AQUATIC FIXTURES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 5477, 7 February 1885, Page 4

AQUATIC FIXTURES.

January 29-Auckland Annual Kiwitta. February 7-Hanlun v. Cliltord, £100 u-blilo. February 28-C1 i ll'ord y. Heocli, £SOO u-Bide March ffl-Hanlan v. Boacb, £.100 u-blilu and championship of tho world, on the l'aruuiatta April 18-Clifford v. Haitian (if tho former is victorious in hlB match with Hoaeb). Cllil'drd v. Teenier, &100 a-Bido. February 11—Auckland JtowliiK AMOelatlon Bogalta.

A IWKKPHTAKKH raco botweon weral Hitoot, opon bo:its is likely to take pluco on Saturday next. lloarn, Mcdrntli and othors, although beaten at Auckland Kogatta, havo expressed thoir intention of forming a crow for next year, when thoy may have better luck. Logon is building "» 18ft, sailing boat for ono of tho Tougun chiefs. Ho sent tho Arrow, which took place in tho small yacht raco on Regatta Day, to Onehunga on Thursday, and will ship a lCft. ploasuro boat by steamer for Lovuka (Fiji) on Thursday next. The annual meeting of tho Auckland Regatta Committee takes place at tho Waitomuta Hotel on Tuesday evening. Thon is tho timo for email boat-owners and all othors who may bo interested in noxt yoar'a regatta to roll up and givo thoir votes for mon who they can trust to look aftor thoir interests. Growling afterwards is of very little use.' In tho champion raeu for all comers, in untriggen, attho Port.lackson Regatta, tho starter.i were Loycoek, Mosaonger, l'earce, Massey, and P. Kemp. Messongor vrent off with a slight lend, nnd, getting clear at Goit Island, had tho bost of it all through. Whenever Laycock mado an effort to get up to him ho always got away again, while Kemp kopt stoadily on a good third, with Massoy last throughout. J'oarco gave up at fioat Islnnd, preserving hiinnolf for tho all comers' raco in skift.

ComnaringLynch,tlioAucklandor,and Pocock, "Bumpy," in tho "Canterbury Time*" flll y :—"Tho swinging delivery adopted by both Mosprs Lynch and Pocock made tho liifit remind mo of tho second. Tho similarity in pnco did ho oven moro. Like Pocock, too, Lynch has a tendency to curl from leg whon bowling round the wickot, and to broak from tho off whon bowling ovor it. In dismissing Spring's Otago eleven for 35 runs, Lynch porformod a feat of which I think Pocock would not haro boon ashamod. Against Canterbury also the Aucklandor bowlod bo well that, had it not b«on for tho oxcollent wickot and the similarity botwoen hia bowling and Pocock's, ho would havo probably got a fair analysis. Tho Canterbury batsmon boitnj thoroughly accustomed, through constant practice to Poeock's bowling, would naturally find this iactholp them a groat deal in playing a bowlor closoly resembling him. I did not say that Lynch was a« good a bowlor as Pocock, nor do I think BO."

Tho match between Clifford and Hanlan, for £1,000 a sldo, was fixod for to day, and is probably all over before this time. " Typhus," writing in the "Syd»ey Mail " on Jan. '27th, cay« : —" As the ovnntf«l day draws uoaror on which the lirst of tho sorios of sculling matches botweon our great oarsmen U to toko placo, so doe§ tho interest in tho coming ovonts wax greater and groator. Aluiobl ovory aftornoon, one or more steamboats, laden with th» frionds and admirers of one or othor of the scullers, wends thoir way up to tho convincing ground, the I'arramatta Kivor championship course, where, after tho excessive heat of tho day lias departed, tho aquatic gladiators may bo closoly scrutinised oh they tako thoir aftornoon spins. Whon Hanlan was bringing himself into form last year to grapplo with Boach for tho aquatic championship of tho world, pooplo who wero in tho habit of going up tho river to see him wore snanimous in their opinions as to his splondid phyiiquo and his thorough appoaranco of condition and fitnoas. If these same persons woro to 100 him now, thoy would hsrdly tako him for tho samo man. Independoudently of being somewhat tanned from oxposuro to our hot nun, Hanlan shows pnlpablo signs of haying roally done nomo good, steady, and useful work, his arms, legs, and body giving ample proof that he has boon doing somothiug inoro than simply making a " pleasure 'of hi 9 training. His face, too, has in a groat moaßuro lost that full and round appearance it was wont to have, and now looks moro like that of an athlete, carrying with it a. thoroughly hoalthy appoaranco and an eyo aa clear as that of a falcon. Whatever ostimato tho Canadian may have placed upon the capabilities of William Beach as an oarsman beforo ho raced him fortheoharapionship.itis evident ho ha» a greater respect for him now ; and if ho wai not aa fit then «■ he ought to havfl boon, his experience on that memorable day has taught him a lesson by which ho moans to benofit in his match with Clitlord on th« 7th proximo. Th« HanlanClifi'ord will ■ meot will, I ventnr* to •ay, bo a different man fr;m the Hanlan Boaoh def»at»d on 18th August, 1884. Thomas Clifford is doing a grant deal of work for hii coming raco with Hanlan, bat I confosi ht is not rowing to my liking, and is not improving so rapidly as I could wish, nor does ho mem to care about altering his style in tho slightest dogreo. In all my experience of rowing mon I npvor remomber seoing a man who mado to little usa of his back ; be it at tho commancomont of the stroke or the finish, his body baroly leaver the porpondlcular. Clifford is a vory tall man, and naturally hielengthof arm gives him an unusually long reach : but for all that I do not believe that a sculler, ba he ever so strong in the arms, can got fall power on without some back assistance It is at tho finish of his stroke, howovor, that, this peculiarity is most noticoabla, as even thon, whon a littlo baok power is so essential, his deviation from tho perpondicular is almost imperceptible. Itmay bethatby moans of Ms excessive strongth in leg and arm ho will bo able to propel hia boat taster, and 'koop going' longorthan hisopponont, but in order to bolieve that I mast soo it; and should Clifford be fortunate enough, bar accidents, to scoro tho second win against tho Canadian, no ono will bo moro agrooably suprisod than mysolf."