ROWERS HERE.

Auckland Star, Issue 18, 22 January 1940, Page 3

ROWERS HERE.

PARTY FROM N.S.W.

TO COMPETE IN DOMINION.

THEY'RE NOT SUPERSTITIOUS.

To be a member of a party of 13 would not be a happy augury for some people, but it is not worrying a group of New South Wales rowers, who, with their manager and coach, Mr. F. M. ! Cronin, arrived at Auckland this morn- > ing to compete in several rowing fixtures arranged in connection with the Dominion's Centennial celebrations. They are one of the happiest parties of sportsmen who have come to New Zealand, and are confident of being able to give good accounts of themselves against the elect of oarsmen here. The superstitious angle of their numerical strength is not worrying them in the slightest, and, if height and build has anything to do with it, they have the ability to extend fully any opposition which is offered them. In addition to the manager, there, is in the party an eight consisting of A. H. Thornton, P. G. Montgomerie, T. Gordon-Glaseford, M. L. Foote, G. Clubb, B. P. Jay, L. Murray, L. Robinson (stroke) and H. F. Kerr (cox), two emergencies, R. Pedlingham and W. R. Taylor. There ie also a sculler, K P Webb. The visitors, who were met on arrival by Mr. A. Ross, representing the New Zealand Rowing Council, Mr. C G. Herdman, chairman of the Auckland Rowing Association, and Messrs. D. G. Stotter^ C. C. Cairns, G. Oxspring and G. R. Barker, members of the Auckland Association, will make their first appearance in the Dominion at the. Hamilton regatta

on Anniversary Day, January 29. They will compete at the Auckland Centennial championships, at Mercer, on February 3, at Wanganui on February 10, and at the New Zealand champ'ionehips at Wellington on February 17. They are due back in Sydney before the end of February. Notable Absentee. A notable absentee from the ranks of the visitors is W. J. Dixon, one of the most noted oarsmen in Australia at the present time, who was prevented from making the trip across the Taenian at the laet moment owing to business reasons. He wae to have rowed in No. 5 position, and the vacancy in the visiting crew has been filled by Montgomexie, who will row ?u No. 2 position. The fact that h« could not come to the Dominion wae a great disappointment to Dixon and the members of the party now in Auckland, for he is an asset to any crew. That this is so ie revealed \<y the fact that he hae represented Australia at the Olympic Games, at Henley on Thames, and has rowed for New South W;iles in every State in the Commonwealth. Most of the visitors are 6ft in height or over, and the weights of the eight average list Hib. The average age of the party is 24 years. Baby of the party is Webb. He is 16 years of age, but turn* the scales at list 121b and is 6ft lin tall. He is regarded as a most promising oarsman, and the trip to New Zealand should assist to develop him still further. Another sculler is Clubb, who is ranked about third best on the New South Wales list, Three Weeks' Irainin?. Mr. Cronin explained that the visitors included representatives of the ilaoberfield, Sydney, Moeinaii and No~th Shore Clubs, and they had been together for about three weeks prior to leaving Sydney, having trained on the Paramatta River. The men being from different clubs had differing styles at the beginning of training operations, but they were now blending fairlv , well Every member of the party was 'coking forward with keen anticipation to competing in New Zealand, and was fit and well. Mr. Cronin added that he supposed the visitors would be at a slight disadvantage at having to use strange boats, but this would be offset to an appreciable extent by the fact that they had brought their own oars with them, these having been made just before they left. In discussing the qualities of the eight, Mr. Cronin said that Robinson, the stroke, was about the smallest, being only lOst 101b in weight. Despite this, however, he was the outstanding stroke in New South Wales. He had stroked the champion four this year and last year and also last year's King's Cup crew which finished second to Queensland. Jay (No. 7) had just returned from Henley on Thames, where he was a member of the Sydney crew, while Gor-don-Glassford was an emergency in that crew. "We have not seen any New Zealand crews in action, but if the eights we are to meet are anything like that which was over in Australia in 1923, we are going to be up againet a stiff proposition," said Mr. Cronin, "for it was one of the beet crews we heve ever seen in Australia. Owing to the war and the consequent enlistment*; for service, .rowing in Australia at the moment was not quite up to normal, explained Mr. Cronin, and there wae a possibility of the King's Cup event —competed for annually by creVs from the six States in the Commonwealth—being suspended this year. The event was decided in the various States in alternate years, and actually it was New South Wales' turn for it this year. The expenses ran into thousands of pounds, and it was felt that, owing to enlistments and other factors prevailing at the present time, it would be difficult for other States to raise the funds necessary to ensure their appearance at the fixture.

The visitors are in very capable hands as Mr. Cronin has had experience ae a coach extending over 20 years. He has achieved considerable success with the St. Joseph College crews for a number of years.