ROWING ITEMS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 8904, 21 September 1889, Page 3

ROWING ITEMS .

A meeting of the subscribers to the fund being established to provide for continuing the Intercolonial Eight-oar Eace between New South Wales and Victoria, on the condition required by the former Colony that the competitors be strictly hory&fide amateur oarsmen, was held in Melbourne, on August 23. Mr J. Ealeigh consented to act as Chairman of the Committee appointed to arrange with the New South Wales Association for holding the race on the Saltwater river on the last Saturday in November if the date is suitable. As soon as a reply is received from Sydney steps will he taken for building a boat and selecting a crew.

“The Peer” writes as follows in the Sydney Sporting Life anent the recent eight-oared race on the Parramatta, which was won by the Mercantile crew:—“lt was more than a victory which the Mercantiles gained over their opponents on Saturday week. It was a triumph, not so much by reason of the two lengths to spare at the finish, but chiefly from the manner in which the race was rowed and won. Easy victories wo have often seen, but it would not be easy to point to many instances where a crew, getting away as badly as the Mercantiles did, rowed their opponents down with such remarkable confidence. There was no hurry-scurry work. The light-weight champion was not in the slightest degree disturbed, and he finished as he had commenced, at a good strong thirty-nine to the minute. The crew as a whole is without doubt the best that we have seen for many a day, and with a couple of the light men out, and fresh men from other Clubs put in, we could, I feel sure, more than hold our own with the best of the Victorian oarsmen.” It will be remembered that Pred Styche was a member of the winning crew.

There was a squabble over the first eight-oared race held some time back by the New South Wales Rowing Association, and the second, recently decided, has not been allowed to pass by without a large amount of ill-feeling coming to the surface. The Sydney Referee contains the following account of how an attempt was made to rob the Mercantile crew of tbeir victoryThe rumour mentioned in last week's issue, with reference to Messrs Thomson and Dobson being ineligible to rc-w as amateurs, proves to have emanate.i fro m a protest which has been entered ag.< ’.u«t th*-first-named gentleman by Mr J. 11. My ore, stroke of the East Sydney >:ie r r iy. tho lutc oontast-. , It appear* T‘leeron i

competed at the Woolloomoloo Bat; regatta held on April 18, 1885, in the Senior Scullers’ Eace, the prize on the programme appearing as £s. Mr D. Middleton,] at the time one of our most prominent: amateur athletes, ■won the race, and Mr, Myers, who was Secretary of theregatta, now i protests against Mr Thomson being classed; as an amateur, on the ground of his (Myers). having handed Mr Middleton the sum of ■ for first prize. During last week a letter ap- ] peered in one of the morning papers, uij which the latter offers an explanation tO; the effect that ho purchased a trophy, and: called on the regatta Secretary and re*i quested him to pay for it. Mr Myers re-: plied by asking the sculls winner to tare: the money and pay for the prize himself, j in order to save him (Myers) the trouble.] Mr Middleton states that he complied, and; Mr Myers, after a lapse of over four years, ■ is suddenly struck with the idea that Mr-J Thomson must perforce rank as a profee-; eional, or, at any rate, is not a bona fide ■. amateur oarsman. The Honorary Secretary, i above all people, must have known that, j however the programme may have been; worded, the regatta was confined to > amateurs. It is a thousand pities thabj our amateur rowing contests should at) times be accompanied by so much un-i pleasantness, and it is.to he hoped that; all parties will in future think twice be-] fore entering protests on ■, auch.s frivolous; grounds. j Stove Brodie, the " bridge v, jumper,” swam the Niagara rapids At the annual Boston regatta on. July 4,j Teemer won the Single Sculls, beating Ten Eyck, M'Kay, Conley, Kennedy and; Plaiated, and he -was also u the crew that '• finished first in the Eaoe. Hosmcr was stroke. *• ,

The cabled account of the race between j Searle and O’Connor give the times at f our j distances. These are embodied in the; table given below, and it will be seen thatj the time at Barnes Bridge is the best onrecord. !

Distance. 3 ►> k £ SiS-8 4f 'p n S M •g | ii p F« t Creek _ ... Craven Steps -... Crab Tree ... Soap Works Hammersmith... Chiswick Church Barnes Bridge ... Ship, Uortlake... SI 8 1 871 8 6 fi 18 85* 1* 8 19 3 •22 18 K 8 * 1 88 • a *7 • * *0 •7 4 8 42 14 20 glzs 11 2 52 4 61 7 20 •18 58 •18 68 28 20 X 8 ; fo ♦iT38 iT t 82 42 * Fast* st times on record. „•