Rowing: Weather Halts Water Work Full Regatta Programme Announced

Evening Star, Issue 25956, 22 November 1946, Page 5

Rowing: Weather Halts Water Work Full Regatta Programme Announced

[By Bow.]

Weather conditions during the last 10 days have made it impossible for crews to do much water work, but coaches at all clubs have been busy with shore training. This aspect of the sport is often neglected, as much by the more advanced oarsmen as the eager novices, and too much stress cannot be laid on the advantage of a good grounding in the rudiments of the art before taking to the water.

A full programme of regattas has been arranged for this season, beginningVwith the North End. fixture on December 7. The Boxing Day regatta at Macandrew Bay will introduce the main series, and this year a highlight will be the two Ravensbour'ne regattas to celebrate the jubilee of the club, it is hoped that this time there will be no interference with races by motor boats and yachts. Port Chalmers follows the St. Leonards Club and the Dunedin Regatta Club at Waihola, and Vauxhall is also coming into the picture again. It only requires Portobello and Broad Bay to combine to revive the pre-war schedule. North End’s Coach. Jack Mitchell, that neat oarsman of pre-war days, who was a member of the Otago eight which won the interprovincial contests when Miclk Brough was stroke, is coaching North End’s senior crew. All crews are keen and expect to put up good performances during the regatta season. Their first trial will be against the Otago Club in an interclub regatta to be held tomorrow week.

Lower Harbour Activities. Weather conditions have drastically curtailed activities,on the Lower Harbour. Regatta crews from Port Chalmers will bexselected during this weekend for the 'December 7 fixture, and a'strong team is expected. Not much has been heard from Queen’s Drive, but rumour has it that the club is quickly regaining its prewar standard and will have crews in all classes this year. ‘ The regatta crews will be announced this week-end. Harbour oarsmen as well as former followers of the sport will wish Drive good luck in the revival. Otago’s Coaching Scheme. The recently-formed Coaching Committee is now,functioning smoothly at the Otago 6hed, and coaches have been allotted to all crews and • a , definite plan of campaign adopted. tßus. Caradus has the youths fours, Bill Binnie is in charge of the maidens, and Keith Barclay is doing his best with the juniors.

Varsity Prospects. Although pressure of studies and examinations and their aftermath preclude University from doing much active rowing during the early part of the season, reports from the club state that everything augurs well for the post-Christmas season. A preliminary review of 1947 prospects is more than encouraging, for six and possibly seven of the 1946 champion eight will be available again. With the new material from northern colleges it appears that the Otago University eight will be favourites for the Easter tour-nament-engagement. The club is fortunate in having as captain, D. J. Dobson, and he will be assisted by G. Wimsett, E. MacDonald, and M. Walters.

Last year’s champion eight was coached by-Mick Brough, who is now residing in Invercargill. His place will be taken by one of his old champion four, Jack Werges, who is president of the Dunedin Regatta Club. Varsity is fortunate in being able to secure the services of such oarsmen' as coaches, for Brough and Werges are perhaps two of the best New Zealand has produced. It is interesting to note that seven members of the 1946 champion, eight are products of the great kindergarten of rowing—the Secondary Schools’ Rowing Association. This fact should stimulate a move now being made in Dunedin to have rowing included as one of the sports sponsored by” the secondary schools of Otago. The 1946 eight was composed of M. Walters (stroke. Mount Albert Grammar School, and now West End, Auckland), G. Wimsett (Sacred Heart College, Auckland, and now West End), E. MacDonald (rowed at school in Christchurh and also for Star of Wellington and Wairoa, Marlborough), D. J. Dobson (Christ’s College and Canterbury and Avon clubs), H. Cutter (rowed at school and now of Star), N. A. Woods (A Varsity club product), L. S. Jones (Mount -Albert Grammar, and now of Tauranga), and H. K. Watt (bow, Takapuna . Grammar School, Auckland, and now of North Shore). Of these men, Walters, Wimsett, and MacDonald gained their New Zealand blues last year for rowing. ~