probably be medical students with rowing knowledge gleaned from Waitaki and Christ Colleges. Auckland is taking the race seriously. and will go into camp at a boardinghouse near the sheds on March 17. The crew will thus be out twice a day, and should be in tine fettle for the gruelling three miles which lie before it. The race will be rowed on Lyttelton Harbour, across Corsair Bay, and as the writer knows from experience this can be a very good or. quite as easily, a very bad course. An easterly wind would spell disaster for the race, as a gale from that direction drives straight up the harbour and there is no stretch of any length protected from its fury. Oarsmen generally will therefore hope for a calm week-end. as, in addition to the Varsity race on Saturday, there is the interprovincial eight-oared fixture to be decided on Monday.—“ Rigger.”