THE RACE FOR THE SCULLING CHAMPIONSHIP.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 267, 10 November 1893, Page 2

THE RACE FOR THE SCULLING CHAMPIONSHIP.

SULLIVAN'S GREAT VICTORY.

INTERVIEW WITH THE WINNER.

(SPECIAL REPORT BY OUR OWN

correspondent. )

London, October 21. The great sculling match between Tom Sullivan, of Auckland, champion of New Zealand, and George Bubear, of Putney, the present best of England's lot of mediocre oarsmen, was decided on Monday afternoon, in pleasant weather, and the Antipodean won in a hollow fashion. To the average man-about-town who takes amodesfcinterest in every branch of sporb, the result was not a great surprise, for it is the fashion for home-bred aquatic celebrities to knock under to importations from Australasia and America. Bat to habitues of the towing path at Putney the result was rather startling. - These knowing ones swore by their watches and their judgment of style, that the New Zealander, though speedy in little bursts atween bridges, had not the capacity to stay from end to end of tho tiring Thames championship.. course with a man of Bu bear's calibre to keep him at work from the start. They backed the opinion at 11 to 8 on, and came to grief. Bubear proved unable to keep the New Zealander at work. He set his own pace jusc a trifle better than the Putney man's best—and kept it up all the way, gaining a trifle with every stroke, and despite very very bad steering ran past the judge quite 20 seconds ahead of his rival. Viewed from the press boat the race was a mere procession after the first mile, an'l the only interest to be derived from tho contest was speculating as to where tho New Zealand sculler would eventually come to grief through his erratic steering. Nearing Hammersmith Bridge, it looked good odds on Bubear winning, for Sullivan, in making the centre arch (as stipulated in the agreement), made a bee line for one of the buttresses, and was only saved from a ducking by the frantic yells of the crowd congregated on the bridge. Hie pilot, Tom Green, simply raved and gesticulated from his cutter in vain. His voice and signals did notcatch the New Zealander's attention, and it was only the united shrieking of the bridge watchers that brought Sullivan to a proper understanding of the danger he was running. And not an instant too soon did he alter his course. Another stroke and the beautiful Glasper racer would have been valuable only as firing. As it was, Sullivan only managed to save himself by stopping work with the right hand scull, and bringing the same inboard swiftly. Thereafter he paid better attention to Green, but his steering was very faulty throughout.

The race was advertised to start promptly ab one o'clock. I reached Putney at 12.30 per train. The weather was just clearing up after a spell of threatening, and though a trifle chilly, one could find no fault with the asmospheric surroundings. A large contingent of townsfolk had coino down by the earlier 'buses and trains, and every favourable view point along the riverside was well tenanted. In the brief time at my disposal before the start I tried to get a few words with Sullivan, bub he was not to be found. The crowd at Putney were Buboarites to a man in their opinion thab the Englishman would win. They bad evidently carefully digested the prophecies of the sporting journals, and knew just where Sullivan would be tailed off. Nevertheless they were prepared to give oho New Zealander a very hearty reception in event of his winning—an improbable contingency they opined. Chief of the secondary themes of converse was the shooting a Hair. Had the silly gowk who played that pistol joke off on Sullivan and his trainer been handed over to the crowd at Putney for punishment, he would have been eadly maltreated. The majority pooh-poohed the suggestion of 'a mere foolish practical joke,' and many dark hints were thrown out as to the motives actuating the poor fool. The crowd were, as I've said, solid to a man for Bubear, bub wifch the feminine element (very mixed, I may observe) the New Zealander seemed to be favourite. At all events he had their sympathies. They seemed to feel for him keenly on a sort of " He's so young to die " principle— er—and "so good looking too " ? As the clock struck one Bubear was sighted paddling down the north shore toward the bridge. He was seated in the Miss Nellie, the boab in which he defeated Hosmer. Five minutes later Sullivan embarked from the " hard" at Clasper'a in his spendid racer the S. H. Gollan, so named after its donor. A few minutes olapaad before the men were in position ab the Htsone bridge, Sullivan being placed by fortune of toes on the Surrey side. His rigbub was a light blue jersey and dark blue pants, whilßb Bubear wore a white jersey and dark knickerbockers. The respective attendant cutters were in charge of Tom Green and Charles Gilaon. Some little time was cut to waste by the men having to wait for a drifting barge to clear out of the way, but at 1.18 the competitors broke away by mutual consent, and

THE RACE

commenced. The scullers appeared tso catch the water simultaneously, but Sullivan, striking 11 tor the first quarter, 20 in the half, and 34 for the full minute, as against Bu bear's 10, 17, and 32, ab once shot ahead. Thore was no mistake as to the power of the New Zealand champion's strokes. He did not scull ab all prettily, bub his boat travelled very fast, and in a minute he had secured a formidable threequarter length lead. At the Duke's Head it seemed as though he were going to romp righb away, for he was some feet over a length ahead of the Putney man. Bub the lafctn- was nob done with, and by a alight spurt closed up a trifle before the London R.C. quarters were reached. At Bishop's Creek (lmin 36sec) the New Zealander was again clear, but indifferent steering assisted his antagonist to lessen the advantage, and ab the Craven Steps (3min 13sec) there was only half-a-lengch dividing the pair. Passing the Grass Wharf, Bubear made an eliorb to geb on terms, and amid the excited yells of his partisans, reduced Sullivan's lead to a quarter "of a length. From thence to the Mile Mark there was little to choose between the pair—a few feeb being all that was lefb to Sullivan of his lead. Jusb, however, when the Putney man's friends expected him to give the Antipodean the go-by, Bubear began to fall off, and Sullivan, who had dropped down to a steady 26, at once gained a quarter length. At Rose Bank he went ahead very fast, and ab the Crab Tree was fully fifty feeb to the good. At the Soap WorkE, Bubear fell further behind, and by the time the Distillery was reached, three clear lengths separated the boats. All this time Sullivan contented himself with rowing 26 to the miuubo, the nobiceable feature of his work being his pronounced catch ab the commencement, and his lack of swing. That his boab travelled so fasb puzzled a good many of bbo cognoscenti, and Bubear's friends though silenb at this point sbill hoped thab their theory of the New Zealander nob staying the course with such a stroke would work out all righb. All bhrongh the race Sullivan's inattention to Green's steering signals had been patent, and ab Hammersmith Bridge he nearly paid the penalby. He all bub fouled the head of the steamboat dummy and only avoided colliding with the piles by tbe merest ehave. Hia right hand scnll had to bo shortened in board and he ceased rowing whilst shooting the bridge. Bub ha hp.d lOseo lead of Bubear when both had negotiated ibs*

obstruction, the time being 9min 20sec, and 9min 30sec respectively. From Biffen's to the Oil Mills, Sullivan widened up the gap to four lengths without increasing his rate of strikiug. Bubear kept digging away at 28 and 29, but his work lacked life and power, and ib became paigfuUy evident that the race was over bar accidents to the leader. The crowd at Barnes' Bridge cheered Sullivan but feebly as he went under ilrfn 19min 4«ec from the start. Fourteen seconds later Bubear laboured under the structure, and, in response tothe adjuration of the watchers there, spurted feebly. Sullivan progressed onward with his regulation 26, and reached the ship at Mortlake 20secs in advance of his tired opponent. He was in no way distressed with his exertions. The full time, 22min 30sec, was very good considering all things, for the tide was not fast, and what wind obbained on the river was all against the scullers, whilst Sullivan's, steering lost him many lengths. He won bo easily that it is quite impossible to say how much he had in hand. After the first half mile he never exceeded an average of 26 strokes per minute, and what is more never seemed to really • pub his back into pulling.' His condition was superb, and on the day I think he would have pub all records for the course into the shade had he been pub to it from the start. Of Bubear little, can be said. He was fib as hands could mako him, but -having to pull at the tail of his opponent seemed to take the life and go out of him. He stuck to his work certainly and spurted at times in a half-hearted fashion. I'm afraid his last race proves the truth of the old theory concerning him, viz., that he lacks heart and courage. Probably he had believed too much in the riverside estimate of his antagonist's powers and made too sure of having Sullivan in trouble ab the half distance. By his victory, the New Zealander is entitled to call, himself champion of England, and he becomes temporary owner of the famous " Sportsman" Challenge Cup, value 200 guineas. Also, of course, he pockets Bubear's stake of £200 and probably a fair amount in bets. A CHAT WITH SULLIVAN. On Saturday morning last, I managed, by exercise of considerable patience, to get an interview with Tom Sullivan. He is, of course, still the " hero of the hour " among acquatic folk, and will remain so for some time to come, though to the general run of people his conquest of Bubear is now a thing of the very distant past. The venue was Putney—Clamper's boat house—and the hour, by arrangement, eleven thirty. Whatever Sullivan's merits punctuality is nob one of them. The clock in the pariah church had chimed twelve some minutes before my victim appeared on the scene. He had, he said, quite forgotten the appointment. Of course, the first thing to do was to congratulate the New Zealander on his triumph. I did so, and went so far as to felicitate him in the name of the colony which gave him birth. •' You're a wee bib late on that score," said Sullivan, smiling broadly. " I got a cable from Auckland on Tuesday congratulating me warmly. And, by the way, you might thank them very much for me in your papers. I was tremendously pleased to get the message." I promieed to do so, and then straightway put my victim on the rack. 1 found him jusb a libtle diffident, bub altogether nob a difficult subject. " Your victory surprised people about here a good deal, 1 believe ?" " Yes," said Sullivan, " the Putney watersidere, who are considered very good judges, would have nothing to do with me. They declared for Bubear to a man, and, mind you, they did watch my practice very narrowly. It didn't matter what hour Harding and I got on the water, the touts were always on the job," " How did they get ib into their head thab you couldn't stay ?" "Ah ! that's jusb what pazzles me," said Sullivan, quickly ; "so far as I can Bee, they must have allowed the wish bo be father to the thought, for they'd no earthly reason to doiibb my ability to get the distance." " Were you," I asked, " much surprised ab the result?" " No, I can't say I was. I should have been tremendously surprised, though, if Bubear had beaten me. You know I've rowed him twice before, and knew to an ounce what he could do. I had his race with Hoemer this year to go upon, in addition. The waterside people a bou b here mads a great point of his staying power, bub they lost sighb of the fact that he has no pace to speak of. They went into raptures over his rowing against Hosmer, but the time he took to cover the course, with fairly good atmospheric and tidal conditions, showed plainly that his win was nothing phenomenal. He took 27 minutes for the entire distance. Whab did you think of the race?" " Well," I said, "honestly speakine, nob much. The only interest the contesb had for me after the first mile was speculating as to where you would first break up the S. H. Gollan. You're steering was terrible at times." Sullivan laughed. " I think," he said, " you rather exaggerate. I did make a queer course, bub nob bo bad as you make out, surely ? You see, I've never been steered from a cutter before, and I was paying a great deal of attention to my opponent. I confess thab I nearly cannoned the piles at Hammersmith Bridge,and took the longest course round some of the turns, bub I wasn't as carelons as people make out. I watched Bubear very closely, expecting him to make a big efl'orb to get on tonua, and didn't intend to be caughb napping." "Ib was an easy race for you ?" 11 Very. Afber the firsb mile I took matters just as I pjeaeed. In fact, after the first quarter I had no fear as to the result." " You didn't believe in the non-staying theory regarding yourself ?" " No, that's all rot. If we had been rowing till now Bubear would still be behind." " Your time was very good," I resumed. "Now, what sorb of record could you make over the course given the same physical, atmospherical and tidal conditions, plus an antagonist who could keep you on the stretch all the way ? "I don't want to pub a thing like that- into the papers," said Sullivan gravely. "It sounds like ' blow,' but you can take ib for absolute facb thab on tbab day, had I been pressed, I could have beaten Neil Matterson's record of 22min 2scc, and if we bad had the same wind and tide as when Mattereon made those figures, I think the record would have been lowered very considerably.'1 "Your first mile was rather slow, considering the full time of the race. Why was thab?" " Well, the wind was dead against us and the water terribly lumpy. Why, I got half a boatful not a quarter of a mile from the start. Ib was hard work for both during the firsb mile." "Your boat suited you, didn't ib ?" " Yes; Clasper never builb a better, and that is saying a good deal." "And your trainer?" Sullivan grew quite enthusiastic in talking of Harding, commonly called "Wag." "He's champion sculler of the world at his weight," said the New Zealander, with conviction, "and I don't core where you bring the other man from." To prove that he meant every word he said, Sullivan stated that if Harding would get on a match with Bubear, he himself would find part of the stake money. " I'm sure that if • Wag' could be got bo the post fit and well, he would give Bubear a tremendous race, and I believe would win." Ib seems thab Harding is apt to "fret" during trainiug. He takes matters too seriously, and thinks more of the possibilities of defeat than the probabilities of success. " What are yon going to do now, Sullivan. When you made the match I understood that) you were anxioua to get back to Australia T" ■-1 Bban'i go back veb awhile. I expert that aor-aeouo will cliAHiutge me—ab k>at»b I bop* oo—so I shall remain In England.'" m Wbwn have y«s C»* la »te* *" SuJH»»a i

meditated. " There's Stanbury and Gaudaur might like to dispute my title, and perhaps Wallace Ross will try to make a match. Firsb come, firsb served." " Stansbury has beaten you once. Do you think you can turn the tables now ?" " Yes, he beat me once, bub I think I'm a lump better in a boab now. Of course, if I rowed him ib would bo for the championship of bhe world." " You would have to go to America to row him, wouldn't you V " No ; I shan't go to America to row anyone, if I can avoid ib." " You like the Thames, then ?" *> Yes. I think this climate suits me. splendidly. Training here is so different to training in Australia. There the heat seems to take all the vim oub of me. I'm sure my present form is a lot in front of thab I showed ou bheNepeon." We balked a while longer, and I found oub that Sullivan is very confident of the future. I think ho believes firmly in his ability to secure the highest honours bhab can fall to the lob of a sculler. Stansbury, as I remarked to him, might nob cars to make a match for less than £500 aside, but Sullivan is willing bo put up thab sum providing the race takes place over the Thames course. Gaudaur and Roes, of course, can force him to defend his title of " Champion of England " by putting up £200. That sum ia named in the conditions governing contests for the "Sportsman" Challenge Cup, but, as Sullivan said, the smallness of the obligatory stake need be no bar to a match. He is quite willing to " put up " a similar amount privately if the challengers desire to row for a larger stake. Sullivan intends to take a ehorfc holiday in Scotland during the present month, but be is very anxious to be in harness again." I said "Good-bye, good luck " to the sculler at the foot of Putney Bridge, and as I mounted the westward bound 'bus I heard him shout: " Don't forget to thank them for that cable, and remember me to my old chums."