ROWING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 431, 13 February 1909, Page 12

ROWING.

-.-■; -.■ <Bt Mercubt.} : : " : coming events. v !? :^ ;?" To-tlay.—Championship , Regatta. Y, (Mercer, Auckland). ■-...'... - '■•; ::.'■■' -. February 20.—Hawko's Bay'. Regatta. ..' - ■ February 25. —Wanganui.Regatta, ■ >'"' i-.' pastor Monday.—Wairaij* Regatta.- ■ ' ; '■

The, big event of tho season, the Doiriiiw ion's championship regatta, is-to be held this afternoon oir the ■ Waikatq" River -at': Mercer. 1 under the auspices of'.tlio Auckland' Rowing Association.' This;fact'does hot appear to be as widely known aa it should bo—for various reasons. In the.firat.placo nothing seems to havo boon dono outside Auokland to make, the fact known. Even the entries would appear ta. have been kept asYimichia socret.-as .-possible, and: generally/.-the■ steps : usually, taken to, give this .event .its usual ati'd proper prominenoe in tho been noglected. Again , the. - entries aro"woofully email-for such- a .fixture. The champion soullshavo'filled 'well, there-being eight or-nino nominations., and in the fours (the blue riband event)'the entry'is fair.' Six crows aro engaged iri.it,-but/ as the average, entry.ior.each event-is only fivoj'-the others must be meagre. :-Iu ..looking for reasons' for this etato of .afFairsi'.of enurse the.distance' and .cost of transport and difficulty: regarding leaveof absence accounts, .for much. i; Auckland s: preyjqus;, ohampionship experience (sonuv oleven years , ago;; when , the entries were largely local) and punedin's similar experience (when tho ; ohampionship was held on .Late AVaihola;, and 'when only four men from ; tho North: Island—a: Wellinj'tonß.C.: pair, 1 nnd v a, Star'B.C. double soulliiig crew— oompoted); all go to .show'thatj to be succeasfnl, m .champioriship regatta hold in either of these centres should bo rowed during a hoik day_ term,. .Otherwise ;it is impossiblo. .for rowing men to obtain leave even' whore clubs can .bear .the ;■ cost. of transport.;. 'However, ■ ■.things; ere; as ■they are,| and it only remains toovish,tho. Northern -a successful meeting to-day and the.competitors good siport, good water, and a : good time. ' -,".:■.-,' ■ iChief. interes,t,: of course, will be taken 'in the champioTi-fours, whioh appears to lie batweon: Blenheim and Waiteinata. „• Ticton I oxclucloj'as; though,this crow beat Blenheim on New. Year's' Day and was holdin" an oj;pellpnt. position in Wellington--last-Saturday when it 'met with tho accident that disposed of its chances, I hardly think that if is "bit; and -strong enough for the 'other two. ; : .. Blenheim; and Waitemata;rowed, first .arid .second last year in Sfapier.' Since then Bloiir. :uoim .-can : hardly -.havo-improyed. Jackson, : the, stroke, is verging, on his -'fortieth, year,' andiliQ/bthers aro.getting'iio younger; Tho 3\aitemata men, on v the-othor. bjihd, aro yonng ; and 'vigorous, and liave'bben 'together" Binco-thoy.won the .'Maiden .Fours at \Vangairoi ,in,1903. Moreover,.'sinco their big ; fight-las,t.year,' they have,got: a new. boat.. I loarn that aro rowing 'in really-good form. Om'this, it looks as! though the championship .will go to: Auokland this '.'season j but. tne men a're : notoriously 'hard- to beat,'and the river-rowing- should "'suit! them. Both crews will have; had ample 'opportunity or becoming acquainted.with the course.'The .Waitemata crew have,been-on.the river, for .nearly a- fortnight, :.and.tho champions .left' 'Fiutan fpr-.tho' scoiie.'.'of action ; in,-the R-ptpiti last Thiirsday week. :■;;/.',.\.'-.'\ ■- -/i\ ■-. •'•••■ '.-.'. .• ; ;.'-

, ,Tho champion, pairs' should Hβ between Picton ana Christchurch Union with a' shade of odds ;'on. Union; who' I' alsb"'oxpeet -to- seo battling ;put; the-finish of -tho 'Double Sculls,' 4he ; Wellington: Club-is represented .-in tho lattcrr-ovont who" gave .the southerners a big-run .at' the local regatta.hst Saturday,, and- who /should sharp' tho; finish, with'thorn to-day. Marshall, tho WnnßanuiscuHev,' is.associated;hi this raco :With'- : "Toby":Atjdorsqh,Vtlie ox-Orieiifal Club footballer, ; but it cloes' libt lqoU a 1 good 'convi biriatiori. •/-, : /---'} ; - : - : ,. ',■■'-. 'i: •:'■■'. ■} : . : '\r'^-f: : j H Tho ■•', Single.; Sculls .'.event = has; .attracted' a fine entry of eight.- , . Of those, .M'Donhld, ilio .ex : \yanganui, Club:' mas,, and Marshall, ■ hia .successor, are the best kribwnj 1 Unless'spm&; ,l , 1 "g pretty good has bepn'.hidderi: in Auck* ■laad,:,theso; two :should settle/.thVmatter be-: ■■ tW(3'6ri them', /I.am-assuming that'M'Donald,:. who .has; recently i been-.moved Vto■• Auckland .from.Ayarieanui, and .who ;has joined :tho St.' George's. Club, is to. be, a- competitor,: but I' have;' riot' heard; definitely,- ; An ,'id«a of the rolativo'for'm of .threorpf'the .'Auckland entrants, from the Result , of, the 1 soullmg. oyopt- at ihc Kopu regatta yesterday >Cel;,,'when the placed men, all; championship' 'aspirants,, wore;.. Cv ;i, E.:. Stone: (Sti : George's); l;;H. ; Harpev : '(St,'-Goorgo's), 2; arid T.' Richards (Waitemata). 8. 'Stone won •by,'«';foqt. -■~'• :y ; fi: f -l';} vy -: : 'v. v ;"V ; V;-i'-.-:' :: .: ./Last ■ Saturday's on .'-the. harbour had only one detracting feature^the-south-' orly; jobhle,",/: Besides^Qutting; three-quarters: ' < "'-.?.-.W»e , pff :.the,distanc6 of the Senior-Four-race and?a ■quarter of ii mile : frpm : the': other senior ; events "and. tho'. Junior ' Fours.v thisvery ..uncomfartable for the-besk-and-best.'boats'on -the'.outside courses.' In.no'case/.however, can it be said. to. liavo affeotod-tho result;: and ;the outside crews did ■ thoir share, of.-winning', equally "with ■ their moreforhinafe opponents on.tlie inside.'The. interest-of the public', was ikeen ; :and::sus-; tainod,Yand showed that this event could beworkod -up. to.-bo a ; popular annual fixture, were ;itv'onlyipossible to. settle ort tho -locale, and lot'the. public: know before the eleventh. 1 hour,.■■■whcr.e; it would. take ;place. A-'Wel-lington -.: c6n,tempofary . stated- that : V -Satur- V day's; regatta was. the first held, on thesouth«rly course ior some eleven years, but tbisis' not-so.j Three seasons agothe fixture took place" on the same course, wlien the'"■■ Star Club•effectod its.big scoop. : :'. ;!■ .',• The-principal feature .of the day was'the fine form.,shown hy the, Union (Christchurch) .Club's. representatives.:.-Their rowing, ,'even in .the-,oaso'■'. of the crews• that were :beaten,' was very sound,, and,,in the senior evente,' it was'-':excellent.: The' club had bad duck > in', nbt'annexirig the three senior races which'-iv tiriterod■■ for,- a3 it cannot- be said .that' Canterbury \would ha,ve : .won 'the Pairs had ; not Fry and - O'Brien■; steered ; too. wide : at /the .finigh;,-.;;Of.'.'bourse steering is part, and-a big part,' of. ■ the : gamo', in pair-oared rowing,. I and ...every : , oredit. is due; to. the.-Canterbury'■■ pajr"for-sticking to,it so irell. Still/ they we've"'lacky.; , ". : .'.'..- ,-v ; . "'■■ ; r : 'H-' -i-.-;'..■■!.'■ ■:-':■: -. .:. In the Senior Four event,'TJnion-rowed,a steady, stroke; with a.good length '-and-.plenty of work .that carried them; througU: all ■■ the opposition, dangerous at one time, and Union (Wangariui). stroked by veteran,"Wall/ , Sharps put in-: orio ; of their: proverbial rattles at the ond that looked dangerous, >and -secured them: a • meritorious second- • The Blenheim orew; stroked by Jor.dan;, of which- we have heard so much lately, was:'disappoihtins. ''.Certainly,'the r -usual.two .was "absent, but.his.place; was filled by J;-R. Mbrrisoh; a' champion ■ oar.- of .two-.'.soasoris baok/so that could not huve made the' differenco..';; - Tho I orow, seemed wanting : - in". ■ fire, ■ and'.altogether: different from its Picton.appeSranco on.January'l, ■ ■-■■:,'•■''.'■■,:•■■■ ■:'.,'■ -.■.' The Picton ; crew.'had hard luck,'vjndeed. Poran<) got his men away excellently, and, when;.; holding the leading position at : tie quarter-mile '.peg, - a ■ nut caraa oft"-, his 'poppot and-,'away, went tho crew'svchances.' This misfortune was counteract-ed, somewhat by :fue exapllent, impression,- made- : by the-Piotori junior crew, .when, after, orabbing badly at half distnnce , ,. and losing .quite, two lengths they gat, going again,. aud won by puro'.grit.