STORY OF THE WORLD SCULLING CHAMPIONSHIP.

Matamata Record, Volume XIX, Issue 1693, 6 January 1936, Page 7

STORY OF THE WORLD SCULLING CHAMPIONSHIP.

~ ' DIOS ARNST

ONTESTS for tiie world s sculling championship hnv* produced some great races, and sonic great figures. Now the race, one of the world s oldest titular contests, seems to have fallen on evil days. It docs not nttract nearly ; the attention or command nearly the [ respect that it did in days within very ■ easy memory. . . , . , ! The race for it originated, legend j gays, on the River Thames, where water- ! men rowed matches from Putney to liMortlake, and the winner was called 1 .the world’s champion Henry Keelery /'was one of the great early champions. He held the title for a score of years .. |h matches with all the oarsmen of re- ' aown. Ned Trickett, a gigantic Australian, took the title across the plohc In 1876, and it did not return again to Great Britain for over a quarter of a C °E:! U fianlon, a Canadian, won the title Ljfrom the Australian on the Thames in faßßo, in a race that was laughable. Hanirrnn me suuu* «ui v V 'Vj IThcn he stopped and allowed the holder Jo catch up again and then rowed off -pvny from /him once more. Hanlon held the title for four years, Jbcaiing five challengers, but he lost it .to William Beach, the great old Australian sculler, in a match on the Parra--1 «na l ta River. . . Reach, who popped into the news •again the other day by gaining a driver’s licence In an Australian country town at the age of 85, defended the i title seven times In six years, before Jgiv'ng it up to P. Kemp, another Aus•Tro,ian. Kemp rowed three races in one year, in' 1 in the third, lost to •H. E. Searle, fine young athlete who later went to id I lit JUUUK UUJIViV > # >-*ghind ana defended the title on the i'n’hhmcs. He died dn the steamer on [the way home to Sydney. u Nowadays a broken stone column mocks the finishing point of the Parratnatta River course. It wap built there bv Australian sportsmen as a memorial io voung Searle. 11 1 v The title see-sawed for a decade or ■o till George ToVms, Another of the great old scullers, got It and seemed likely to hold It for ever till he forfeited it rather than row- against h* B younger brother, who had challenged film. First New Zealander Wins.

DARCY HADFIELD ; -_1

G. Towns was challenged by William Webb, a New,Zealand oarsmen who had learned the gaiiic in. Lyttelton, but who yas then living, in Wanganui, and amid tremendous enthusiasm right through this country the challenger won by five lengths in a race rowed on the Parramatta in August, 1907. He won the race in the great time of 10.45. Webb was only sft lOin in height 'jmd 10.10 in weight, but he had an al'innst perfect rowing style. t- He proved this in his first defence of the title, when'he beat R. Tresslder, a huge Australian, on the Wanganui River. Tressider had enormous strength and stamina, but Webb led him home by five lengths. iff down the river for another seven? iles to his hotel. It was remarkable that a man with e -strength td Jo that should be beajen a Hght-limbed man like Webb, but > result dnly afforded evidence . of: excellence. >of Webb** rowing le cMwreuwj. a icfhods,- ; ; ii'*® .... ' Webb became a national'herp by his (eats on,: thp water* 4 . In Wanganui he rns almost worshipped. His admirers milt him a house up river for him to Ive iri while training,' -and generally he ind the complete freedom of the city. These world’s championship matches Provided great days in the history of [Wanganui. Thousands fl'ocked to the jjiverside city for the matches, special [trains being run from all ov •forth Island. t > The hotelkeepers ttt the when the seas •culling owning inkid 7 » low Q Mao:_ _ pro' a ikas. One o] brqu do ■MI Mftd nfionra s^cne. Mess tb« nt across world's people fortunes to folrig sculler was >bb«d by' a canoe load of native be the end of a race.

Webb was really a worthy champion, but he did not hold the title for long, as Dick Arnst provided a sporting sensation hy taking it from him in 1908 in a match on the Wanganui. Arnst was a novice in sculling. He had been a cyclist earlier, capping a fine career by winning the Sydney Thousand, and had been rowing only a short time. His splendid physique—he stood 6ft and had a chest expansion of 11 inches —and his wonderful strength, enabled him to acquire power quickly once lie had got the knack of sculling. He leapt to Hie front, and for many years held his position there. At this time, however, though he had won several matches of varying importance in Australia, lie was thought a comparative novice, and betting before this match was two to one on Webb. Arnst won by eight lengths, never being seriously threatened. Arnst did net liavc quite the style qf,.\Vebb, but lie had a good knowledge of the technique of rowing nevertheless, and liis great strength turned the scale in his favour.

Arnst, born and reared atTai Tapu, was advised to take up #owing by Mr J. H. Parker, of Christchurch, whom he afterwards always referred to as “the man who found me.” Messrs Parker, J. F. Buchanan, and W. Burke were backers of his at this time. Webb challenged Arnst in the following year, but the champion put up a wonderful performance in covering the course in 15.15, a world’s record for the j

dlstanee, winning by five lengths. . .Before the race Arnst had gastric trouble, and his weight fluctuated.alarmingly. ,Hl<i trainer-; had only one bet onhim, aha the syndicate interested in Ililll) illlU vllv DJ liuil/utu siibv&vgipyu him stood off, though there was money all over the town for the challenger. Arnst went round his training camp laughingly confident, and went out and rowed a remarkable race. Every time Webb spurted, Arnst spurted better, and Webb finished all out. He said Arnst would never be beaten in a dozen y fH* popular feeling was now thoroughly i „ in this country wjv.uub....? rotlsea, and these matehes became almost national affairs. match who matches became almost national af! Then was great Interest (nan between Arnst and George whelch, ««« had been three times amateur champion, at Akaroa In idlQr The Cygnet, the Monlcg, apd thp Maori ' •'lh hundreds ' "* of •linn. and then He round from raoi -had to be

postponed because of rough water. Most of the people stayed in Akaroa, which was a “full” town that night. The match took place next day. Arnst, in telrihly rough water, won by three lengths. Race on the Zambesi. Arnst bad exhausted the possibilities of further matches in New Zealand, but accepted one with Erpest Barry, the English champion, in 1910. This race took place on the Zambesi, in a remarkable setting. Canoe loads of natives in coloured finery dotted the river, and great hippos gazed on stolidly from the side of the water. The wide and deep river was a splendid course for a championship race, and it is remarkable that no more have taken place there. Arnst won by two lengths. v / . The match was for a purse *uf £IOOO, and was generally considered the stiffest Arnst had been threatened with up to then. The New Zealander, however, was in perfect condition. In the next year he met Harry Pearce, a splendid young. Australian athlete who had set his heart on winning the woxdd’s title and trained steadily with it in view for two years. The match was on the Parramatta.

Pearce led off, and Arnst had to stop rowing to avoid running into him. Pearce, with splendid sportsmanship, kept on rowing. Had lie stopped there would certainly have been a collision and Arnst would probably have lost the title on a ful. As it was Arnst drew level again and i then went ahead, winning by two lengths. It was a terrific effort by both men. At the finish Arnst was violently ill, and Pearce, his dream shattered, put his head in his hands and sobbed like a child.

Arnst lost .the title the following year in a match on the Thames with Barry. Many thought he should never have rowed it. After his previous match his weight had climbed to 15st 101 b. He reduced that by training to 13st 81b. Then, just before the race, he went down to 12st 61b in two days. Nevertheless he was the favourite before the race, but after leading for a time was passed by Barry and near the finish stopped rowing. Barry’s win, the first by an Englishman for over a score of years, was har'sd with delight by British people. I Barry’s admirers said his victory was due to superior watermanship in rough water, but Amst’s friends thought his physical condition had led him to defeat. As a matter of fact cither man. was quite a worthy champion. Arnst was trained for this match by Oswald Stapleton, trainer of Sam Langford, the famous coloured boxer. Barry rowed in three matches for the title after that, and still had it in postwar times. When challenged again by Arnst, however, he'forfeited It to him. Arnst', title holder for the second time, was challenged by J. P. Hannan, a New Zealander who had been on or near the water all his life but had not rowed in an outrigger till in his middle twenties. Arnst beat him on the Wairau Ritfe'r, Marlborough:’by three lengths. ’ In his next match Arnst won the toss but lost, the title,. In Jbis..whole career'- he. won the toss for choice of sides of the: course only twiete, and on both occasions he lost the title.; s-. . ■i His' i922Jtnatdh was 1 against ‘ Uarcy Hadfield; TTewrZealririd amateur • champion in 1912, 1914, and 1916, Army champiorn in 1919 and- Olympic representative in 1920. Hadfield was a young, eager, and fit challenger meeting a. •veteran in his declif.*) and won by over 10 lengths. - • He did not hold the Tumours long, however, for next year he was beaten by that sculling freak, J. Paddon, an Australian who was already 36 years old. at this time, stood 6ft 4in, and scaled 13st 81b.

Padddn used sculls two inches longer than any other rower of prominence had ever done, and had his outrigger set several inches out of the square. An ordinary man could not have used such equipment, but the challenger was so big and strong that it offered no trouble to him. In a lface on the Wanganui River Paddon strolled home by nine lengths. Hadfleld, artistic oarsman that he was, simply could not copo with the 1 ‘ mettie strength of this gigantlo oys

<r=-> Days Of Webb, Arnst And Paddon, When Contests For TJhe Title Drew Thousands

fisherman. Since this match thp title has been going steadily farther and farther away from New Zealand, and interest in it has dropped progressively lower and lower. Paddon held the title till 1924, when he retired after beating three challengers, and gave it to William McDevitt, who promptly lost it in his first match to Major Goodscll. Goodsell, a really capable sculler, beat J. P. Hannan, the New Zealander, and Jim Paddon when he attempted to come back, and in 1926 went to the

Unwed States to get coaching engagements and. matches. He was challenged by W. Burns, the Australian champion, and J. P. Hannan, the. New Zealand champion, and by H. A. (Bert) - Barry, nephew of Ernest Barry. Barry found the greatest backing quickest and the pair met on Burrard Inlet, near Vancouver City, in September, 1927.

The match, for $25,000, attracted tremendous interest, and thousands of people secured a free view from the hillsides of the land-locked inlet. It was calculated that the crowd was bigger than that at the Dick ArnstHarry Pearce match in 1911, when 100,000 attended. There was a choppy- sea, an adverse Wind, and * .heavy rain,'but Goodsellj rose superior to the conditions ands won by 10 lengths. Barry’s' backers said their charge would have done better in smooth water, and it is significant thgt he won in the next year, when conditions were good, in the same inlet] against the same opponent. Back To England. He took the title back to England, and held it without a rival for two years, till E. A. (Ted) Phelps arose, and gave the title holder the worst lacing in championship history by beating him by 25 lengths in May, 1930, on the Putney tp'Mortlake course, v In spbrt.it is hot good for one man to be so markedly superior that an opponent cannot. provide good opposition. Unless there is something approaching a contest public interest falls off. This was proved * the last Jrear when they# was scarcely any Interest in -another Barry-Phelps match on the ’Thames, when Phelps again won with ease. Yet, the cables say, these two men are to race again. That,is hard hick] for Alfred Burns, the New South Wales champion, who has challenged several times', and some months ago, made an offer to give Phelps £3OO and all expenses to row for the title in Australia at the time of the opening 0* the Sydney Harbour Bridge. _ X Phelps evidently considers that asi long as Barry’s backers are ready to put up money he would be much better advised to row a man not very likely to beat him than travel half-way roimd the world.*''to meet one who might. Still, it would probably revive interest in the title « it changed hands or at any rata was competed for a little more often than twice in four years.