THE SCULLING CHAMPIONSHIP.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 464, 19 April 1890, Page 5

THE SCULLING CHAMPIONSHIP.

DISPUTES IN AUSTRALIA. There seems to be a considerable amount of bickering in Sydney just at present over the sculling matches to take place soon, and over the claims to the championship. William O’Connor has written a long letter to the Sydney “Morning Herald” complaining of the way he is being treated by the Sydney scullers, none *of whom will meet him at the time he desires, for the championship. A match has been arranged between Kemp and McLean for thechampionship, provided KempbeatsMatterson, the match to take place on the 15th May. O’Connor complains that Kemp or McLean ought to row him before they meet, but Kemp refuses to row till after these other races are decided, and McLean refuses to row for anything but such honours as either of them possesses and a sum of money. O’Connor says he has been recognised as having the best title to the championship both in America and Australia, bub the Australians say Kemp has the best right to it, for it was from him Searle won it. O’Connor refuses to row Stansbury for a money stake, as he says that he came to Australia to row for the championship. The truth seems to be that the Australian scullers are anxious to see which of themselves is best man before they tackle O’Connor. As O’Connor came down on them without a word of warning they think he ought now to suit their convenience to some extent. The position is very well pub in an article from the Sydney “Morning Herald,” in the following exbracb “There are good reasons why our local scullers should wish to settle the question of their merits among themselves before giving O’Connor a chance to take the championship away with him. If the Canadian defeated Kemp to-day and Stansbury did the same again to-morrow and McLean the day after, it would be rather hard on these rowers if they had to follow O’Connor round the world to recover a championship won by him in doing no more than they had done themselves. On the other hand, if the local men fought the matter out among themselves, and the best man lost in favour of O’Connor, that sculler might safely return in undisputed possession of a fairly-won championship. Our scullers are quite entitled to try conclusions among themselves before risking the loss of an honour which is not theirs by an accident, bub on the merits of repeated victories over the best scullers the world has seen. There is no conclusive reason why O’Connor more than anyone else should dictate the order in which challenges should be accepted or matches rowed; and, taking the matter roughly, as he came here on his own motion, he must be content to wait until he gets a match on in the regular course before he can make any real claim to prior consideration in the matter.”