ROWING IN THE RECORD REIGN.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1321, 24 June 1897, Page 41

ROWING IN THE RECORD REIGN.

As in all other branches of sport, so in rowing during the sixty years of Her ; Gracious Majesty's reign, has a vast improvement been manifested. Starting so far as the records show, in the year Sept. 9th, 1831, we find that C. Campbell, single sculls, beat C. Williams over the course — Putney to Mortlake—4 miles 60 yards. Then in November 183 S the same man beat R. Coomhes over the same oourse —no time was taken. The first time over this course was taken on August 19th, 1846, when R. Coombes beat C. Campbell; time 25min 15sec. Then comes a long list of champions : Cole, Messenger, Kelly, Chambers, Renforth, Sadler, Trickett, until we come to Edward Hanlan, who ail the rowing world 'knows and acknowledges was the hian who taught the world to scull on scientific principles, and who was for years the wonder of the aquatic world. He was succeeded by that champion of champions, W. Beach, who retired with an unbeaten record in 1887, and with an unbeaten record as to time. The difference in the boats and style presents a very strong contrast from 1831 to the present time. Sliding seats were unknown till Hanlan introduced them, and coxwainless fours were never rowed in a match till the Americans introduced them on the Thames and were soundly beaten by the "river crew" of that year in the fours. Harvard and Yale crews came over to England, and were deposed by the flower of England's rowers, and retired without the coveted prize. Then in 1876 came Triclcett from Australia and he beat Sadler, and from that time (June 27th, 1879) England has never had a champion born and reared in her own country. Tfce honours of the rowing world have rested with Hanlan, Beach, Searle, Kemp, McLean, Stanbury, and Gaudaur, the present champion. Sullivan, a New Zealand boy, won the English championship and then faded. Stanbury then rowed Wag Harding, but was beaten by Gaudaur later on, and now we find, as England has not a native born champion, that Wray, a New South Wales sculler, is standing on the banks of the Thames crowing defiance to all the world on behalf of his motherland, for the championship of the sculling world, and he will, from all accounts, prove a hard nut to crack. With regard to the University rowing, we find that the first contest took place in 1829 at Henley, and was won by Oxford in 14min 30sec and won easily. The next contest was in 1836, Westminster to Putney, and was won by Cambridge by 1 minute, in 36 minutes. The next contest was three years later in 1839, over the same course, when Cambridge was again the winner by lmin 45sec, in 31min, and so the long and glorious course of rowing between these two celebrated universities has gone on with varying success on either side until recently when Oxford has established a pronounced lead in the contests. The last race was one of the finest exhibitions ever witnessed. Fired with ambition over these contests the colonies have initiated four and eight oar rowing with great success, and to-day the colonies stand in the position of being the strongest rowing countries of the world, and they may eventually, in fours and eights, as they have done in single acullers, provide for the world the champion four and eight crews of the world. We have only to look at the past records to show what the colonials imbued with the spirit of their

forefathers have done in sculling to show the truth of the prediction. Then look at the improvement in the various classes of boats for racing and the strides the colonies have made. It may be said that they get their ideas from the old country. Well, so do they get their blood, and this has enabled them to hold what they have got, and to encourage them to go on with the work, and prove worthy gcioas of the men who made England what she js.