ROWING

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 222, 13 January 1911, Page 7

ROWING

PEARCE'S RETURN TO AUSTRALIA. A GREATLY IMPROVED SCULLER. J Deeply bronzed as the result of his ■ weeks uf training on the Wanganui I river, the fair-liuired Australian ciiam. pion, Harry Pearce, returned to Sydney on January 3. Le intends taking a sptii preparatory to challenging Arnst, the noluer of the world's cuampionship. This, in effect, was what Peurec communicated to a Sydney Morning Herald representative. The returned Australian had little to say regarding the race with Webb, except tnat the .New Zcalandcr made the pace merry for the first mile. Pearce round himself rowing stronger and better than ever, and he was pleased with the puce he got out of his "rigger." The supporters of Weub, who were practically the whole of the Wanganui river population, were disappointed at the deleat of the local sculler, and Pearce recalled with a smile that the boat whistles were very silent when he paddled home a winner. Pearce does not regard the Wanganui as good a course as the >Jepean river, for i the simple reason that it is in the shape almost of an elbow, and in his judgment it is not to be compared with the Parramatta river. Pea«e stated that he has now held' the championship of Australia for nearly two years, and during the first year he successfully raced for it on no less than five occasions, against Thoroughgood, Mitchell, Day (twice), and Hagney. He considered he was rowing now better

than ever. 'Do you intend to challenge Arnst for the world's championship?" The Australian champion replied that that depended a good deal on circumstances. Arnst was the champion, and had the privilege of dictating terms, and Pearce was not sure that his own supporters would be able to fulfil the conditions that the champion might impose. He felt he was rowing better- in every way than when he raced Arnst before, and, personally, he would like to measure sculls with Arnst again; but in this matter he was in the hands of his backers. If reasonable terms for a matcn could be made, he would willingly row; but did not think he could get the measure of support that Arnst might insist on before giving him a match. Now that he was rowing at the top of his form, he was ambitious of contesting the world's championship with the doughty New Zealander. Pearce, who is a native of Double Bay, has lived alongside the water all his life. He does not remember the time when he could not row and swim. As a swimmer there are few who can show him a cleanpair of heels in a race. He has the row-' ing blood in him, his father, "Old Harry" as he is called, in contradistinction to "Young Harry," having for a year held the championship belt which subsequently won outright, three times in all. Pearce savs that he rowed Webb at about 12st 101b, which will be his weight if he meets Arnst. Arnst is 41b heavier. The Australian is anxious for a match if his backers can arrange one, and he is confident that he will give a good account of himself.