ROWING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13763, 29 November 1906, Page 10

ROWING.

Bad weather has interfered wiih training this week, and the. Otago crews have net been much on the water except at the week end. No doubt a few days' smooth water will work wonders, and," incidentally, provide criticisms for these notes. Considerable interest is being tn-ken in the intercliib tub four race which is to bo held on Saturday afternoon next. This event was introduced last season, and is now an annual fixture. The Otago crews, two in number, both expect to give, a good account of themselves, and it is just possible that this club will again prove the winner.

Some little difficulty has been experienced by the Racing Committee of the O.H.C. in satisfactorily arranging crews for Boxing Day regatta. So many members from various centres wcro prevented from rowing that the officials this year have had a. difficult task. However, tho final selection will provide some formidable crews.

At a recent meeting- the committee- of the O.R.C. decided to promote an amateur entertainment in aid of the club funds. Arrangements for the concert, which, by the way, is to be known as a "Bohemian concert," aro in the hands of a strong committee, who arc vigorously pushing tho sale of tickets. Tho concert is to bo held on December 14 in the Masonic Hall.

As was generally anticipated, Forrester's crew proved the winners in the Dawson Memorial Fours. Dowland was again unlucky enough to row scooud, after having rowed a fino race in his heat.

Forrester's crew rowed well, and won both heat and final with !< good deal to spare. No. 3 put all his weight up, and next year should develop into a good oar. This is No- 2's second win this year, and ho also helped materially to land the crew a winner.

Regatta crews arc training consistently, Junior Maiden Fours and Junior Pail's getting in a lot of work. The Maidens are improving, but will require ail the time' at their disposal to get into form. They should therefore take every opportunity to get out.

The. Junior Fours are going well, and showing improved form. Saaw tikes Rodgers' place in the No. 3 seat, Rodgers being out of town.

Conway and Rapson are very keen this .year, and with Southerwood coaching them they should bo hard to bent.

The following crews will represent the Otago Rowing Club in the Intcrclub Novice Race next week:—

Taranui: W. Brown (bow), Stevens, Paterson, Fairbairn (stroke, Mr Sanucs (coach).

Taraili: J. Scott (bow), O'Beime, Mills, Kerr (stroke), Mr Ilutton (coach).

Entries for the O.R.C. Thomson Fours, for non-regatta men, close on Saturday next.

Tho Selection Coinmiltee of the Otago Rowing Club has chosen the following crews for the Boxing Day regatta at Port Chalmers:—

Youths' Four: Black, Stevens, Paterson, Fairbaim (stroke). Maiden Fou;r: Sco'.on, Smith, Cosscns, Thornton (stroke); and Clr.rk, Sibbald, Mills, Kerr (stroke).

Junior Four. Styche, WhiUakcr, Paton, Hutchison (stroke).

Maiden Pair: Cossens .and Thornton stroke);. Mills and Kerr (stroke). Junior Pair: Hutchison and Paton (stroke); Styche and Wbiltaker (stroke). Senior Pair: F. Statkam and J. Sibbald (stroke).

Maiden Sculls: Stables and Foote (stroke); Pratt and Quolch (stroke). Junior Sculls: Petro and J. Sibbald (stroke). »

Senior Sculls: C. E. Statham and F. 11. Stallian: (stroke).

The above crows are subject to alteration by the Selection Committee, or to rearrangement by the coach. Speaking at a woleomo given in Sydney to Edward Durnan, ex-champion sculler.. Wm. Beach said he thought Durnan had ;i very good chance of bealiug Towns. For one tiring, Durnaji was a younger man than Towns. He must admit that ho had a very good opinion of Towns, and lie had never yet seen a light-weight rower to equal him. Ho did not want to frighfeu Durnan, but ho would find he had a hard task to beat the champion. Towns would be found to be straightforward, and it Durnan won it would bo on his merits. He wished tho Canadian every possible success, but he was patriotic enough to hope that Towns would beat him. Durnan was a. very plucky man to come to the home, of sculling, as ho regarded Australia, which had produced more champions and had held the championship longer than any other country.

Commenting on the. Cambridge and Harvard boat race, (he London Times says:—Tho two lengths' victory of Cambridge over Harvard was barely an exact measure of the difference in the merits of the two crews. Cambridge did not win easily, They rowed a. faster stroke than Harvard the whole way over the course, except at the very last, and at the end of the race they were rowed out., In spite of the fact that they were rowing the faster rate of stroke, their lead varied but little during the race, and it is pretty true to say that they owed their victory as much as anything else to their superb start. . . . The controversy which is

always keen with regard to the respective merits of the American and English styles aroused an amount of interest hitherto unsurpassed in a rowing race. This Harvard crew, however, rowed in a stylo more nearly corresponding to the English stylo here. They rowed a much longer stroke here. They rowed a.'much longer stroke in the water, and had a much longer body swing than Americans usually believe in. In (ho race, too, their tactics wero opposite to those usually employed by American crews. Af a rule they start very fast indeed, and get .ahead of the English crews at a great pace; but, then, before the finish they arc rowed out, caught, and beaten. This crow, ou tho contrary, started more slowly, and very soon settled down to row steadily, and then after Barnes ISridgo made a most desperate effort to win. The race was a great vindication of the English style of rowing. The American style, as is well known, is founded on the professional style of sculling, and it has been shown over and over again to be wrong when applied to an eight-oared boat. The English style, on the other hand, although perhaps not so easy to be defended as the other in ihcory, is the outcome of many years of observation and experiment, and in practice has been found to be the best. It is generally agreed (hat the Harvard crew, which rowed in u style resembling ours, was a faster crew, ami certainly could stay longer, than any American crew which lias visited this country.