CLEAN SWEEP IN MILLER CUP RACES: P.B. CREWS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22818, 13 December 1948, Page 3

CLEAN SWEEP IN MILLER CUP RACES: P.B. CREWS

Racing against the Gisborne club’s representatives in the Miller InterClub Cup competition on Saturday, over a mile course on the Taruhcru River, Poverty Bay Rowing Club crews swept the board and recaptured the trophy, which has rested with the Gisborne club since 1947. River conditions were fairly good and both clubs were in a position to put out Ihcir full strength, as represented by practice crews which emerged into the semi-final round of the respective Presidents’ Fours series. The competition has been an annual event for a number of seasons past, having been commenced during the life-time of the late Mr W. Barrington Miller, donor of the trophy.

To meet the donor’s suggestion that the cup should be raced for by crews selected for normal dub racing, rather than by specially-trained regatta crews, the clubs adopted the practice of rowing off the scries between the last surviving four crews in each of the presidents’ events, which are run concurrently. P.B. Crews More Rugged.

Poverty Bay proved more rugged than Gisborne on Saturday and scored convincingly in all four events, reversing the experience of the last L.V.A. regatta in which Gisborne proved superior. All the crews had one or more novice oarsmen and the performances of the newcomers were watched with special interest in view of the fact that shield regatta crews will be boated for special training early in the new year. In the first race on Saturday afternoon T. Herivel, str„ N. Harris, M. Hutana and J. Watt, Poverty Bay, met B. Hankey, sir-, D.Robinson, R. Sinton and J. Murray, Gisborne, and led most of the way to a point near Derby street. There Hankey was making a good improvement in his position when an accident put his crew out of the race, leaving Poverty Bay to finish alone.

R. Patty, sir., T. Rofe, C. Smythe and D, Fouhy got away to a smart start against D. McGlashen, str., R. Leeming, K. Simpson and A. Ross, the Gisborne four in the second race, and after a close tussle as far as Roebuck road bridge the Poverty Bay four drew out to a clear-water lead, winning eventually by two lengths. Winners’ Outstanding Display.

In R. Carnegie, str„ D. Menzies, C. Scanlon and F. Dearness, the Poverty Bay club boated a very hot combination to meet T, Kane, str., K. Russell, H. Sayers and E, Whaitiri from the Gisborne club. Kane could not stay with his opponent at the start, and was beaten convincingly, the display of the winners in this event being worthy of a first-class regatta four.

Gisborne’s hopes were now pinned on J. Hankey, str., J. Underwood, R. Mills and N. Mills, who met C. Waldock, str., K. Bullivant, L. Parker and P. Graham in the final event of the competition. Once again, however, Poverty Bay got off to an excellent start, shading the Gisborne crew and maintaining the lead through the whole course in spite of Hankey’s repeated sprints. Waldock won by a length in the toughest contest of the day.

The traditional honours were offered to the winners at a gathering at the Gisborne club’s premises at the close of the afternoon’s programme, where Mr. J. Lockwood presented the Miller Cup to the winning dub and congratulated winners and losers upon the good oarsmanship displayed, particularly in the cases of novice members engaged.