ROWING

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 478, 10 April 1909, Page 12

ROWING

(Br Mercury.) FIXTURES. Eastor Monday—Whelch r. FogweH (Akaroa); I'icton Regatta. On Monday Australia and New Zealand will again contend for the aquatic supremacy of Uio Dominion. On the last occasion on which the representatives of New Zealand and the Mother State met to decide the title, W. Webb successfully defended tko honour against J. Staubnry, in Wanganui. On Webb's annexation of the world's championchip the smaller title foil vacant, and now G. Whelch and W. Fogwel] are measuring blades for tho coveted position. Fogwell is a well-known Australian sculler, and is a native o, Uraki, N.S.W., the scene of many of the 1.-iuuicap races that have done so much toward raising Australian sculling to its pre(••Mit onvicd position. George Whelch is row-i"-S Ins second professional contest on this occasion his first effort being his attempt on the Australian championship, in which lie was doieated by Ben Thoroughgood. Fog-wc-jl has also fallen before Thoroughgood. but the two races aro of little- use in mdmm collateral form.

. Since Fogwell met Thoroughgood ho has improved his sculling greatly, and, in any cise, the race was unsatisfactory, owing to .a tool occurring when a mile had been covered .Hogwell stopped rowing, and held up ins hand m_ protest, and, by the timo he iraumed rowing, the race was lost and won. JUs appeal was ruled out, but the fact that lie was with Thoroughgood at tho end of a nnlo snows that ho must have considerable pace. On tho present occasion ho has had tlio advantage of Dick Arast's pacing and training, and, furthermore, has done all his training under the eye of 11. Floyd, Arnst's coach during lus preparation for 'his victorious race with Webb, and admittedly ouo of tl.o keenest exports in tho art of sculling. Whelch's effort against Thoroughgood is also-of very httle value in summing up Monday s probabilities. The race was rowed at iiaymond Terrace, on the Hunter River, and the httfe New Zealander failed to do himself justice. The heat and the climatic conditions told on him to suoh an extent that he taccd the music over half a stone below his proper racing weight. Ho can ill spare to loso weight, and, furthermore, ho was asked, on only two hours' notice, to row against a strong current in the river, having oesiv led to bchovo that the raco would, as nsual, be rowed with the stream. Whclch at the time was weighing barely 9sfe., and, as his opponent was ISst., or thereabouts, the I advantage to Thoroughgood in rowing up I stream will bo apparent. On Monday the n.utL^V"' 11 N BBc r and Wronger, and with the additional advantage of having had the benefit of Webb's coaching and pacing throughout a careful preparation. n. n iV' nter .\ a , s fort unato enough last d™ SCO n both mo , n at work for s °™ days. Fogwoll was then well advanced in «™n ? V*\ T ch 50 thilt h « had been spelled entirely for two or three days. Ho was sculling cleanly and well, with a far °S IC f °™«l than his opponent, and physically he looked, as well as fiands could make him. His weight, on resuming after Rhrf res J'- W ? Ust -J ih -> ™* ho expects to W,f It!- o**0 ** llst - His P acoan d ing capabilities are undoubted, and he is very nicely boated. His shell was built for tho event by George Towns, -and is a very nicei craft indeed, weighing 271b. Fogwoli by tho way is putting the boat in tho market after tho race, as ho intends travelling to England to compete in tho Nugget Polish handicap ,n July. When soon by 'Mercury" \Yholch was doing some attractivo work, and the improvement in his sculling form was very apparent. Both Floyd and Arnst gave t n w, hl ?,,, "ssuring the writer that Whelch's rowing had improved very perceptibly under Webb's tuition. Tho most noticeablo feature was in the lenethenSL but , tho im Provement shows all through his work. . Ho has now got rid of most of that jerkiness that marred his stylo of yore, and, consequoutly, his boat runs with far loss of that dipping and burying motion between tho strokes that provoked tho censure of his former critics. As regards Ins condition, Whelch, when stripped, looks it to'race for a'kingdom. His weight then was 9st. 121b. Ho was rowing in a Norton boat weighing 291b., but had not decided w,u y I hotll6r w raco »' or in one of H ebb s. Tho writer saw him do one really good e 0 over the courso with Webb, in which he finished rowing a comfortable 3i per minute about six lengths ahead of tho cx-oliampion, who, without giving any particulars as to tho timo of the journey or as to what extent he had been rowed out expressed himself as well pleased with the' performance. In fact, both camps were quietly confident and both were expecting a good hard race all the way. Akaroa is taking the occasion keenly but calmly. Strangely enough, although the desire to see Wholch win is universal, local opinion has made Fogwell slightly tho favourite. From what "Mercury" jsaw of thel two men's form, and considering tho difference in their size, he is inclined to agree with Akaroa opinion, and throw in his vote tor tho Australian, but either way tho margin at tho finish should be a small one. Granted good water tho race should •bo worth watching. As cabled, Oxford' has won tho 'Varsity boat race. Saturday's contest was the sixtyfifth of the sories. Oxford, who up to the present occasion had been beaten three years in succession, has 'low 35 wins to her credit, against Cambridge's 30, while in 1877 the raco resulted iu a dead-heat. When tho last mail left England the crews were —Oxford: C. A. Gladstone (Christ Church) (bow) lOst. 4Jlb.; 2, H. R. Barker (Christ Church), list, ,81b.; 3, C. R. Cudmoro (Alagdaeu), list. 131b.; i, A. E. Kitchen (St. John's), 12st. 11 Jib.; 5, D. Mackinnon (Magdalen), 12st. 131b.; 6, J. A. Gillan (Magdalen), 12st. 131b.; 7, A. G. lurby (Magdalen), 13st. 9ilb.; R. C. Bourne (New Colloge) (stroke), lOst. 13}1b.; A. W. Donkin (Magdalen) (cox), Bst. 111b. Cimbi-;d"e: I). C. R. Stuart (Trinity Hall), (bow), lfst. 31b.; 2, G. E. Fairbairn (Jesus), list. fJJIb • 3, G. L. Thomson (Trinity Hall), 12st. 61b.; 4, H. E. Etching (Trinity Hall), 12st. 91b. ; o, E. G. Williams (Third Trinity), 13st 31b.; 6, J. B. Rosher (First Trinity), 13st. 121b.; 7, E. S. Hornidgo (Trinity Hall), 12st. 111b.; R. W. M. Arbutlmot (Third Trinity) (stroke lOst. 41b.; G. D. Compton (Trinity Hall), (cox), Bst. 101b. A few days ago it was cabled that G. E. Fairbairn, who is tho son of a Melbourne resident, had had to give up his scat in the Cambridge boat owing to an attack of influenza. An extraordinary feature of this year's raco was tho fact that Stuart, who stroked tho Cambridge boat to victory in 1906, 1907, and 1908, was placed bow in tho preparation, a .transfer which caused a lot of discussion. As will be seen in tho cable, ho was subsequently reinstated as stroke.