DICK ARNST

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7866, 31 July 1911, Page 1

DICK ARNST

STILL WORLD’S CHAMPION BEATS HARRY PEARCE BY FOUR LENGTHS ’ EOWED IN FAST TIME By IVdssraph - Press Association —Copyright (Received July 30, 5.5 p.m.) , SYDNEY, July 30. The race between Richard Arnst and .Harry Pearce for the sculling champion-' ship of the -world and TSOO aside teas rowed on Saturday afternoon on the . Parramatta course (3 miles 300 yards! and resulted in favour of the New- Zen- . lander by four, lengths. Tho race was one of the most gruelling on record. Tie weather conditions were perfect—a bright sun, smooth water, and a steady westerly wind right behind tho scullers. ■ . . who had the tide in their favour. , , . -,c Arnst won the toss and chose tlio in-, side course. The men got away well , togethor, the champion rowing 34> strokes to the minute, and Pearce 37. Neither: had any advantage for tho first 200 yards, ;■ v when Arnst, pulling close to Pearce, was ’ forced to stop and lose a stroke. .This gave the challenger an of a ... length, which ho held to Hhrs Point, a mile from tho • starting place. , The' do-' , fender’s mighty strokes then began ,to ' ... tell, and bo started to gradually overhaul his opponent. He managed the,corner - badly. however, got into Pearce’s water, and" was within an noo of collid- . ing. Arnst had to stop rowing'for a V couple of strokes to allow Pearce to draw . - / ahead. Pearce kept on, thus showing 'good sportsmanship, as, had he slopped, Arnst must have collided and , lost: the . race on a foul. After negotiating the: .... Point,Dick bent his great back and settled down to a steady pull of about 28 strokes to the minute. Ho overhauled his opponent at h mile and a half. Pearce .was rowing a, slightly quicker stroke, but had not the same power aa the New Zealander. PEARCE'S MAGNIFICENT. EFFORT. Onco in front Arnst headed for homo and rowed like a- machine, gaining steadily, until, at Cabarita, he led by six lengths. Pearce, undaunted, pulled magnificently, and tried; repeated spurts, but tho New Zealander was too powerful and kept driving on in heart-break-ing fashion. Bounding Putney, a lowhundred, yards from home, Arnst was loading by a good ten lengths- Re dropped to 22 strokes a minute there. Pearce i looked round and wavered, but put in a last tremendous, though futile., effort. Without a doubt Arnst was. newer more fully extended. When ho passed the post a winner by four lengths, ho immediately stopped rowing and dipped his hands, one after the other, into tlio water. '' , ■ Tho fearful strain ho had undergone was too much for tho champion’s condition, and caused him to vomit. Pearce, in. the last struggle, felt the agonising torture of defeat, and when tho pistol was fired he placed his hands before his face and sobbed. . Tho time, 19min fCsec, is a record for the world’s championship. Tho first mile was done in smin 39seo. A HUNDRED THOUSAND SPECTATORS. Tho attendance was easily a record one. Probably nearly 100,000 people wore present, and the river was black with, small craft. » The takings amounted to iSOO. ; SOME OPINIONS PEIRCE ADMITS ABNST’S ■ SUPERIORITY. AN OLD CHAMPION’S VIEW. Pearce admits that Arnst is too good for him, and says that he will not chal- : lenge again. Arnst declares that the race was the hardest of his life.- , ■ Beach, who held the championship in 1884-7, declares that , there is nobody , in sight who could beat Arnst. ... In reference to the statement /in the foregoing message: that the race was rowed in record time, it should be noted that tho time of Arnst’s victory, over Webb on the three and a half mile course on the Wanganui river,in 1909 was returned a e 18miu 14 3-sbcc.