ARNST STILL CHAMPION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 541, 23 June 1909, Page 8

ARNST STILL CHAMPION.

' t GREAT SCULUTO-MATCH. WEBB DEFEATED BY FIVE LENGTHS. WORLD'S RECORD BROKEN. GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF; THE CONTEST. i( ' (By Telegraph.—From Oar Special Eeportor.) i , ' ' Wanganul, Jnne 22i Richard Amst beat William Webb this afternoon by five lengths In the ' raeo for tho sculling championship of tho world, aftor a magnificent contest. Tho'champion covered'tho course'(3} miles) In ismin. issec., thus putting up the world's record for the distance. Ho was assisted, howovor, by a current In tho river, and a favourable breeze. 'The weather conditions were perfect. The race provided the spectators with a splendid exhibition of sculling, and the'finish was a most exciting one.

I > ' Once /more line Wanganui been thrown ' mto'a>fovor of excitement over tho world's sculling championship; once more l has its hopes been shattered. Webb, in tho pink of ' condition,' with his closest fnends .saying that he is at the topmost pinnacle of his rowing form, has boon beaten decisively by Richard Arnst, of Tai Tapn, who achieved so i eignal a victory over Wanganui's champion in December last. ,It' was anticipated that it u would boa great race. -Even the. backers and trainers of Arnst conceded as much, for it would scorn the champion did not go ;tb; the- post as fit as oh December 15 last. ( This, taken' into consideration' with the glowing accounts of , Webb's form, ad- < justed the'balance between the'men to a nicety. Fow were disappointed. Webb was » beaten by five lengths, but Arnst had to put up a world's record to do it, tho champion of the' world cutting out the three and a quarter miles in 18mm lSsec Tins was doubtless aohioved by the aid lent by a decided run in the;rivor, caused by the rain , that fell during tho previous night, and tho , nice breeze that favoured the scullers Though Arnst won, Wobb rowed a gams

race, in tho opinion of exports tho finest row he hae ever mado over tho course The' result proves that, beyond all question, 'Arnst is tho first oareman m Now Zealand, and the man that beats him will have to be a condor. , SCENES ALONG THE RIVER. In the early daylight hours the weather looked anything but promising After four hoars of gentle rain, the sky hung in load-coloured shrouds above the little town, dempmg the ardour of those intending to make a day of it on the banks of the nvor v on each side of the magnificent straight of the championship course About 9 o'clock, however, the snn managed to show through, and an houT later th» place was bathed in gold, and everybody's spirits wont up with a bound At midday it clouded over again, and as tho / people hustled for seats on tho follow-the-race boats, the rain felli in precisely the samo manner as on the day of the lost race ' the Waione, on board which steamer were ilr. W. Tuck and other Webb backers, and Messrs J'* Parker, Lowne, James, Buchanan, and . Dp*- Thaoker, - tho Christohuich of Amsfc, and tho press boat Waimane pulled out into tho stream, the tarn was still falling uncomfortably Tho river was alive with ,nver craft of all sorts— launches, rowing boats, pants, crowded'with people, Maori canoes (one fitted with an oil engine), dinghies, v Tafts —mdced everything . , that could float waa secured for use ' ' On tho way up a Canadian canoo, iu which were two lads, capsized, in tho wash of tho iWamano, but tho boys were picked up by a following boat without having sustained anything but a docking Tho old redoubt above TJpokongaru, a big Muff that overlooks the straight, was fairly well peopled with spectators, tnrt tho crowd there and on the town side of the nver was not nearly so large as during last December's race. When about from the start, the ' etoamers passed tho launch Pelorns Jack, in which Webb was seated Ho looked the j happiest of mortals, and was cheered until I the silent hills rang agam with tho echo of I Wonganm'e enthusiasm The boat m which be was fo row was htshed on the top of tho

» iwning of the latmch. A few minntea later t r irnst was espied under a tree on the bank, ' sndergomg massage treatment at the hands .if his brother (J. Arnst). . As'soon"as the'boats arrived, Fogwell ipacc'r), and,'Floyd (trainer) carried Arnst'a jhell fo the water, and a few minutes later the* Peloru3 Jack- butted into the bank to • Webb and. his boat. A little time waa lost in preliminaries. /inst was the'first to get afloat. Before he -d'l s/i, he shook hands mth tho' members ..of his littlß party aid', to the of r" , bwrty cheers) took his precarious eeat, wetted

The second mile was marked by a gradual widening of tho gap botween tho 'two boats, and towards tho end of tho distance shouts of "Keep out, Billy," "Look out for the willows," warned Webb that ho was getting in too close. With a mSo and a half covered Wobb was fully two and a hnK lengths bohind, and Arrat was going right ahead under a "full head of steam " Hi? cftorts added another half length to tho gap before tho completion of the two miles, covered in lOmin. 51isec.

At the big bend leading into the straight Webb turned round to loc-K for his opponent, and appeared to bo fading away,.but Arrist still plugged away like a locomotive in midstream. . • '■' ■ : ".' ■ A Five-Length Win. : A mile from the; finish Ai-nst had'established a gottd four-lengths lead, and it appeared as if it'was all when Webb brisked up considerably. "Now Billy's coming at him!" shouted Webb's friends, and it certainly did look like it .for ..two or three minutes. The effort, however, only freshened up the. champion, who plugged steadily at about 25 to the. minute to .the''finishing line, which ho crossed five lengths ahead ofWebb; ■ r ;v •Thei official time for the race was 18mim 15sec, a record-for the river, and a world's record :over the 3J-milo course. -.-.. •■ .■' , ACCOUNT. ■ ■■'■.

SPLENDID EXHIBITION OF SCULLING. ■',' ,' :.'(By-. Telegraph.—Press Association.) :''■ ■ '.--.• : Wanganul, June 22. The race for the sculling, championship of the' world /wr.s decided to-day under perfect ,wcather conditions.' r Rain- fell .about ■ one Vclock,' but the sky brightened long before :the; race' started at' 2.10. .Both- men looked :ih:ttie'best-condition. .-.' .'■-■;,.-"• ■,' ■•".-.-';'."'..-■' . -Webb ".won* the .toss, and, chose 'the -Kaiwhaike.sidc'.- .Both,made-agood start, Webb 'striking -37.: to•' the minute and ' Arnst 35; ■ Webb had a slight advantage'for the first 'quarter'.of a mile, doing' 30 to tho.minute to Arnst's '28.-v. Both were; sculling well. Webb's style was superb, : ;but \Arnst .was putting' more weight'into his work.';..-"

his hands and/ with a couple of powerful ■ strokes,' slid.'■ into '•' ■'' mid-stream. '■.■.Another burst v of ,•■• cheering' 'from the 'Waione i told: thai"- ;Webb- was >. also .afloat'.. .'The .Waimariey. picked -.' up : Fogwell, J; 'Arnst, and;;^^'E'loyd i ;.::'and : . .thev;firstnamed ""scaled the")mast:'.of'•the- steamer, much -.to an-!' moyance.of'jMr.' Tuck (on the -Waipne), who. ■yell^dioui:j'.'Take':bim: : down out of that|", : but -'{Eogwell/''".who. elevated 1 ■ himself .-.to signal-to his, ; mari, a 'la' semaphore, ,was not •to.bo .dislodged, 'and- there "'ho ; remained throughout ■■the race.;. . ■,•■.-. .;: - :. : : ''

y- : :: Arnst Takes'' the .Lead/.,.- ■. ■''".:.'.. '■ For ,the .first quarter of V mile the, scullers kept abreast,' amidst great''excitement, but at the: half-milo -Webb', was.:'half ) ! 'a. length; . ahead,:: but Arrist. thon; ■ began •;■. to; improve his'.: : : ;positiori, ■-. settling'.', 'down: : to .his' work:,With';grim .vigour, as though.conscious •'of tho: great task he had to: perform.,. Webb was.rowing gracefully, and with'a: deal.jnore dash:'than-in' tbe :Tresidder :orvfirst:. Arnst, •iace.':;.--:'-''""' : . v - : \.:-'■:■ ~ ;- '.■.;■■.'■''■■■.■. :: ! \. •'.'. -x •■■■-■''.■:■■■'■■'• : ' As'; ■ , the: flagman at : the .: mile | post dropped: f ';.'.'. black '/'.'- ftag ..indicating ~;to8 :■: /leading,: :'it . : was 'judged: that ..Webb : was a, full' jengtli behind, and little for Arnst had cut out .tho mile in: fimia. fileej.::' <}'■■■■ i.;,...:■■./-1;; ; ;:; - ;; ;

being a most strenuous endeavour by both men. Arnst, however, was too good for the challenger, and drew awa.y at three-quarters of a milo : from homo. A Last Desperate Effort, Webb's defeat uas now apparently inevitable, but the challenger made a last desperate offort, and, amidst stupendous cheers from his supporters, lessoned Arnst's lead. Rowing 30 to tho minute, \>eob was gaming steadily, but vArnst, putting' on a powerful stroke, kept his advantage, and swept riast tho post thieo lengths ahead. The ttmc was lSJmin. lSscc. Both men received a groat ovation a» they

A crowd numbering betwjen.6ooo and 8000 witnessed the race. Mr. T. D. Cummins acted as umpire and Mr..T.,.W. Ferry as 'judge. AT THE FINISHING POST. CHAMPION TOOK NO RISKS. (By Beporter.); - Wanganul, June 22. A gentleman who saw the race from the cliff above thq finishing point says: — "My first view of the scullers was a tiny black speck shooting round the distant bend, Arnst in the lead. The next thing that showed up was the hull of a steamer on the es/reme right of • the river rounding the bend. For a second or two we were wondering what'had become of Webb. His colour being' light blue, was difficult to pjck up. Presently his colour • showed up, against ,the black .hull ; of the steamer, and it-was.seen that in rounding the bend Arnst had crossed his bows, and Webb was getting his wash. »From our view-point scullers exactly in line, Webb evidently being: some' distance behind.' At the half-mile from home we could see-Webb making a galhnvt effort, to overtake his powerful rival, his strokes being much quicker' than Arnst's. V. With •only..a quarter of. a mile to .go, it seemed that'he was lifoly to bridge.the gap, and by this time the'erowd was yelling-itself hoarse^, But he never got any closer, and a glance at Arnst showed why. .He was oomiog along. WTth .great swinging strokes, and with immense power behind them.'" Dipping, his oars deeply, apparently to get a big grip of the water;- ho drove his shSU "along at a great pace, arid yet with'apparent ease, his blades dipping and leaving the water with, beautiful precision and rhythm. Ho appeared to' be watching his rival-with a , sort ;of 'thus far • shalt thou como biiti.nb. further' kind of principle; and v/hilov-that rival was. tnak.irig.,noble and.desperate efforts.to lessenthat gap they proved futile. Those.long powerful strokes continued, and Arnst drove his skiff to victory with quite five; lengths .tq.tho good!'' It seemed, even then that Arnst' was riot fully extended, and 'although'-'tbe' lin>o subsequently proved the, race:.'to\be, a.;.very fast one, I believo that Arnst'.knew'.he'Tiad

Arnst said: ho wished to thank'the people of Wanganui for the many kindnesses extended him daring his stay here on'this occasion, particularly 11r.R., Eailo for. the use of his property.' He ( would also like to say how much he appreciated the help he had had from Fogwell and' Floyd.. . ; WEBB INTERVIEWED.; V "I'll NOT THE.BIT OF STUFF TO BEAT HIM." ' Wobb sculled down to his boatshed and was given atca-rty cheer by the 'people who wore ; waiting to receive him. Ho at once walked up to his house, whero Green,rubbed him down. - ■. .';.'.. "Yes, it was a hard race," he said ill his usual quiet way to a "Herald" representative.' -"I did my best, but it is no good say-' ing one thing and meaning another. I'm , satisfied now. . I'm not the bit of stuff, to beat him. . ■ . . ' • . : ''I trained -hard, had" the,.best of., niton-., tion, and. felt well," oontmuod the ex-cham-pion. ."I felt quite well allthrougli the raco' except at tie mile,.when I began to feel a ' little leg weakness. I 'got,, a little/tired in-t/lie front of the.thighs,.but it soon passed away, and I seemed then to. go better. I didn't giye , up,,hope at .all, and went after" him. I thought I. picked up a., bit, but he : was - too good, and I conldn't- get up to Vim';";:.' . .Further, discussing the fortunes of the race, Webb said <&at ho got a fraction of a second on the start, which, gave Mm nearly half a length's lead when, half.'a mile had gone. ■■ ."I thought'it was' going' to bo a,neck'and neck race to the finish. At the.'half-mile I thought I was a littlo ahead, but then Ibegan to lose ground." .. . ,"'.'.. .'■'• '..', I ..-'..-.:. •. •■/..: His Arm. ...- ..-. .■■■■ .-■..■.• ■ ■'■-.

[ "Yes, my. arm stood beautifully." ,, '■ . . 'Will you'row again?'usked the reporter. "Well," said Wcbb,. ; "if I do;' 1 think I.had better take twelve months' spell first. ■ One thing' I'wanttcisay," htf -concluded j\"Dick Ariist-'arid I went.on thb" ; inark the best of friends' as 'we did last, time, arid are : friends still;" ; " .'' .- .•■•' ■;'.-,.■ ', '-.-. '\-- ■ "Dick'ihust have been : at-liis best; and in .great nick,"'-:said-;J. Green,' "or ho , {couldn't

has bid , the insido Tunning in the Treeidder and both' of tlw Arnst' races.' . . ' '■.'.'■'. : .'.' A; TALK WITH ARNST'S TRAINER. ■ '•Wollj it turned out' just as I told you, 'didn't- it?" said Floyd, the.trainer of. Arnst, to mo.: "Dick was not as fit as ho was. ill Wio last race, ajuL lie put--up a jwrformaaco that even surprised .me. There's no mistake he can get'a move on when the 'brass' is 0n. , " Everyone thought I was , 'kidding' them when Isa.id he was off colour, but 1 was. talking gospel > truth. Ho was pretty bad with the after-effects of gastric influenza, and had tho race been a iorfcnight have been a different champion of- tho .world today.- His weight dropped to'l3st. -ljlb. when we all anticipated the greatest job in getting him down. ..to-: 13st. 21b. Then when ho got better , ho:shot up to 13st. 51b. in a day or , two. What are you to do with a raaolite that?. He has not done half.the work ho did for the" last race, but he's a glutton'for it when the 'brass' is up. ' ■ . ■ ' "Webb rowed , a magnificent' race. . He's a better ma.n ; than I thought, and had it not' been for his' bad luck in' striking . a racohbr'sc lik'o Dick he would have been champion for years.' ~ He. rowed a plucky' race, and. covered tie course in magnificent time.". ' Floyd said that no definite plans had been' made for the future, but an attempt, ho thought, would'bo nia'do to bring' out tho' English sculler, Ba-rry, to row Arnst. Questioned about' J. Arnst, Floyd said tint in six months' time ho would be a fit opponent for the.best.of.them in Australia. Ho would row neater than Dick, and would have fewer faults to rectify. - '. ...• ...t '■':"'_'.-. ;a craoeful act. > i .-At.;.the' conclusion of; the race this .after-, noon, after the champion and challenger,had ■shaken, hands, Arnst pulled his skiff along-side-the umpires' boat,: and requested that, a--subscription list' be started on behalf of tho'cx-champion, whe had twice suffered at his hands, and he would be pleased to head tho.list'.witli -£10. ■■ The champion's, thoughtful, suggestion .was 'at once acted upon, and Mr: Laurie; .secretary of Arnst's committee, went, round with the hat. A, sum of, was thus raised-on tho Waiono for tho exchampion. .-■'.•" ■■ • -: r ■ V. ; '■■•■■.■.;- •.';•■■" [