AQUATIC NOTES.

Observer, Volume 7, Issue 233, 28 February 1885, Page 6

AQUATIC NOTES.

By " Mud-Hook."

Beach and Clifford row to-morrow (Saturday) on. the Paramatta River for £200 a-side and the Championship of the world. I have before expressed myself strongly on this farce of Clifford, a beaten man, rowing Beach for the title of champion. If he beats Beach, Hanlan will, to all intents and purposes, be . champion, having only just dressed Clifford down properly. But I have no doubt as to the result, and that result will be, when the wires flash the news across the pond — Beach won easily. The Poet won the 20ft. Eace at Russell easily from the Elf and Ika, Imp and two others being also astern. One of her crew dropped a pig of lead and knocked out one of the butts close to the finish, so she could not compete in the 25ft.-and-under Race, which, in her absence, was won by Ika. The 16-footer Violet got third in the IBft-and-under Race, the 18-footers Apt and Clarissa being first and eeeond. Being a lead all round, the length told, and though she beat all the 16-footers, she could not get ahead of the longer boats. The Vie. was one of those behind her. A meeting was held in Dargaville on Saturday, the Tth, when it was decided to hold the race for scullers in punts I mentioned last week in April, and make it open to all coiners. The prize is a£s sweep per man, and a handsome sum in addition is expected to be raised on the river. The promoters hope to see some Auckland scullers up to compete, even though the fact of rowing in punts of specified dimensions, rowed on the gunwale, might be a bit against them, the local men think that could be soon got over with a bit of practice. For my own part, I don't see what is to prevent young Bailey building a punt to rule and practicing for this event, or, for the matter of that, any others. The money will be well worth going for. The most of the races of the Rowing Association were pulled off on Saturday. Mr Cook claimed the prize for the West End R.C.s walk-over, but offered to allow it to be pulled for again if North Shore would do the same with theirs. Mr Burgess agreed, and the races eventuated as above. There was not one close contest, but, favoured by smooth water and fine weather, the races were fairly interesting. North Shore, which thoroughly deserves success, won the Maidens under lOst, West End 2nd (only these two started) ; Maidens over lOst, with Ponsonby 2nd, and West End 3rd ; Senior Amateurs from their other crew, Junior Seniors, and Junior Amateurs — the last a walk- over. West End won the Senior Bona Fide Amateurs easily from North Shore, while the same erew — Cook. Jones, Stewart, and Edwards (stroke) — were beaten by the North Shore in the Junior Seniors • but they were fairly pumped out after the first race, and could not stay the second.