ROWING ASSOCIATION

Evening Star, Issue 20998, 12 January 1932, Page 8

ROWING ASSOCIATION

DATE OF EIGHTS DISCUSSED SENDING OF " REP " CREW UNDECIDED At last night’s meeting of the Otago Amateur Rowing Association held in the mayor’s office at Port Chalmers, the decision of the Marlborough Association to hold the interprovmcial eights on Easter Saturday was discussed at some length, and before deciding if a crew should be sent from here it was resolved to circularise the clubs requesting the nominations of oarsmen who would be willing to travel should they be picked in the eight. A protest from the Queen’s Drive Club appealing against the disqualification ot its senior four at the Macandrew Bay regatta was merely received, the umpire’s word being taken as linal. The association’s regatta will this year he held at Port Chalmers on either Febraury 20 or 27. Increased prize money (£6O as against £sl. in 1930, last year’s fixture being a benefit regatta) will be offered. There was also discussion bn whether best-and-best boats or clinkers should be used tor the senior four event at this regatta. It was decided to rescind the present motion stipulating best boats m view of the fact that more substantial entries would be received were clinker craft allowed. Mr T. F. Mackie presided over the following delegates :-Messrs S. &• Styche (secretary), C. R. Caffin, L. W. Pickford (Otago), W. G. glengarry, F W. Rogers, G. Duncan (North End), W. J. Wilson,. F Wilson, W. Leftwich (Queen’s Drive) J. .E. Colthorpe, W. Lysaght, and W. M Connell (Port Chalmers). EIGHT-OAR CONTEST.

In connection with the Marlborough Rowing Association’s selection or Easter Saturday as the date for the interprovincial eight-oar contest, tne secretary read the correspondence that had passed between the associations. He had taken it upon himself to enter a protest against holding the .race at Easter owing to this date clashing with the Queenstown regatta, Mr btyclie The 'secretary ’s action was approved. <4 lt is a very unsatisfactory position,” said the chairman, ‘‘for as . members know, we experienced a good deal of trouble obtaining something definite from Marlborough. All that was in the dailv papers was confirmed, and that was' the entire extent of our mformation.” . ■>„ The secretary stated that since he had forwarded his letters of protest he had heard nothing. A regatta had been held there at New Year time, and , he thought that an association meeting would have been called, but evi- ' dently it had not. , , Mr W. J. Wilson: It hits us, hut it suits the North Island. Outside ot Otago and Southland it suits other associations admirably. It is going to be a job to get crews to travel this ■' year, and undoubtedly Easter is the ' most convenient time. It, is unfortunate that it does not fit in with our ca g a i 6ha ,, mau . will suit Marlborough. They will be able to, make , the thing a financial success owing to it being held on a holiday. It was advised by Mr Hale at the . annual meeting of the N.Z.A.R.A. that the eights would he W a month after the championships, said Mr Styche. The Chairman: Perhaps we shall ’make better progress if we were to decide whether or not we send a crew to ' the contest. , . Mr Caffin: If the eights are to be held on Easter Saturday I cannot see how we can send an eight away, as clubs are looking forward more than ever to Queenstown at Easter especially since there, has been talk ot Anniversary Day being tacked on to the holidays. ~ The chairman stated that all the clubs’ crews for Queenstown— the seniors at any rate—would be inter- ’ fered with if an eight were chosen, and this would let Southland representa- ■’ tives in for the majority of the prize money. An endeavour should be made to cet an eight away, however,, and the association should communicate with oarsmen who would be willing to travel if selected. , ■, 1 Mr Caffin; Southland will, be unable to compete in the interpvovincml race, as the council gave it the eight provided that it did not compete in such

©vent* Mr Lysagbt; That should not , l? re ' vent Southland from competing. They may train in the heat given them, . then apply for the use of Otago o [Wellington's second) boat. Mr w. J. Wilson suggested that the association should first circularise the ' dubs asking for nominations for any members willing to travel The association could then consider it .it should send an eight. With all due respect to the Queenstown people, lie V could not see the best crews : ing their fixture if an eight should be • . selected, for the province’s eight best men would he away. However there would he a good opportunity io g>™ ■promising rowers a chance. Being :. the holders of the challenge cum and since Marlborough paid us a visit last vear. we should try to get an eight away,” he concluded, and then moved in accordance with his remarks. Mr F. Wilson seconded. Mr Caffin asked if it could he taken from this that a definite decision had been reached. Ho was emphatically V informed that this was not the_ case. ' He then went on to say that owing to the depression and the tightness of funds the representative oarsmen tins year should he asked to contribute a little toward the_cost of trl P- J n past years, he pointed out, the associa- ■ tion had home the cost of everything, ■ hut it would find it hard to do the same this time. The sportsmanship of the Auckland representatives who paid their own expenses to Dunedin for the race last year was wonderful, ami, though ho would not hko to sec the ilvng carried as far as this, ho thought that some money should be given by each member of the Otago crew. He .. inquired if Mr Wilson would care to add this proviso to his motion, but the latter would not agree. Several members stated that if sucn a thing were resorted to it would al* ■ most certainly mean that the best crew •would not travel, and it was not the ' intention of the association to send anything hut the best available material. , . , - The motion was then carried unanimously. disqualification protest. From the Queen’s Drive Club came a protest against what it alleged to be an unjust disqualification of its.senior four at the Macandrew Bay regatta. The Chairman drew attention to the fact that the club did not state on what grounds it appealed against disqualificatloMr Caffin moved that the letter be received. . , , Mr W. J. W’ilson; Tho umpires dc-

cision is filial T>ic Chairman; Such a motion as that of Mr Cuffm seems to mo to ho the only way to deal with such a matThereupon Mr Leftwich expressed the strong desire that the matter should fee jfrjsfesg ffl&i

Mr Duncan seconded the motion, after which Mr Glengarry (the umpire at Macandrew Bay) explained that the incident ovei which the trouble arose was the crossing over the Port Chalmers crew’s bow by the Drive four at the start of the senior event.. After four strokes Drive manoeuvred in front of Port Chalmers, a . thing ho would have believed impossible had ho not seen it. He admitted that he was not right beside the boats. He was at the finish ot the course, ti mile <iwny, but he had a strong pair of glasses, and he saw the incident He had no option, the rules being behind him, but to disqualify Drive. The necessity of a launch was never more felt, and lie hoped that suck facility would bo provided next year. He greatly resented hearing a rumour that he had not made his decision until after the Port crew had arrived at the staging. He had expressed his intention to disqualify the offending crew long before the course had been completed. , , . Mr W. J. Wilson stated that tho Port Club should have jiccn tho one to appeal, and it was unfortunate that a laiu.ch had not been provided for the umpire. It would he seen in a case of this nature that the services .of two umpires would have been of assistance. The motion was carried. O.R.A. REGATTA. By 7 votes to 5 the Otago Rowing Association’s annual regatta was allocated to Port Chalmers, and the meeting decided that tho date he either February 20 or 27. . Proposals that the prize money be £sl, £6O, and £7O wore put forward, it being eventually decided on a show or hands to donate £6O for tho racing. The distribution of the money and tho number of races to be rowed were left over until another meeting of the association to bo held next week. THE BOAT QUESTION. In accordance with his notice Mr Glengarry moved —“ That tho present motion standing on the books —viz., that the senior four at the O.ILA. regatta be rowed in best-and-best boats bo rescinded for this year’s regatta. “ This is not a club matter, ho stated “hut it is in the interest of tho sport that best-and-hest boats should not he stipulated for tho senior event at our regatta.” During the past two or three seasons, he continued, this matter had been discussed, and he thought that in view of better entries being assured if clinker boats were allowed to be. used the association should rescind its rule. Mr W. J. Wilson: We are on the same old matter of boats. lii the interest of entries wc should go back, to the clinker. Clubs arc not in a position to bnv boats this year, and there is not a hest-and-best boat in Southland (the Awarna and Railway Clubs have promised to send crows up for the regatta), and we are looking for outside competition. How, therefore, are we to get it if we keep to the best boats? I have been against holding the race in clinkers in the past, but this year 1 feel prepared to support the motion. The Henley Cup (for senior fours in best-and-hest boats) will not go to the winner of the race this year if clinkers are used. Mr Leftwich stated that once the rule was rescinded it was deleted from the rules. It could not be thrown out for a year, and then he reinstated, Mr W. J. Wilson asked the chairman for his ruling, and was advised that Mr Leftwich was correct in his statement. Mr Wilson then stated that such being the case he could not support tiie motion to have deleted a rule or which he had striven hard to have placed in the association’s hook. The Secretary said that to get over the difficulty it would be unnecessary to touch the rule. To state on the programme what boats were to be used would he sufficient. The motion was carried.

GENERAL,

The Chairman directed the meeting’s attention to tho fact that unknowingly a senior oarsman (J. Crammond) had rowed junior for tho Port Chalmers Club at the Macandrew Bay regatta. The Secretary reported, that he had communicated with the secretary of the N.Z.A.R.A. to obtain a proper ruling on the subject. A reply had been received that, as Crammond rowed in the Otago eight, which won at Lyttelton in 1929, he was a senior oarsman. . It was stated that in this case tho rule was exceptionally harsh, and it. was decided that the secretary again communicate with the N.Z.A.R.A., pointing out that had tho Otago Association known Crammond’s status would be affected he would not have been selected, and that if the rule held good no more maiden or junior oarsmen would he selected for Otago’s eight-oar crew.

It was decided to allocate three races for a total donation of £9 for the Burkos-St. Leonards regatta on February 6. The races will be four-oared events for youths, juniors, and seniors, and the prize money will ho distributed as follows: —Seniors, £3 and £1; youths, £2 and £1; juniors, £1 10s and 10s. The officials appointed were:— Starter, Mr E. V. Fairbairn (Mr O. R. Caffin if Mr Fairbairn is unavailable) ; umpire, Mr W. G. Glengarry; judges— Messrs W. Robinson, W. Lysaght, and E. W. Pickford. The secretary was instructed to approach the committee to have a punt moored close inshore for the convenience of landing boats. In connection with tho proposed gala at Lake Waihola, the Secretary reported that he had been informed that nothing more would be done this season.

Regarding tho removal of one of the association’s eight-oar boats, now housed in tho North End Club house, to tho Drive shed, it was decided that if any difficulty was experienced by the Queen’s Drive Club in having a crew selected to row the boat to its shed a launch should he engaged to tow the craft to Port Chalmers.