REGATTA AT HENLEY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20332, 13 August 1929, Page 6

REGATTA AT HENLEY.

NEW ZEALAND ENTRANTS,

VERY EXCITING FINISHES*

SOME UNREHEARSED INCIDENTS.

[from our own correspondent.] LONDON. July 12. This year's Henley regatta will bo reracmbered for the violence of the head winds tho crews had" to encounter, and for several very exciting finishes. New Zealand interest attaching to the meeting was the prescnco of I. C. Ilorton, H. H. Elwortby and J. C. Robertson in the Trinity Hall boats. On tho first day lliero was brilliant weather, and very large crowds enjoyed the racing. There was a heavy downpour of rain 011 tho morning of tho second day. The third day was rather spoiled by, boisterous winds, and last Saturday, although fine, was also marked with heavy winds. Consequently the times wero not as good as they might havo been.

Four crews entered for the Grand ChalJcngo Cup, tho finalists being Leander Club and Thames Rowing Club. On Saturday Leander gained the easiest victory of tho day. This year will bo remerabered as tho year when tho competition for tho Grand was immensely keen, probably keener than for 18 years past. The time recorded, seven minutes, was astonishingly good in the prevailing conditions, and Brocklebank (tho«#fcroke of Leander crew) added immensely to his reputation. Ja a regatta memorable for good stroking 110 stood out. To his other virtues ho has added that of great length. English Standard High.

The Leander crew did to some people give an unreal impression of shortness, due, as in the case of the 1923 Cambridge crew, to the pace of the blades through the water. This crew proved that Eng. lish rowing once more stands as high as ever it did. London Rowing Club and Jesus College were the other competitors. ,

For the Ladies' Challenge Plate there were 14 heats rowed, the victory going to First Trinity, Cambridge. University College, Oxford, were their opponents ia the final. Rowing with greater length and rhythm University held the more experienced crew,.all over the course at two strokes >p minute slower rate. At the mile poSs . Martineau (University stroke), spurted and came up quarter of a length; Lander (Trinity stroke) was already going so hard that he had little in reserve with which to answer, but he just succeeded in driving his* 1 men to victory as ho so often has done before.

In the Thames Challenge Cup there werq 22 heats, victory eventually going to Browne and Nichols School, which beat Thames Rowing Club in tho final by oves a length. Trinity Hall eight, >n which were lh« New Zealanders Elworthy and Robertson, were beaten in the fifth heat by London Rowing Club. Stylish Bowing. The splendid exhibition of stylish rowing given by First Trinity in the Stewards* Cup made it hard to believe they were the stern four of a crew which had won the Ladies' Plate in the morning by strength and determination more than by anything else. London led of! the mark and wero still ahead at Fawley when, getting, rather far over into First Trinity's water, the latter came «p and clashed with them. London still led at tho mile post, where Lander started a magnificent spurt of, two minutes' duration, culminating in a minute's rowing at over 40. O'Brien also made great efforts, but ho could not prevent First Trinity getting home by a length in tha extraordinarily fast time of 7m 325, only 5s outside the record.

In the Visitors' Challenge Cup the com* petitors were Trinity College (Dublin), Magdalen (Oxford), Third Trinity (Cambridge), Balliol' (Oxford), Jesus (Cambridge), New College (Oxford) and Trinity Hall (Cambridge two final crews were:— A Third Trinity.—W. A. Prideaux (bow), 12st.; J. C. Kerrison, 12st. lib.; R. A* Davis-Cooke (steers), list. 131b.; H. R, N. Rickett (stroke), 12st, 71b. Trinity Hall.—l. C. Hortori (bow and steers), list, lib.; Baron de Rutzen, 12st. 71b.; G. G. W. Farquharson, 12sL. 41b.; R. J. Ellcs (stroke), 12st. lib. Third Trinity were clear by Fawley in 3in 45s and won by one and a-quarter lengths, in spite of'the Hall's attacks,; in Bin 465.

A Dutchman's Victory. In the final of the Diamond Challenge Sculls L. H. F. Gunther, a Dutchman, met J. Wright, of the Argonaut Club, Canada. Gunther got away at 37j to Wright's 35. They raced level for soma distance and then Gunther went slowly away. The Barrier was reached in 2m 28s and the Dutchman was clear at Fawley in 4m Bs. At the mile Gunther led by one and a-half lengths and added to this considerably before Wright made his final effort. Wright just failed to get up and lost by 3ft. in 8m 425. The custom of the Browne and Nichol's boys is to givo their cox a ducking every time they win a race. On Saturday on two occasions the members of (ho crew, after taking the boat ashore, shouldered the lad of 12 years to the shore, and, swinging him by arms and legs, threw him into the river. The cox was most anxious for his ducking. Another incident which aroused cheers was the efforts of one of the students of King's College Hospital, who dropped her collecting-box from the punt, on which was a travelling band. She dived, fully dressed, into the river and recovered the box, much to the delight of tho onlookers.