HENLEY

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 48, 25 August 1923, Page 22

HENLEY

THE LAST DAY

DISAPPOINTMENT FOR NEW

ZEALANDERS.

(FROU OUR OWN CORRESPONDBHT.)

LONDON, 12th July. Special New Zealand interest attached to the Henley Regatta this year on account of the fine performance put up by Mr. Donald H. L. Gollan, in the Diamond Scullfi. Mr. Gollan is a son of Mr.. Spencer H. Gollan; ..well .known in racing circles in the Dominion, and himself a famous rowing man'in, his time. The younger Gollan has been rowing in England sinee -1914, when as a boy of eighteen he sculled for the Diamonds. He beat Arbuthnot; but was in turn defeated,by:Colin Stuart. He also tried -his, luck in: the Wingneld Sculls, but was not successful. In i9i9 he entered, for the Kingswood Sculls at Hanley; ,but was beaten, by Withington, the American: .. In the same year he rowed ,in A /crew (First Trinity) in the Cambridge Trial Eights. < Latterly Gollan has been rowing for the Leander Club, and has been coached by Tom Sullivan, the famous sculler, at Putney. That the American holder of the: Diamonds should have been beaten" in heat one, provided something of a" sensation at Henley last week. There'was.a fairly stiff head wind, but the American- (W. M. Hoover) took a slight lead from; the start. The wind, which was rather across off Bucks, seemed t'a bother him, and h e caught up his riglit": scull ,at the finish before the end pf the first minute. This turned him into, the,! bhonis,. arid for a: few strokes he was foul of them. By the time-he got going again Gollan, who was sculling long arid well;.'was some distance ahead; , Gollan Icept-his head and length, while HoDverj who appeared to have lost soniey of hisj extraordinary pace of last year," was'endeavouring to make up the lost- griiuhd: .He gained, very little, to .th'eiVmile;.Wit from there he.sculled like a "tiger .'at' a very fast;- rate. /^ Gbllan . haSdi .however^ just enough:;reserve powerXtb'' ge£ home by three-quarters "pf .'av;length; ■&;. ';Gpllan's performance was -an 'airiazing ..pntr-rbw-ing_a' ; desperate- . finish—amid,:,'cheers which'he could not' heary for. unfortunately, he is afflictedv.with deafness,- and extended; to the limit by si "sculler judged by- the; critics to be one of the finest who has evei- raced in • the ' Diamonds. Time; Bmin 34sec; .■';■•. ■; • , ■ i „

: Oh; the second'day/ in heat % Ctollah hadi'a much> easier, race 'against' R. S. Codman, anothepiAmericah (Union Boat Club;.; Boston)i.-.f;' llt*:was remarked by a rowing critic is 'now perfect in his vaction,'and; that he seematphave found .the way- to- race^ and" '■, wintraces which,he. seemed unable to do in former years-when- up against' a iast sculler, ttollan;. adopted similar tactics t 0 those of the previous-day, by cutting in early in ; .the rate. ;- He was well ahead at the mile,- and ■ won comfortably in Bmin 30 sec. '--„,- ,-.. •:::r--.->>"..:'.l^./;.,-*.. ■■"s"--:.\v. ■

On, the third-daiy he was again the victor, winning/by i jeng'thand'i quarter: *r°m^toiv:A.;;-Belyea/ tSt;, J6hn Amateup.RG, Canada), in:-Bmni llsec. Uollan jumped off with- the lead, and went so fast that he led by three or four lengths at the first signal. Belyea sculled pluckily, but was clearly outpaced. Gollan, who sculled in beautiful form,-with length and steadiness, was able, to drop his rate o'f-stroke after the last half-mile. He could have won by a J greater distance than he did. Then came the final day, when Gollan came up against M. K. Morrie (London Kowing Club), who had previously beaten. Gollan-at Marlow. Morris won the other semi-final heat against J. Beresford in remarkably decisive style, and greatly to the disappointment of Uollan's champions Morris again proved to be the victor. On the previous day against Beresford he had sculled with great power,; keeping his boat running very smoothly between the strokes, that some' people thought, it' very probable that Gollan would be his next victim. Excitement began with the final heat of the Diamond Sculls, and reached fever pitch among old : Blues and oarsmen present as the contest was rowed off. Both oarsmen got away to a splendid start, but Gollan, striking faster^ gained an early lead. At the quarter-mile he led by half a length, but at the halfmile Morris was leading by two lengths, but Gollan crept up, and was less than a, length behind at the , mile. Morris hung tenaciously to his lead, and ultimately finished a 'winner by a length. The winner collapsed at the finished, and fell out of his boat, but he was quickly rescued and carried ashore. The time was Bmin 23sec.

Morris is not yet 24 yearß of age, and the Diamonds was the fourth race in which he sculled. He won his juniors at the Metropolitan Regatta at the end of last July, and the senior sculls at Molesey" the same week. Af Marlow this year he was beaten in the final by Beresford, but had. hardly recovered from a hard race against Gollan sculled earlier in the afternoon.

Gollan appeared to be comparatively fresh at the end, though he had sculled a. hard, stem chase. Morris is one of the exceptional cases of a sculler winning the Diamonds at his first attempt emulating the feat of the famous F. S Kelly, unfortunately killed in the war : Conditions were not suitable for extremely fast time, as there were occasional puffs of wind against the scullers Other New Zealanders who rowed at Henley were J. M. Buckley (Magdalen College, Oxford), C. M. A." Kebbell (First Trinity, Cambridge), C. W H Tripp (Trinity Hall, Cambridge), and B. B; O'Rorke (Jesus College, Cambridge). AJI these were in the winning eights of. the first heat of the Ladies* Challenge Plate." The final heat was won by_ Trinity College (Oxford), Jesus (Cambridge) coming in a length behind, second; -;■■■.

Sir James and Lady Allen were among a number of New Zealanders and Australians who witnessed the., final events from the Australian enclosure, immediately next to the rehowned Phyllis Court ■enclosure. Each day, from Australia House, a number of big motor-cars went :down, and the organisers, carried out to a nicety, all the details *which went to make up a series, of: very delightful outings. At the end of the Australian enclosure there were punts and boats in plenty for all who wanted to go on the rivcv and wntuh the events in class proximity to the course.