ROWING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 238, 8 October 1936, Page 23

ROWING.

MERCER REGATTA.

PROGRAMME ARRANGED.

WAITEMATA CLUB'S OPENING.

The keen interest shown by the Mercer regatta committee in the preliminary arrangements for the annual Mercer 1 regatta, to be held on February 13, 1937, was very clearly shown to the Auckland Rowing Association's executive's delegates, Messrs. C. G. Herdman (chairman), tS. H. Buchanan (country representative), L. N. Ross (secretary), G. Barker, G. Boon and C. C. Cairns, who met the regatta committee at Mercer on Tuesday night. At the conference held between the two managements, with Mr. R. Glass, chairman of the regatta committee presiding, all matters were fully discussed, and as a result of the deliberations the following programme and winning donations were decided upon:—Junior fours, £9, £2; maiden fours, £5, £1; light-weight maiden fours, £8, £2; maiden eights, £10, £2; junior pairs (A.R.A. championship), £5, £1; youths' fours, £8, £2; handicaj) single sculls, £5, £1; heavy maiden fours, £10, £2; senior fours, £10, £2; junior eights, £10, £2; maiden double sculls (A.R.A. championship), £5, £1. The winning donations total £103, and the Mercer Regatta Club deserves the congratulations and support of every club in the province. Last year's events attracted a record entry, but this season's entries should establish fresh figures. It will not occasion any surprise with the donations offering to find crews from outside the province competing. The inclusion of two eight-oar races is a striking illustration of the regatta com- j mittee's desire to encourage this class of , rowing. The course at this portion of the river is most suitable for eights, and now the events are definitely established on the programmes clubs will find ways and means to be represented. The programme, as submitted, lends admirably to the order of the racing, but this point will be decided at a later period. The Waitemata Boating Club will be the first of the harbour clubs to commence activities, starting witli the "Old Members Day" on October 17. While the executive are endeavouring to get in touch with all old members, any who are inadvertently missed are requested to communicate with tiie secretary, or, better still to be present at the boathouse, King's Drive, next Saturday week. The annual meeting of the New Zealand Amateur Rowing Association will be held in Wellington on Thursday, October 29. Two applications have been made for the New Zealand championships the South Inland claim being for February 27, at Akaroa, and the North Island at Hamilton on January 29. The decision upon this question will be awaited with, interest among local oarsmen. The F. 11. Bennett Memorial Regatta, on November 28, under the auspices of the North Shore Rowing Club, will offer the harbour clubs the first opportunity of testing their prospective regatta crews. The Tauranga regatta, for which the preliminary arrangements are well advanced, will be the first of the provincial regattas. . „ n , The annual meetings of all the harbour clubs have been held, and the incoming officers are completing arrangements, and it is anticipated that all clubs will start with trial racing the first, week in November. . The sport generally has shown a big revival, and the clubs each report that, many new members have been enrolled.