ROWING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 65, 18 March 1930, Page 14

ROWING.

NGARUAWAHIA REGATTA. HAMILTON HEADS LIST.; SHORE YOUTHS GO UNDER. 'The curtain was rung. down upori the provincial regattas, with the big gala at Ngaruawahia last .Saturday, and "'naturally, while joy reigns"dn some clubs, a tinge of disappointment been felt in others, • . A "'. "• / ' ! r To' meet a reverse at. Ngaruawahia comes as ; no surprise, for'.the; •.tricky nature; of the course has taught many lessdnso 'Again this season the crossover at the Waipu-River proved a trap and in only two. cases out of the nine races can' it be claimed that the proper crossing -was made. "The first instance was by I. St. Clair in -the single sculls, .the, second in the youths' race by the Hamilton and North Shore crews. •' into consideration,, a great day's racing was provided— quite a suitable wind-up for the season—' and every successful crew deserves its reward. '• A great programme, comprising rowing, Maori canoe and speed boat races, was decided, but at times the oarsmen suffered considerably by.the interference of both canoes and the churning up of ■the" water by the speed boat's. „ . Perhaps the worst incident of the day was when the canoe collided with the Tauranga crew in. the junior pair oars. A great fight was then proceeding with West End, but the incident caused the .country crew to stop. Recovering it made a great effort, but what the result of that, race would have been had the issue been fought out without interruption remains for ever a mystery. Five clubs figured in the winning list, as follows:—Hamilton, £37 9/, Bell Challenge Picture, Ngaruawahia Challenge Shield, Waikato Challenge Shield and Medals; West-End, £24 1/; North Shore, &L7f Waiteihata, £14 2/, Lydia Staig Memorial Challenge Cup and Miniatures; Tauranga, £2. Two clubs, St. George's and Auckland, failed to register. The light maiden fours again found 'Hamilton, and Waitemata fighting out the issue. Upon the meeting of these crews at the Whau regatta a dead-heat resulted, but in the. rerow Waitemata got the verdiot by a very narrow margin. The Waikato crew on Saturday proved the best and won. by a bare length.

Tauranga, with a brace of wins to its credit,; started favourites in the maiden double .sculls, and although putting up a fine fight, had to bow to the Waitehjata crew. The Win was a popular one, for J. Beesley and R. Smith have been persistent triers, and despite defeats have trained hard and finished the Season with a fine win.

In the junior fours the draw favoured West End, and upon the crew's regatta performances it could not have been treated lightly had another position been drawn. Hamilton were early away, but its chances were robbed by a collision. However, West End were not involved in that, and although the crew was behind at the time, it cannot be taken too seriously, as this particular crew does not shine at the start. West End rowed a fine solid stro"ke, and deserved the win.

Disappointment expressed ' when the Dominion champion failed to appear in the Single Sculls Handicap. The race was a triumph for I. St. Clair's knowledge of the river. Otherwise, his clubmate, B. Waters, who finished second, would have secured the honours. Oh the season's performances North Shore were most fancied for the Maiden Fours open weights. The crew upheld the opinion, and won by half a length. Hamilton challenged hard, but Cotes held eomething in reserve, as he had another race to row. Nothing was more pleasing than to find six crews out in the Senior Fours. It Would be hard to recall when so many crews started at a provincial regatta in this class. Although Hamilton's big crew drew the worst position nobody doubted its ability to win. The forecast was easily carried out. It was second place that created the interest, especially as each of the other five reckoned they were good enough. The race expected never developed. It was a procession up the Waipa, with North Shore second, Waitemata third, St. George's fourth, while the others did not finish. At any rate, if nothing else was accomplished, an impetus was given the clubs to seat a senior four, and as the first obstacle has been overcome a good foundation has been laid for next year. North Shore's crash for the season came in the Youths' Fours, when Hamilton, keen rivals, who have filled second place throughout, capped the day by a victory of three feet. The Hamilton crew entered the Waipa first, but once Shore hit these waters the greatest excitement of the day prevailed. It. was a strenuous battle to the line, and many a breathless supporter reached the judge's box after a hard run along the river bank. Then, as the decision Was received, their expressions told What crew they supported. The racing concluded with the Maiden Pair Oars that only Hamilton and West End contested. It was a fitting finish to the day's sport, and with'the few left to witness it excitement ran high, as the crews battled along the Waipa for the judge's, gun to give West End a victory by a canvas length. ■ -The clubs all greatly appreciated the Railway Department's action in shunting" the boats on to the siding close to the river. It has long been a-handicap, the long carry of the boats, and in future it is hoped the same consideration will always continue.''f• • ; • i; \ '* The programme was about an hour late in finishing,' much' time being lost over the senior race. Programmes are difficult to arrange, especially when clubs have been rowing in more than one race, and when the supply of oars i 6 limited.

- REGATTA' RECORDS. ' The following is> the, • record' of' the clubs-in the five provincial regattas vheld this season, only first and second places heing given. Hamilton heads the jlist with 15 firsts, 19 seconds; North-Shore, 10, 5; West End, 8, 1; Tauranga, 6, 6; Waitemata, 3, 0; St. George's, 1, 3; Auckland, 1, 2.