ROWING.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 158, 28 March 1908, Page 9

ROWING.

- <Bv 'JlEHcbur:)'^■'" ' • ' . dOMING EVENTS. • Easter Monday—Wairau Regatta. • ■ Another championship, 1 .three of.'thc four principal events,, were won . by last'year's champions,; ' tlie .' fourth,' . the Champion Pairs N being /annexed, by. the •Picton, 'representatives."';-;-, ; All local enthusiasts 1 will 'join l -with jnO'incongratulating the Blenheim-crew on their splendid achievement' in .winning the Champion Fours, which was /the principal event cn the programme.'* .As ;»',was'»,.-predicted last week in this column there'; was nothing ,to' touch Whelch, the Akaroa-champion, in -the scujling race, and he haY now without doubt proved himself the best amateur sculler in tho Dominion. Greeh; who 'was 'thought by Waiig'anui to" have a. big; chince, ' did not • get.placed. in tho 'raco-it .all and .was beaten by M'Donald/ also of Wangauui, who filled ■ second place. The Akaroa couple, G. Whelch and j; Woodill, again assorted their superiority in the Champion Double,. Sculls Race,. by .winning from the Wellington' Rowing' Club's representatives, by six: lengths. ; * ; . Of tho Jochl clubs there.:is not..very much to say.: The Wellington Rowing Club had a, comfbrtablo w;in in the contest. ;Hulbert and Charman,-by rowinga grand long'and easy 'stroke; which was very telling in theMumpy """water,, Soon -had the race by a length and a half r ; In-: the/ Junior lengths. '' In the Champion Double Sculls the Cjub\ werp a very good '.'second, and also, obtained a third in the Junior DbiibloxSculls.' Tho Star Boating , Cl\ib's - .-'representatives likewise had to bo content; with one'win; Tho,youths (Turnbidlf iMarchantyfßrewer and Doughty) were: to6-'gbodafqf,;:tliG'''opp6sing-crews, and after a 1 diugjdong; go' all- the;way, gained the judges' yerdictjß'y' half , a'length;-' . Robertson, the Club's':maideiiJsculler,7madethings very warm-in tho'.Mhidcn Sculls, and' the winner, (Christiansen, .Wanganui; TJnipn), '. only snatched a victory in the latter part _ of. raco by. a length and a half.' In tho'Juniori Sculls,: Robertson.- filled., third place., - , Tho" ( i Starniaideris were' thought' to' Lave a'- chance: in..the .Maiden'''Fours',- but their crewj had; been altered at. the- last; niomeht,:, Williams, bow, having replaced Bridge,; who w.as unable to get-.leave, -However, they rowed a plucky race ; and finished ■ third. -Tb'roo -was somo clanger foul. in this race," tliree orj four crews coming dangerously near each other, bilt happily they maiiaged 'to avert, a collision and present a fine finish. . Bay-, field and Brewer, the- Club's' representatives . in the Champion Pairs, wero just, beaten! by Wanganui Union for. second place...; . The; good' folk of : Foxton consider they ■' havo claims on-, the nextworld's sculling championship, and the "ManawAtu 1 Farmer" makes a'bid for tho event as under.. It.only remains 'now for Foxton,, to produce a' . world's champion, arid no doubt the l claims -will "receive due" . consideration. /''-Tho: fine stretch of the Manawatu River known' as the'AVirokirio lone; reach,''about two and a half miles' from' Foxton, is an ideal course . for sculling' purposes,. and anyone,who has seen' the Wanganui championship course will admit that the latter is not in it with tho local water. Arnst,~who has challenged Webb, j while'oil. a visit; to Foxton . recently^was asked by llr. George .Gray, to inspect tho 'local 'stretch,',with a .view to expressing aii opinion; which lie did, in. conjunction with Mr. F10yd.../ Mr.'Gray has received, : the. ; folr.. " lowing letter from on. tho subject,, dated Wellington, March 10:—'Dear Sir, —' Wo were very m,uch surprised at the .splendid .stretch' -of water above the bridge, and I, .cannot/understaud why there has,not .been, hig races, held on- it. -I- am .'sure if; it is\ deep enough [its depth "is 'from. 12ft;,to 20ft.] it is the -best courso .in .New Zealand. I think it .is a. better course'than Wanganui;.. Floyd says it is as good as-ho lia-s seen, and : the championship of New Zealand ought to have been held on it-.—Diclt Arnst.'... It 1 is. very probable that Ajn'st;'.,will..do:.his .training, preparatory to meeting tho champion j on ' tho river. If lie is successful,-Foxton may see a world's .sculling championship rowed on tho Manawatu." ' The following paragraph, from a Blenheim exchange, is coming -as.-.it does right on top of tho abovcll That"'t-lio- 'Wanganui River is not tho only'' iwatcr."iii' the Dominion on which the world's sculling:championship races may be row.ccLwas shown by Mr. It. Arnst; who visited this- vyeek. The challenger'of Webb; stated, that tho'-'next contest for tho championship .will of course bo rowed on tho Wanganui, because tho .Wail-; ganui people would- not"- hear '-of-.it-. beingrowed anywhero else, andVwh'eti-Pictbii waa suggested. to .Webb tho champion" admitted that it was; a gocd courso 'but ■'■ would not agree, to & change; Arii-st appears' to favour Picton,- and informed a: reporter that if ho defeats Webb he will then, be able., to liavo, his choice of any course -in the Dominion',' and in tho event of a challeiigo-being lodged against- him, if suitable . arrangements'.can. bo made,-it is qiiito possible ho u-ill select Picton.. Ho had a good ldok-at Picton Harbourj and though tho v.\ater\was-ruffled by a fairly stiff breeze Jie considered;,it' almost porfcct, .and the finest ; -straighVoiit, ; stretch of .water, in the for- a-sculling race. The straight three-mile courso, ho said, was a strong contrast to tho 1 bends in t-lio Wanganui Itiver, the most difficult of.wh'ieh -was tlio one.about a inilo froni tho winning.post, where Webb gained a' cbiiplo.of. lengths advantage over Tresidder.-, i Arnsfc is fairly con,-. Ment of; annexing the championship when ho moots Webb-.in : Novembdr, and lie states' that , if, ho is successful it -, would V-boi-to -the-'iii-torests of Picton. residents;,to'uiako. it" worth, his while to have' tho Mowing match rowed -there. . The suitability.' of the-courso irapjars to appeal' strongly to; hiiti)'- and. apparently if : the choice eventually falls tojiini it will de-; peaid upon tho Picton people, whether or not tho local harbour will bo tin; scene of a championship contest,. Mr. ".-Floyd,, who trailed St-anbury when ho rowed Webb cii' tho Wanganui,, was "with' Arnst at Picton) and he agreed with tho - prospective champion's remarks regarding tho 'suitability ".of tho course. Ho mado particular enquiries about tho financial possibilities, and affirmed tho "desirability 'of those arranging or, taking part- in-rowing races being given absoj,ut-o control' of .tho waters for a couplo of hours on the day of. "a- race, so that they would bo ablo to make terms with t'lio,-, owners of steamers - and other orafc, and obtain'a fair' proportion of tho monoy received-from those witnessing tho race. --Arnst' will-, probably train on the. Manawatu River, which he thinks as good for : tho purpose as tho Wan.cairn, '