WITH THE OARSMEN

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 918, 11 March 1930, Page 14

WITH THE OARSMEN

BY

“RIGGER”

SPLASHES Entries for the Foreman Cup double sculls close at the Waitemata shed during the next week-end. The A.R.A. executive meets again tomorrow evening. Further arrangements will be made for Saturday week. The representative singlets are being made for the Auckland eight. They will be the usual blue and w r hite hoops. Overheard on Saturday.—A Shore supporter; “What a pity the No. 3 crew was too late to start. It w T ould have been nice to have been first, second and third!” Waitemata seniors for Ngaruawahia were out during the week-end. The crew is as before; J. Johnson, L. E. Brooker, C. Fearon, R. Cruickshank. NEXT SATURDAY Ngaruawahia, the last of the season's regattas, will be held on Saturday and there will be a full representation of Auckland crews. The senior race was expected to be the attraction of the day, but already it seems that one entry will have to be withdrawn, making the probable field four crew’s. Hargreaves and Duncan are not available for the St. George’s crew, and it is not likely that substitutes will be put in. The field then should be: Waitemata, North Shore, Hamilton No. 1 and Hamilton No. 2. Stevenson is not going to start in the single sculls. V. McFarlane, of West End, is a new aspirant for sculling honours. Other yoLing scullers competing in the race include Eaddy, of Waitemata, and F. Conway, of West End. Mr. A. Wilson is to be judge at the regatta and Mr. E. H. Buckler will probably be handicapper and starter. SHORE WINS AGAIN First and second in the Smith Shield; first and second in the Brett Cup, and first in every other inter-club event this season, with the exception of the Mason Pairs, in which a crew did not start. With all the inter-club events ever except the Caro double sculls, Shore still holds its proud record. Probably no other Auckland Club has ever had such a remarkable win in interclub events. In regatta wins, too, Shore has headed the other city clubs by a substantial margin, and actually gained more prize money at the Whau than Hamilton did. Nobody grudges Shore its successes, and the reason for them is plain. The crews have been lit. That is the whole story. Of course the club has been fortunate in the support of such enthusiasts as Mrs. Segar, Mr. G. Barratt and Mr. W. Rapley, but the credit must go to the club members themselves. AUCKLAND LOSES MR. DUNNE An efficient and popular official will be lost to the Auckland rowing world when Air. V. Dunne leaves for Wellington about the middle of next month. Mr. Dunne has been transferred, the new appointment to take effect from the beginning of April, though he does not propose to leave Auckland much before Easter. Air. Dunne is best known now as chairman of the A.R.A. executive, a position he has held for two years. Before that he was five or six years a member of the executive. He has also been five years captain of St. George’s, a club of which he ha's been a member for 28 years. In 1905 and 1906 he was secretary of the club, and he still takes part in club trials. He will be missed in Auckland. AUCKLAND’S EIGHT During the last few days the main topic of conversation at club sheds lias been tlie choice of the Auckland representative eight for the Hallyburton Johnstone eights. Though the selectors’ action may have been the subject of criticism in many quarters there can be little doubt that their choice was justified; indeed, it was the only obvious thing to do. In the limited time before the race it would have been impossible to make a uniform crew out of material from several different clubs. The exhibition race on the Whau was an example of how greatly styles vary, and it would have been a long job for the most expert coach to make a steady crew out of the material offering in either of the two eights. Another point that influenced the selectors was the difficulty of oarsmen from the city training at Hamilton or, for that matter, Hamilton men coming to the city. As it is now, Auckland will be represented by a crew trained by an excellent coach in Air. S. H. Buchanan, captain of the Hamilton Club. The men have been trained in the same style, and hav,e proved their ability rowing together in fours during the last few seasons. The province should have a good chance. Following is the Auckland crew, as published in The Sun last week:—G. W. St. Clair (stroke), B. Sandos (7), W. Bayly (6), H. W. Waters (5), I. W. St. Clair (4), W. Brockett (3), N. Pope (2), C. D. Alolesworth (bow); emergencies. J. C. Baker, J. Partridge.

MARCH 22—81 G DAY Transport arrangements and all other organisation for the eights are in the hands of the A.R.A. Officials have not yet been appointed, but a sub-com-mittee has been appointed to confer with the outboard enthusiasts, who have a regatta on the Whau on the same day. A tentative agreement has been reached that the outboard races will be held on the upper reaches of the creek, while the rowing men will be left the usual course from the mouth of the estuary up to the point. A fouroard race for light maidens will be rowed as a curtain-raiser to the big race. Air. John Clark, patron of the A.R.A., has donated a handsome trophy, and there should be a good field for the race. The light maidens was by far the best race of the day on the Whau. and enthusiasts will hope for another similar struggle if the same crews meet again. MEASURING BOATS Some exception was taken by North Shore supporters on Saturday to Air. V. Dunne's decision to measure the new boats that the club recently bought from Towns, of Sydney. It is compulsory that the boats should be measured and Air. Dunne, as chairman of the A.R.A. executive, was merely taking advantage of a favourable opportunity to carry out the association’s rules. There was no suggestion that Shore had been rowing in boats other than regulation design. SMITH SHIELD There can be no doubt that Shore deserved its double victory in the Smith Shield race, but it was unfortunate that West End should be able to complain over the Shore No. 3 crew getting in the way. Even though the umpire was of the opinion that the Shore crew’s presence made no difference to the result of the race, there is no doubt that the latecomers had no right to be on the course. No complaint was made officially, but it seems to be the opinion in the West End Club that the A.R.A. should take notice of the occurrence merely to guard against a repetition of the incident. Saturday’s race was under the control of the Waitemata Club. Every attempt was made to warn the late crew as it swung down to the start, but owing to the high wind, Norris, the stroke, was unable to hear the advice that he should keep well in in case the race started before he reached the line. Norris’s men had an unpleasant ducking before the race, which was the reason why they were too late to start. The men were foolishly rowing their boat over in the heavy sea and swamped. They were in the water for some time landing the boat at Akarana sheds, and then found that the canvas was badly split. West End romped home with the Alason Pairs. The Waitemata crew steered an erratic course, but it was West End’s race after the first quartermile, and it will be a good crew that will head Felton and Bloxham at Ngaruawahia. PROSPECTS FOR EIGHTS It is n6w certain that there will be four crews starting in the interprovincial eight-oared race to be rowed on the Whau on Saturday week. Wanganui is not taking part and the starters will be: Otago (holder of the I-lallyburton Johnstone gold cup), Wellington, Alarlborough and Auckland. The Auckland crew is at present training on the Waikato at Hamilton, a boat having been sent down by the A.R.A. last Friday. Particular interest will be taken in the race this season as the N.Z.R.A. selectors, Alessrs. E. Innes and A. D. Bayfield (Wellington), H. Ayres (Canterbury) and Hales (Marlborough), will attend. There appears to be every chance at present that a New Zealand eight will travel to Canada in 1931 to attend the Empire Games in April of that year. To defray expenses the Canadians haye offered £I,OOO and oarsmen may be given a chance. It is rather unfortunate tJiat rowing is not perhaps at such a high standard as it was in 1925, when the Dominion Eight was picked for Olympia, and there will be difficulty, too, in many of the best men obtaining leave to travel. However, Saturday week will afford an idea of what is offering in New Zealand. Of course, Wanganui and Canterbury are not competing, but the N.Z.A.R.A. is well aware of the talent that is offering in Wanganui and Mr. Ayres, who managed the’last New Zealand eight to travel abroad, is keenly interested in rowing in Canterbury. The visiting crews are expected to arrive two days before the race, and accommodation is being arranged. On Friday morning visiting oarsmen and officials will be taken up the harbour in a launch to view the course. The Otago crew is understood to be in camp training ' hard.