AT VARIANCE

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 82, 5 April 1924, Page 13

AT VARIANCE

THE PICTON REGATTA

WELLINGTON ASSOCIATION

CENSURED

SELECTION OF PROVINCIAL CREW,

Consequent upon the selection of the crew to represent the Wellington Province in the • interprovinciai fours race to be rowed on Picton Harbour on Easter Monday, considerable dissatisfaction was expressed in rowing circles in Wellington, and as a result a special general, meeting of the Star Boating Club was held last evening to- consider the following, notice of motion moved by. Mr. P. Hereford : "That the Wellington Rowing Association be asked to inquire into the selection of the interprovinciai four; that the association be asked whether prior to the present selector another selector was asked to act and selected a crew, and then before -the selection was officially notified, whether pressure was. brought to bear and. the first selector resigned, without making a selection; that \ without any reflection being cast upon tie present .selector or the crow, for which success i's desired, some principles of selection are urgently required in the future. Whether the stroke. of a crew who has been. unofficially credited by a member of the New Zealand Rowing" Association with being the finest stroke seen -at-, a recent championship regatta, and who. has stroked junior regatta fours successfully within six weeks, should not have been selected in preference to a stroke who has not yet broken his maiden status." , ,

, Mr. A. D. Bayfeild, club captain, presided, ■••"'. ".

IN A, CASUAL MANNER. Supporting his motion, Mr. Hereford said that the whole matter of • the selection of the .interprovincial four had been treated in a' casual manner by the Wellington Association, and the selection was the last one to be made, Canterbury, Wangariui, and Blenheim selecting their crews weeks in advance. No requests had been made to clubs to furnish lists of. nominees for the crew, and the selector did not even know whether the men he selected, would be. able to make.the trip or not. According to statements, .he believed that enthusiasm was the main feature in an interprovincial'bar,-but if that were the case ho contended that there were any number of novices who would make an ideal. crew. At present he was considering' the crew quite apart from the question of the stroke, although in the Star Club there was,great dissatisfaction over that spat, and. a man had been omitted who at the PictoTi Champion Eegatta had been credited with being the best stroke on the .water.This man had been overlooked in preference to a maiden oar.

"NO SELECTION."

The motion was/seconded by Mr. F. B. Anyon, who said he considered it no selection at all,-: as it had been maile on the.street corner. ..■,.■'.'" Here Mr. E. Diehl,. delegate to the Wellington .Rowing Association, interjected and asked for names. ■, Mr. Anyon: "No names should be mentioned,. but I could give them to you. privately." '„...

; , s Mr.. Any on considered that, the crew should have been picked about three months ago, and not five' weeks before the race. , .....'. .' ■ :U-' ■•• .■ .-..,• '•-. •

Mr. M. A. Turper suggested that- the Wellington Association be>asked for an explanati^i.. -. '

MATTER EXPLAINED. '

After minutes had1-been referred to in order to ascertain whether he had a right to speak, Mr. Diehl (secretary of the Wellington Bowing Association) said that the question of the interprovincial crew' had been discussed by the committee .of the Wellington Rowing Association at its last meeting ■ before the Wellington. Regatta, when a motion had been, carried that a certain gentleman should be appointed as selector. If that gentleman could.not act, then another's name' had been selected. The first gentleman bad., replied that he could'not act, and the other had been appointed selector,,and had his' crew picked after the Wanganui Regatta on the Bth March. Only two selectors had been appointed, and not four, or five. The selector had been informed of his appointment verbally on the 'day of the' Wellington Regatta, Ist March, and the crew was

on the water shortly after the Wanganui Regatta.

In reply. to the chairman, Mr. Diehl admitted that prior to the present selector another .selector ' had been asked to act. v

"I suggest that you have no knowledge that before the selection was officially notified that pressure was brought to bear and the first selector resigned without making a selection V asked the chairman.

Mr. Diehl replied in the negative. "If we cannot get any information from our delegates it had better remain in the motion," added Mr.'Bayfeild.

It was stated by Mr. A. Whitaker (another delegate to the association) that it had been generally understood that all club members' -were eligible for nomination. ■ !< NO CONFIDENCE. The' club's third delegate to "the association (Mr.. D. M'Grath) stated that Mr. Thorn (Wellington R.C.) had been appointed first selector and Mr. A. White (Petone) second selector. Mr. Thorn had refused to act, because he said that he did not have the confidence of x the clubs. Mr. M'Grath said he later found that Mr. White had selected a crew; and at a meeting of the, Wellington Association he had asked that the names of the crew be tabled, but his request had been considered out of order. SYMPATHY FOR SELECTOR. Mr. Bayfeild said he had a lot of sympathy for the selector. The attitude of the meeting must not.be constructed as being ngainst the selection, as Mr. White's Knowledge of rowing would justify his position. Mr. Hereford's motion had not been moved in a spirit of discontent; but with the view of obtaining a more practicable and sensible method of appointing1 a'selector and selecting a crew. ' He considered that •• every club should have been asked to nominate any man -whom it thought worthy of being put on the list for consideration. The selector's choice should be governed by the nominations made by respective clubs. He knew nothing whatever about the crew being selected, but was much surprised to find it suddenly on the -water. The course of action taken pointed to the fact that the Wellington Rowing Association did not take the clubs into'its confidence. ■ "We are accepting the position, but we do not want to see a repetition of it," he said. The chairman added that the secretary and delegates had no knowledge of the af- ! fair, and that, therefore, the Wellington Rowing Association should be given ■an opportunity to discuss it. He would support the motion. :.■ . ' Mr. Diehl pointed out that last year, when nominations were invited, only three names were received. "We picked ; the crew without nominations to place the onus of refusing a man permission to row oh the clubs," he remarked.

Mr. M'Grath contended that it would be a disgrace to the Star Boating Club if the motion went through. "If the motion is not withdrawn,',' he said,. "I will, resign irom the club to-night. 1 have acted fair, and I think the-'other delegates have acted likewise. This matter is outside the Star Boating Club altogether.". „ • .

Support to the delegates was given by Mr. F. Oborn, who said if anything was wrong they., should "grin and bear it." "I would not like to move a no-confidence motion in the Wellington Rowing Association," he said) "but I think we could select a,better crew than we have at present." ' • ' / Mr. Whitaker reiterated the statement that the first selector had refused to act as he said he did not possess enough confidence to pick an interprovincial crew, ■ ■ • ''.■'■ -,

» Mr. Bayfeild: "Would you say that Mr. Thorn did select■afcrewj" Mr. Whitaker: "Personally, I have no knowledge of any interprovincial four being picked." '•.■■':

Mr. ■ Bayfejjd: "Then the answer we would' pet from the Wellington. Rowine 'Association would be 'No'!"

Mr. Whittaker: "Yes!"

At this-stage Mr. Hereford amended the motion to read as ' follows: "That without any reflection being cast upon the selector or'the crew, for which'success is ' desired, lome better principles of selection are urgently required-on the interests of rowing for. the future." .