WITH the OARSMEN

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 604, 5 March 1929, Page 16

WITH the OARSMEN

Rigger'’ hears through a correspondent from England that the annual race between crews from the training i'hips Worcester and Conway is to be revived, after having been discontinued for a number of years. Two new racing boats have been ordered for the Worcester, and the race will be rowed next June at either London or Liverpool. • * * While their favoured fellows were lacing for inter-club trophies on the Shore last Saturday, other members of the Waitemata and Auckland clubs completed trials for club trophies. The end of the season is fast approaching, «nd every Saturday must be utilised to the full if club programmes are to be « ompleted up to time. Impey's crew won the Waitemata president’s trophy, and Andrews and Luck won the McCormick trophies in Auckland pairoared trials. One more day's racing will see the completion of Auckland's programme. The finals of two sets of club trials will be decided on March 23. Though present indications are that there will be a loss of «£ 5 or £ C on the Stuart Reid eights’ outing to Pine Island, the committee can comfort iit«elf with the thought that the day’s sport was the best advertisement Auckland rowing has had for many years. There is still a possibility that the accounts may balance, but there will be no definite announcement until a meeting is held, probably next week.

BY

"RIGGER”

Junior fours, light maiden fours, maiden fours open, youths’ fours, junior pairs, maiden pairs. maiden d« able sculls. The club will be similarly represented at the Ngaruawahia Regatta, with the exception of the youths, who are unable to travel. * * * NEXT SATURDAY Crews from at least seven clubs will compete for provincial championship titles on the Whau next Saturday. Preparations are practically completed on the banks of the river, and there will be accommodation for the many spectators who are expected to make the journey to the course in buses, which will leave Sturdee Street and the Civic Square every five minutes between one and two o’clock. There will also be feeder buses operating from the Avondale railway station, and Tauranga and Hamilton will send crews, in addition to the five city clubs, and the A.R.A. secretary reports favourably on the number of entries received. There is a possibility of Turner, New Zealand sculling champion. meeting the ex-champion, W. A. Stevenson, and should this eventuate it should prove the feature of the regatta. Hamilton seniour four, also New Zealand champions, will compete. Refreshments will be provided on the course, and the last race should be decided by 5.15. The total prize money "'ill he ~60. Officials for the day are: Starter, Mr. W. G. Mason; umpire, Mr. C Hunt; judges, Messrs. J. Clark and H. Cleal: clerk of the scales. Mr. M. Coffey; handicapper, Mr. E. H. Buckler. WEST END CREWS West End crews for the championships are as follow:—Junior pairs: O. Felton (stroke), W r . G. Bloxham (bow). Maiden double sculls; G. Conway (stroke), F. Conway (bow). Maiden fours, open: J. Haylock (stroke), E. Such, L. Strange, M. Taylor (bow). Maiden pairs: J. Haylock (stroke), E. Such (bow). Maiden fours, lightweight: R. Woodside (stroke), A. Lawrence, F. Baker, I. Blomfield (bow). F. Conway is not starting in the single sculls, and the senior four will not start as Bright is not available. GREAT RACE RECALLED As the years go by reports of great races of a few seasons ago become confused, and it is hard to find the true story of any important fixture unless it is detailed in the sports register of the day. Last Tuesday “Rigger” stated, on good authority, that the King’s Cup race in 1919 was lost through a tactical error on the part of the stroke, C. A. Healey. Mr. B. Rutledge, a member of the New Zealand Army eight and now actively engaged in rowing on the North Shore, submits a different sto.ry. ”It was no fault of Healey’s that we did not win that race which was rowed at the Henley-on-Thames Regatta in 1919,” he writes: “The day before the regatta. Patterson, No. 5, had to go into hospital, his place being filled by Darcy Hadfield. The crew was then unbeaten, and had won two international eight-oar races. Making the change on the eve of the King’s Cup upset the crew’s combination. New Zealand was unfortunate in drawing a hot crew (Cambridge University) in its heat. Both crews left the mark together, and at the turn, (quartermile) New Zealand was leading by half a length. At half-way New Zealand still had the lead, also at Phyllis Court. Cambridge then gradually

crept lip. The New Zealanders did their utmost to stave oft defeat, but Cambridge won in the last hundred yards, crossing the line barely a quarter of a length to the good. So you see the fault was not the stroke’s, but the whole crew with its combination ‘all at sea.’ The Australian crew, which won the King's Cup. beat Cambridge in the final. A fortnight before Australia had been well beaten at Marlow Regatta by New Zealand.” TWO STIFF TUSSLES The rowing of two inter-club events at North Share on Saturday provided

spnctators with some thrills. both races resulting in hard-fought duels between two crews. In tho .\lcllruith Cup fours Shore and Auckland had a stroke-

and-stroke race for the line. and the honle crew gained the decision by a foot only. Bygate, who stroked the Auckland crew, made a rattling finish of it. and pushed Shore to the limit. .Had the, iruce been u few ‘ yards longer. he would probably have nosed ahead. Share rowed a good race, holding the lead for by far the greater part of the journey.

The Caro Cup double sculls was a struggle between Auckland and St. George’s. The crews were the same as those that met in the same race last season, when, in the first meeting, the judges were unable to declare a winner. On Saturday the race was a good one, with Auckland a few yards in the lead, until St, George’s petered out a length or so from the line. West End was third in both races.