THE SCULLING CHAMPIONSHIP.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 104, 25 January 1908, Page 7

THE SCULLING CHAMPIONSHIP.

(BT CORRESPONDENT.) . . Wanganui, January 23. Ever since .starting training the scullers have had magnificent weather, and in this,' their third wealtj the water conditions are jfiore fayqurftblo than ever/ The climate is a/surprise tp:.thp''Aijstra)ia,iis, who were led '< to belieye the Dominion 'climate's chief features were liowiing gales and pouring rain. They';fe'el* the same sensq of • agreeable surprise. at tho excellence of 'the Wanganui river, aii. a good piece of sculling water, as, judging 'by :remarks.' on arrival, they were led to expeet something jjo bigger than.the Hutt at Silvorstreain. A fo«' romark's on the course choSpn may lie cf interest. It is in the samo part ,of the rjyor. as rowed over by Webb ami Stimbury Boxing Day tWelyemonth. On that pccasibn, however, -it' had one serious defect in thiit the turn was only some tiOO or 700 yards away from the finish, and at a critical stage of the where the slightest error of judgment would be a disastor. IVg it tiinipd out, Webb had'St'anbury beaten nt tlijit point-, but in a desperate raco jt is pasy tp 'see how the fortune of the contest might be reversed. For, tho forthcoming struggle on February 25,1 the finish' ha?' beep phinod somo tlireoquarters of a nulq lower down, jptj tlip starting line shifted accordingly." Tips gives tlip courso about tlirep and a quarter miles. The first two miles is straight, and then comes, a turn, which i san easy one, at a . stage of'the race where a slight'crror would ' |>o neither here 1101' there, tlie race finjsih ing over a dead a mile long. When taken tip to view .the coin-so a;fqw days ago tne Australians expressed themsblvps delighted, with it, and coni|)lotely r.itisfiod,. fressidei' said he inftnitolv preferred it to the l'arrainatta. pn the'.matter, his trainer Bain said the l'arrainatta course, was fill broken up iiito bays, with'points almost overlapping another. A. man has t,o steer from uoint to point, and a .stranger is often puzzled when crossing a bay and •. gets set into it, and finds himself trvipg tp ram the ppxt, pojut. Speaking of'otnpr'Australian . souliing rivers, he snad they mostly'had very low banks, and the pountry around ,was very- low and flat, giving no distinct, marks for bearings. Low shotes are not much of a 'gnide. Tlie haiiks of tjie Wanganui River wero straight apd g' ¥ i n !s suclj a clearly-deiinecr course that if a man gots tho least bit astray he can notico it immediately. Wanganui, January 24. /.rrangements for tho transport of spectators from the .town to the course aro npw tn hand, and details will he announced in duo course, I'our st-eamers will follow the raee. rickets on those will be—£2 reforees 1 boat, £1 other boats. ebb was only out Once a day for the last two days, but took two rows to-day, when lie did not strike the eye as pulling as well as usual. The-boat, was rolling at times, and the blade Work was also faulty. In some strokes the blades were only three, parts covered. Webb is a very easy man to train, and consequently less , strenuous in his methods than most scullers. Ho will probably take a rest of two days off Hip water week, biit will not relinquish land oxeroiuwi. Thp rumour gained ground yesterday 'that he , was'going off in condition, but this is not so. ije put. on a pound during last week, and always puts on weight when training, lint is all solid .muscle, and is now scaling but 10st. 111b. Another pound or two of healthy , tissue wpuld be just what is test for him,'and just what tho trainer is aiming at. The champion looked, very bright_/ind well, and under liarnett's deep- ,. breathing tuition his chest measurement has increased two inches since he started training. '■

Mr. Bridge, a Cliristehnrch member of tho Institute, endorsed what had boon said as to the absurdity of-the" examination from a practical point of view. .As to the new regulations,.-which had taken some three or four years to produce, they were little or , no improvement on the previous ones.