ROWING.

Evening Star, Issue 13146, 30 December 1908, Page 3

ROWING.

Now that the regatta has come and 1 gone, the strength and weaknesses of competing crews can be gauged. Looking back a„ the various events, the thought strikes one that on the whole the rowing was very ordinary. there was a scarcity of that | brilliant effort and that machine-like motion of combination which, backed by the ' dash of well-directed energy, herald the ' winner alike at the finish or beginning of I a race. Certainly there were some good finishes, notably in the Youths’ and Senior Fours, but otherwise the form shown was nothing above the average. One exception, however, was the Oamaru junior crew, ■who secured popular wins in the Junior Fours and Pairs This crew really rowed well, using splendid judgment, and proving themselves to he trained to the minute. The Invercargill fours and pairs were undoubtedly the best crews in senior events, but the Oamaru Juniors stood alone in the juniors for finished work. The body form was good, and their leg work, drive, catch, and swing worked harmoniously. They remind one of the Smiths, .Macdonald, and Bell combinations of a few years ago. The majority of the sculling events, as usual, went to the credit of the Otago Club, the veteran M’Grath again accounting for the senior issue. The Queen's Drive youths deserve credit for the race they rowed in the Youths’ Fours. They are light and wiry, and more will he heard of them in the future. The Drive maidens deserved their win. The Port Club are fortunate in their selection of I youths, this club having won this race at every regatta for the last three years or so. Saturday's race furnished the finest finish of the day, and one cannot help thinking that the Drive crew were caught napping. It will be a lesion to them to keep all their attention on theii; own boatill fuluve. r laken all round, the lorn, I shown in the youths anti maidßlki WHS a great improvement on last year’s, and augurs well for local rowing in the days to come. The Senior Fours was quite a contrast to the watch-tire-other-boat style of the A oaths’. This race was fought out with the one object—to win—and nothing else could attract attention. Some of the oarsmen, when the final struggle was over, inquired who the winners were. Being the race that most interest was centred in. due in a great measure to the presence of the crew from Southland, it was closely watched from start to finish. The Port fours were at a disadvantage owing to their No. 2 (J. Glengarry) being indisposed. and having to withdraw on Boxing morning, necessitating the putting in of A M'Donald as a substitute. Against this we must remember that the Invercargill crew pulled from the starting beacon to Pulling Point and back again as hard as they could go, and were back just in time to start in the race Early in the race it was seen that honors lay between Invercargill and the Port. Port’s steering was none of the best. As the two crews entered between (he wharves, almost neck and neck, excited interest forgot its yelling partisan barrack. The crews moved up stroke for stroke. iSoon it was seen that the race would be to whoever put the first stroke over the winning line, and this proved to be Invercargill, who deservedly won a great race by oft. Saturday’s record entries seem to justify the decision to row senior races in clinkers. In the Fours probably the strongest argument in favor of using clinker boats is the risk of getting best-and-best boats damaged by the numerous small craft that infest the course on Boxing Day. That none of the clinkers sustained damage from this cause hardly overrides that contention however, for it must be remembered that the best-aml-best boats arc delicately constructed, and every race reduces their usefulness for the succeeding one. In fact, some oarsmen insist that a best-and-best boat is so easily strained out of shape that full advantage of their fine construction is not available after their third race. Conceding that they are the finest racing machines, the best conditions for racing are not present on Boxing Day, when the wash from motor and other boats is always more or less in evidence. It is a pity that motor-boat owners can not manage to see the races a little further

away from the competing boats. This weakness was particularly noticeable on Saturday, when a motor launch came perilously near running into the Invercargill boat in the Senior Fours race. Tc get back to the question of boats, there was no doubt on Saturday as to what was the popular opinion. Expressions of approval were heard on all sides commending the decision of the Rowing Association in having the races rowed in clinkers. This was most noticeable when the Otago crew in the Junior Double Sculls, even with a coxswain in the boat, ran into a buoy, and put themselves out of a race they had well in hand. The strong tide is against the successful use of best-and-best boats in tho pairs and sculls. This was apparent last Anniversary, when, through the lack of a coxswain, M'Grath and Priest lost a race, that they practically won, through finishing on the wrong side of the wharf. After Saturday’s performances it would be interesting to hear Messrs F. W. Mitchell and W. J. Wilson's opinions re best-and-best and clinker boats. The following are the cup and premiership points won on Boxing Day :—Maiden Cup—O.R.C. 3, N.E.B.C. 7, Q.D.B.C. 6, D.A.B.C. 1, Oamaru B.C. 1. Maiden Cup—P.C.R.C. 6, O.R.C. 6, Oamaru 6. Senior Cup—O.R.C. 6, P.C.R.C. 5. I.R.C. 6. Premiership points—Otago 16, Port 24, Queen’s Drive 16, Oamaru 24, North End 8, Invercargill 24. The prize-money was fairly well dis-

tribp ted,; Vlhvercargil], r with twofirsts won £a); Port .Eowrttg .Olnb had two, firsts, three' seamda, and two-thirds, winning £ls; Otago had two firsts, two seconds,, and three thirds, winning £l3; Oamaru had two firsts and two thirds, winning £9; Queen’s Drive had one first, two seconds, and one third, winning £8; North End had one first and two seconds, winning £5.