THE ENGLISH SCULLING CHAMPIONSHIP.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 138, 12 June 1911, Page 7

THE ENGLISH SCULLING CHAMPIONSHIP.

.... '_; BARRY'S WIN. . (From Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, May 5. " To be swift is less than to be wise." So said old Nestor, and in his attempt to wrest the English sculling championship from Ernest. Barry last Monday, W. Albany learned, perhaps, the truth of the saying. There are few sporting events which so thoroughly test the physical strength and stamina of an athlete as the sculling of a " best and best " boat over the 4. miles of Thames between Putney and Mortlake. The man who for a mile or so at the start takes a stroke a minute above what is well within his physical powers, is bound to lose to an equally expert opponent who sculls at a pace ri 1 , ' . taou « a it; may mean losing a little distance, enables him to retain a reserve of force. Albany, a strapping young fellow, richly endowed with those qualities of strength and grit that go to make a champion, made the initial mistake of starting off at a pace he could not maintain. It was the mistake of inexperience, lhat he would have won had he disPayed better judgment is not at all likely for, apart from mere experience— ;and he has had plenty—Ernest Barry was, on the day, a far better sculler than Albany. Barry is a neat performer who knows exactly how to use what stren-th he possesses to the best advantage, while Albany, m splte ? f the assiduous coachs J T ,° m SuUl ™, is still far from the fimshed championship article. He lias yet to learn that arms alone will not win races in first-class company and he has ye to learn the true valueVduse ot a, shding seat. On Monday he was beaten, and beaten very easily, \T_ man a good deal his inferior in weiht and strength, and five years his Sr strewh T W 7 ° Uih (he is J' u *t 2 4), side f n ; 3nd ™ deniaW « Pi"* on his tern _„? f u y , eaT he r e should be aWe to the line for the major sculling honMonday's race for the English championship was the first fought out between two i-iglishmen for nearly twenty years, Whilst it is over thirty years since such a race was seen on the Thames. The conditions prevailing when Barry and Albany met were not ideal from the scullers' point of view, for while the sky was blue and the sun shone brightly, a fairly strong breeze was against them practically all the way, and the tide was distinctly sluggish. . Barry, who won the toss, chose the Surrey side of the river, but this gave him little, if any, advantage. At the start, m Albany got into his stroke the quicker of the two, and striking 32 to Barry's 30 in the first minute, went away jso strongly that he was soon a length in l front. The champion, however, had so far the worst of the water, and had thus ;far rowed somewhat unsteadily. Albany continued to row the faster stroke, and rowing 28 to Barry's 26, continued to go i away. He was, however, putting a great deal more effort into his rowing, and was working much harder. By Craven Steps ' Albany had increased his lead to two lengths. Then, continuing to go his fastest, he went even further ahead. Barry clung to his 25 a minute, and seemed by no means anxious, but Albany appeared to want to get as fax ahead ue he could, and kept going at 28. At the Mile Post he led by three lengths, his time being smin. lGsec. Then Barry took a feeler at Albany, and going up to 28 went up so fast that at Hanrmersmrth Bridge ther was only a length between them, the time being 9_iin. ssec. Barry appeared to be satisfied with that, and went down to 25 again: but Albany, who was still rowing his hardest, was going'at 27 and 28, and as the result he went away again, being a length and a half ahead at the Doves. Barry then set himself going, and it soon became evident that, bar accidents, the race was his. At 27 to the minute he went up fast, and though Albany was going hard, at 28 Barry gained on him. j At the " Old Ship " Albany spurted, but it was of no avail, and a few yards further on Barry drew level for the first j time. Albany tried spurt after spurt to regain the lead, but Barry held him and passed Chiswick Steps a length ahead | in Hrain. 24sec. From this point the race was over, for the champion added so rapidly to -J3 j lead that going by Fuller-Smith's Brewery there was a length and a half of daylight between the two scullers. Al-1 bany had by this time spent his strength. He howeveT, continued to scull gamely, and although beaten made several brief spurts, bat Barry was sculling easily three lengths ahead, and holding him all tho time. At Barnes Bridge, passed in 19min. 22sec„ BaTry was clear four lengths ahead, and from that point to the" finish continued to add to his lead i —even though Albany was rowing two I strokes more a minute. Barry spurted in the last half-minute, and eventually won by seven lengths in 2__vht. 2sec |