ROWING

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 120, 16 November 1929, Page 24

ROWING

BY "STKOKE" THE OGHTS

CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE

THE WHAU EWER PROPOSAL

In view of the fact that this season's championship eights are to be held in Auckland, considerable interest attaches to the proposal that tho regatta should be. held on the Whau River, a course that is moro or less unknown to oarsmen throughout New Zealand. In fact, one might^ay that it is quite a now course, having been "discov ered" only recently. Last season the Auckland provincial championships were held on this courSe, which, it was stated, proved quite satisfactory. The course is near Avondale, and is reach ed by a concrete and tar-sealed road which- leads right up to the grounds overlooking the river. This enables boats to be transported by motor-lorry from the club sheds to the course in about thirty minutes. The owner of the property surrounding the course is sympathetic to rowing, and has given the permission necessary for a "gate" to be secured. The lay-out of the course is such that there is a natural grandstand which enables the races to be seen from start to finish, races up to one and a half miles at least. At low water there is a sufficient expanse "of water to enable five crews to row abreast. From half-tide to half-tide the whole of the river is covered, and no difficulty is presented in the accom inodation of boats. At high-water a two-mile straight course can be obtained. The depth of water enables a launch drawing 4ft 6in to go up tho river- at any state of the tide. The course is fairly well sheltered by high land —not hills—on both sides. Residents of the area are of the opinion that it would require a very heavy gale to seriously affect the water. The opinion has been expressed by resident that tho water never becomes rough enough to prevent boats from racing. Tho. only winds likely to affect the course aro northerlies or north-easter-lies, which would make the water choppy at the two-mile post Captain Sergeant, harbourmaster, and president of the West End Rowing Clug, consid' ers the course ideal: No advantage is to be gained in drawing positions. Although there is only sft 6in to 6ft depth of water at low tide, the river rises from' Bft to 10ft, and 14ft at spring tides, which should give a fair depth of water for racing. One of the criticisms made of the course when the delegates at tho annual meeting of the N.Z.A.R.A. awarded the eights to Auckland was that the course had not been used till quite recently, and consequently ■ they regarded the "find" with a certain amount of suspicion. It is stated in answer to that, that the use of the course has been made possible only since the permanent surfaced road was laid down, which enables skiffs to be transportc \ to tho site in any weather. Previously the journey had to be mado by water across the harbour, and the statj of the water was an important factor to be taken into, consideration. It was proposed that the eights should be held on Bth March, but delegates considered that a later date would be more suitable, and 22nd March was suggested. Early Rowing. It is a far cry from the first boat race ever rowed in Australia 110 years ago to the present Henley carnival, -witty its prettily-decorated house boats, with gaily attired occupants and spectators. Nevertheless, probably as much interest was actually manifested in the race itself as is taken in the big events of to-day (states the "Age'/-^. In fouroared gigs, on a 3J-mile course (from Bradley's Head to Sydney Cove) the first race was rowed on 16th May, 1818. Four crews took part, and the race was won by Captain Piper in 15 minutes. The first Australian regatta was held a.t Hobart in January, 1827, and the second in Pot Jackson in April of the same year. The first regatta At Port Phillip was rowed on 12th January,----1841, and the first intercolonial eightoared race was decided on. tho Yarra o 6th March, 1878, being won by the Victorians. Two years later tho first race between, Australian universities was also rowed on the Yarra, and was won by Melbourne in 31min 3sec. The first Australian sculling race was rowed over a course from Balmain Point, round Piuchgut and back, in 1851, between T. M'Grath and A. Howard, the former winning. It is not generally kuown that' the Victorian .Rowing Association is the oldest of its kind in the world. Founded in 1876 (six years before the Amateur Rowing Association in England), tho first regatta that it managed was rowed on tho Saltwater River on 31st March, 1877. Prior to 1868, it was the ,usual thin;; for regattas to be held at FootscraJ- —tho boats starting near the sugar works and finishing about" a quarter of a mile below the Saltwater River Bridge. Between 1868 and 1874, however, regattas were held on the Upper Yarra, then they reverted to the Lower Yarra until 1878, when thej returned to their present location on the Upper Yarra. In those days improvements had not been effected, the river was much narrower than it is at present, and the turns sharper. Where the Alexandra Gardens now please the eye lagoons and °wamps abounded, and were the home of all sorts of water fowl. Not more than two boats could row abreast, and one turn was as sharp as 20 degrees! Henley-on-the-Yarra has as yet no history worthy of the name. The first Henley regatta was rowed in 'March 1904, and the second in October of the same year. Originally, it was decidei over a course of 1860 yards—4so yards short of the present Henley-on-Thames course.i-In 1908, however, the course was reduced to a measured mile—starting at the Punt road footbridge and finishing at Ihe^ Engineers' Corner. For a period during the war Henley-on-the-Yarra was suspended. The first Australian champion sculler of the world was Edward Trickett of Sydney, who attained thai honour' in 1875" by defeating J. H. Sadler on the River Thames on a course from Put-" ney to Mortlake. He was 6ft 3Jin- in height, and weighed 13 stone. Four years later a remarkable swimming feat was performed by one Cavill, who swam 18 miles in the Yarra in 5 hours 58 minutes.

For tho third time in their athletic history, Germany and Franco mot at Colombes Stadium, Paris, in September, tho contest between tho two countries' consisting of nine track events (inelud ing two relays) and- six field events. The match was decided on a points basis of 'five for a win, three for a second place, two for a third, and one for a fourth. Germany won by 79 points to 66.