GREAT SCULLING MATCH.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 220, 10 November 1888, Page 3

GREAT SCULLING MATCH.

Never in the history of sculling has there been such a sensational race as that which took place on Saturday, October 27th, on the Paramatta River, when Henry Searle, a young man 22 years of age, a native of the Clarence River district, easily defeated Peter Kemp and secured the championship of the world. Ever since his easy victories over Wulf, Stansbury, Neilson and Hughes, young Searle has been regarded as the coming man, though but few thought that he would come so soon. All save very few who had taken the lad in hand and tested his powers of speed, coolness and endurance regarded it as a bold act on his part to throw down the gauntlet to the champion oars-man of the world, a man who was regarded by such musters of art as Beach and Hanlan as perhaps the fastest man in the world, at any late for a mile. The friends of Kemp, tri id men th< mselves, clung to the idea that he would row down the young aspirant to championship honors before the mile beacon was reached, !but the race proved that they had reckoned without their host, as the Clarence River youth bad his rival in trouble fiom the very start and had him completely beaten and at his mercy before half, or at most three-quarters of a mile had been traversed. After that it was a procession. Beach, it was said, ran away from Hanlan, and the latter bad no show with Kemp, but on Saturday Searle, after he had put half a mile behind him simply paddled along, sending his boat through the water with a grand sweeping, telling stroke, and went away just when and as far as he liked. Two more wonderful spurts than those which he indulged in—one just before reaching the mile post, and tbe other when passing his own boatshed near Giadesvilie wharf—have seldom been seen, and the strength and power he put into his stroke, as well as the speed with which he made his boat travel, fairly electrified the excited onlookers, and caused an ex-champion to ejaculate, in tom a of almost breathless admiration, ‘By heavens, he’s a wonder !”

Searle was the first afloat, and took a short spin down to the stone wharf at the end of the Point, and then went up to the bridge. Kemp came out from Ryde Wharf and went up to the starting point. Kemp, looking cool and undisturbed, was seated in the Brown and Rose, a boat called after his backer’s favorite racehorse. Searle took the Two Brothers, being the same boat in which both he and Matterson have recently won their races. The excitement was intense, and the betting, after varying a little, settled down at 6 to 4 on Searle, and at even money that he led at the mile. At 27|min past 4 both men broke away at the first attempt, catching the water beautifully together. No advantage was gained by either man, and a better start could not have been wished for. They dashed off at their top speed, Searle being the first to get his weight on, and they rattled up 41 strokes to the first minute. As near as could be judged, Searle seemed te have the advantage before they had put in 20 strokes, and when they had travelled the next one hundred yards the loud and excited shouts of those on board the steamers proclaimed Searle’s lead to be a quarter of a length. As they went past the steamers the excitement knew no bounds. All sorts of absurd odds were offered against Kemp, but in that large assemblage of people there seemed to be few who could realise the fact that Searle in the first 3uo yards was nearly half a length ahead. On the southern side of the river there is a stump with a charred top, and this is as near as possible a quarter of a mile from the start. When they shot pant this, Searle was a good half length ahead, and the watch showed Imin 35sec for the distance. In Searle’s trial on the Friday before the race he did the distance in Imin 29sec., and on the Thursday in 1 min 30sec. and in Imin 31 sec. A good opportunity was now given to view the styles of the men as they made their way to Uhr’s Point, and the general opinion favored Kemp, but he lacked the spaed and agility of his more youthful opponent. Leaving the quarter mile post, Searle went ahead foot by foot, and in the next 100 yards made his lead a full length. Here one of Searle’s backers offered to lay £2OO to £lOO, and this was quickly taken up. Nearing Uhr’s Point Peter Kemp quickened his pace a bit, and brought Searle back half a length. As this overhaul was perceived great shouts of encouragement were offered to both men, and betting was paralysed for a moment, but that was all, for Searle, seeing Kemp’s approach, opened out a little and shot the stone wharf at Uhr’s Point a good length ahead in 2 min. 20 sec. Clearing the point the two men met the wind, which was rather stiff, and Kemp turned round and had a look at Searle, who was going away at every stroke. The genrral opinion expressed was, “it’s all over, it’s 100 to 1 on Searle,” and so it appeared, for though Kemp plugged away in beautiful style the Clarence River man continued to leave him, and half way over to One Mile Beacon there were two length’s difference between the boats, Here the men were pulling in Indian file, and shortly after Searle went over towards the northern shore under cover of the wind, while Kemp kept on some distance before he changed his course, and he was the first to make use of the smooth water. He spurted up a bit, but Searle seeing this opened out with a spurt such as has never been seen in a race. At the mile point he quickened up to the rate of 40 to the minute, and shot the Mile Beacon four

lengths ahead in 6min 37sec. Kemp coming along kept too close in, and had to give way a little to clear the beacon. It was now evident that Kemp had no show. He was pulling splendidly, but he was not fast enough for Searle, who could have spurted away at any moment. Leaving the Mile, the strokes scored 32 to the minute to each man, and they were again in the teeth of the wind, and occasionally a lumpy wave would bounce the scull up, but each man was too skilled a waterman for it to trouble him much. Half s way over to Putney four lengths still divided them, and Mr Deeble remarked to Beach as they stood in the bows of a steamer following the race, “ It’s all over, he’s too fast.” “ Yea,” replied Beach, “ it’s 100 to 1 on Searle.” Reaching Putney they were still rowing 32, and the point was passed in W min 25 sec. Kemp could not bring Searle back, do what he could. The former was not tired, nor had he given any signs of distress, and his style of work was admired, but to

use Beach's words, “ Pater aint fast enough by a long way." Getting over to Tennyson , Kemp sported, his last try, and made the difference three lengths, but as soon as Searle perceived this he was off again and made things worse lor Kemp than they ware before, and Cabrita Wharf saw six lengths between them in IGmin. 27 sec. The steamers now blew the M cock-a-doodle-doo ” and the various points, crowded with people, rang out with deafening cheers, while carrier pigeons were sent up all the way down the river, the majority of them being Grafton birds. Kemp now began to tire, but was pulling well. Searle, on nearing Gtadcsvilie, was greeted with cheers by the crowd, which thronged the wharf and lined the water's edge, and in answer to their repeated calls he spurted away in a wonderful manner and was soon 12 lengths ahead. In obedience tp bis backer's request Kemp then slowed down to save him. self for his race with Watterson on the follow ing Monday. At One Man Wharf Searle wa- s 140yds ahead, rowing 28, and he passed the wharf in 20min. Here the fleet of open boats looked as if they would cause Searle some trouble, but he steered safely through and wound up his race with a grand spurt as Judge Richards drooped the flag in his favour with a credit win of 150yds in 22min 44Jsee. As the men drew up and ebook hands they were greeted with hearty cheers, and there was nothing about them to indicate that they had finished a severe struggle, both appearing as fresh as if they had just got into their boats. Kemp looked very much crushed and as soon as he bad shaken bands with Searle he went straight off up the river home. Searle came round to the bows of the Gosford and seemed quite unconcerned as to the value of the great title he had just won, The steamer invincible came down on Searle unobserved, and as soon as he saw her he put on a spurt, showing that 1 there any amount more work still id him.