HADFIELD'S CAREER.

Northern Advocate, 23 July 1923, Page 6

HADFIELD'S CAREER.

Da"rcy Hadfield was born near Nelson on December 1, 1889. He started work on a farm at the age of 13J years, and later served a portion of his apprenticeship as a shipwright with his father, going to Auckland in 1910 to complete his apprenticeship with Charles Bailey. There he took on rowing, and for two years wa3 very successful in fours and double sculls. Late in 1912 he tried single sculling, and' in March of the following year won the Pearce Cup and the New Zealand Amateur Rowing Association's championship at Wellington. Later in the same year he also won several handicap races at Auckland. In 1914, Hadfield retained the amateur championship of New Zealand at Mercer, and also the Pearce Cup at Wellington, and in 1915, at Picton, again justified his claim to be amateur champion. Early in 1916 Hadfield went to the war and was wounded at Passchen- , daele. After two months in hospital, he returned to the front, but was attacked by bronchitis, which sent him to England for several months. He joined the Codford rowing party, and won a sculling race at the Hammersmith Service Regatta, also having a seat in the winning four. The next couple of months saw Hadfield winning a variety of rowing races. As an illustration of hig staying powers, it may be mentioned that one afternoon ho covered a mile eight times in exhibition races, winning on each occasion. After the Armistice he represent-

Ed England in the eightoared race against Prance, rowing No. 7. In June of the same year, Hadfield won the single sculls at Walton and Marlow regattas, and in July excelled himself by winning the Kingswood Cup at the Royal Henley Peace Regatta, defea ing some of the world's noted including Kinnear, the winner 1912 Olympic Sculls cWe£ sculling contests in E gland> Had . field then went to l 0 Pershing Stadiu' Games won the Ariiiy Sculling Championship, defeating re P r .<?Bentatives of England, Franco, America, Italy, -Belgium, and Australia. Back in New Zealand, /iadfield in 1920 once more won the Amateur Championship of New Zealand and the Pearce Cup, while with A. White he secured the Champion Doublo Sculls. Hadfield represented New Zealand at the Olympic Games at Antwerp, where circumstances conspired against him, and on his return again he retainetd his championship honours, with his eyes on the world's professional championship. He won the title from Arnst on January 5, 1922, but as he lost to Paddon in the April following his career as world's champion did not last long.

Professional sculling really originated among the old Thames boatmen nearly 90 years, ago in the years celebrated by Charles Dickens in several of his novels. There were never aay better watermen than those who plied their craft for a livelihood on the Thames before mechanical propulsion on the sea became common. . For maqy years there were competitions among the Thames boatmen for the pride of the river, but it \pas not till the 'fifties of the last, century that the professional sculling championship of England came . into being with the elaims of J. Messenger* after defeating T. Cole on the Thames.' ! Three years later Messenger, w?is beaten by Henry Kellery, wh,o held supremacy for nearly twenty : yearsy beating several oatsmen of renown. •

' ' frtST OF CHAMPIONS. The record of world's championship contests since 1876 is as follows: — 187(5_Trickett winner, Sadler Joser, Thames, 25mm 25sec. 1877 —Trickett, Rush, Thames, 23min 27$8ec. 1879—Trickett, Layeock, Thames, 23min 39sec. 1880—Hanlan, Trickett, Thames, 26 min 12sec. 1881 —Hanlan, Laycock, Thames, 25 min 40sec. 1882 —Hanlan, Boyd, Tyne, 21min 25 sec. 1882 —Hanlan, Trickett, Thames, 28 min. 1884 —Hanlan, Laycock, Ncpean, 22 min 45see. 1884—Beach, Hanlan, Parramatta, 20 min 28isec. 1885—Beach, Matterson, Parramatta, 24min ll^sec. 1885 —Beach, Clifford, Parramatta, 26 min.

1885—Beach, Hanlan, Parramatta, 22 min 51sec.

1886—Beach, Gaudaur, Thames, 22min 29sec.

1886—Beach, Eoss, Thames, 23min 5 sec. 1887 —Beach, Hanlan, Nepean, 19min 55sec.

18.87—Kemp, Clifford, Parramatta, 23 min 47sec.,

1888—Kemp, Hanlan, Parramatta, 21 • min 36sec. 1888—Kemp, Lanlan, Parramatta, 21

min 25sec. , 1888—Searle, Kemp, Parramatta, 22 min 44£ sec.

1889—Searle, O'Connor, Thames, 22 min 42sec. 1890—Kemp, Matterson, Parramatta, 21min 13^sec.

1890 —Kemp, McLean, Parramatta, 21 min 45£ sec. 1890—McLean, Kemp, Parramatta, 22 min 13sec.

1891—Stanbury, McLean, Parramatta, 18min 25sec.* 1891 —Stanbury, McLean, Parramatta, 22min 15jsec. 1892—Stanbury, Sullivan, Parramatta, 18min 27sec.* 1896—Stanbury, Harding, Thames, 21 min 51sec.

1896—Gaudaur, Stanbury, Thames, 23 min lsec. 1897—Gaudaur, Johnstone, Vancouver, no time kept. 1901—Towns, Gaudaur, Canada, 20min 30sec. 1904—Towns, Tressider, Parramatta, 21min 48 4-ssec. 1905—Stanbury, Towns, Parramatta, 19min 47sec. 1906—Towns, Stanbury, Parramatta, 19min 53 l-ssec. 1907—Towns, Durnan, Nepean, 22min 27sec. 1907 —Webb, Towns, Parramatta, • 20 min 45sec. 1908—Webb, Tressider, Wanganui, 20 min 28see. 1908—Arnst, Webb, Wanganui, 19min 25see. 1909—Arnst, Webb, Wanganui, 18min 258e0. 1910—Arnst, Wlielch, Akaroa, 21min 50 3-ssec. 1910 —Arnst, Barry, Zambesi, 20min 14 3-ssee. * 1911—Arnst, Pearce, Parramatta, 19 min 46sec. 1912—Barry, Arnst, Thames, 23min Bsec. 1912—Barry, Durnan, Thames, 22min 3186 C. 1913—Barry, Pearce, Thames, 24min 9sec. 1914 —Barry, Paddon, Thames, 21min ?Bsec. 1919 —Felton, Barry, Thames, 25min 40sec. 1920—Barry, Felton, Parramatta, 24 mjn 32sec. 1921—Arnst, Haunan, Wairau, 22min 33sec. 1922—Hadfield, Arnst, Wanganui, 19 min 45sec. 1922—Paddon, Hadfield, Wanganui, J J9min 15sec. j *These races were about half a mile ! short of the full course. Notes.—Thames course, 4 miles 400 yards; Parramatta course, 3 miles 330 yards; Tvne course, 3 miles 713 yards; I Nepenn River course, about 3£ miles; Wanganui course, 3£ miles; Akaroa course, 3£ miles; Zambesi course, 31 miles. The Parramatta course in 1905 was not the usual one and the time was unofficial.