SCULLING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19249, 13 August 1924, Page 7

SCULLING

WORLD'S CHAMPIONSHIP. PADDON EASILY DEFEATS FELTON. Prase Aaoociation —By Telegraph—Copyrirfrt. BRISBANE, August 12. (Received August 12, at 7.35 p.m.) In the race for the sculling championship of the world James Paddon beat xi. D. I'elton by eight lengths. THE RACE DESCRIBED. P ADD ON’S EASY VICTORY. BRISBANE, August 12. (Received August 12, at 11.35 p.m.) A new world's record of 17min 45sec •was made tor three miles by Pallon before a huge crown on the river to-day. Paddon weigher 14 stone and Felton 13 stone iOlb The weather was ideal and was practically windless, the north-easterly having dropped. The race was rowed on the incoming tide. There was an excellent start. The first minute’s ratings were—Paddon 28, 1? eltou 32. Felton had the advantage at 100 vards, but Paddon caught and passed him at the half-mile. Here Paddon was rowing with a fine length, but Kelton was cleaner. At the milo Felton appeared to close up. Paddon increased his lead to three lengths by a milo and a-half. He was now rating .28. Felton was still sculling well t but was not getting Paddon’s clearance. Uver tho last milo the water was smoothest. Paddon crossed into Felton s water, rating 22, and increased his advantage by another two lengths. He had rowed the two miles in llmin 57sec. Felton attempted unsuccessfully to reduce the lead. Paddon finished tho fresher and received an ovation. Ha won by eight lengths. BEFORE THE R ACE. SYDNEY, August 12. The latest reports from Brisbane indicate that both Paddou and Feltou are lit and trained to concert pitch for to-day s race, and a great struggle over the threemile course is anticipated. Though Felton will have the advantage in rowing in home waters and has more quickly struck training form, ho will have to put up the fight of his life if he is to wrest tire championship from Paddon. ■WINNERS OF THE WORLD’S CHAMPIONSHIP. Year. Winner. Loser. Time.

Notes. —Thames course, 4 miles 400 yards; Parramatta oourso. 3 miles 330 yards; Tyne course, 3 miles 713 yards; Nepean River course, about miles; Wanganui course, 3i miles; Akaroa course, 3| miles; Zambesi course, 3i miles; Wairau course, 3 miles 100 yards up stream. • These races were about half a mile short of the lull course. PADDON’S CAREER. James Paddon, of Australia, who lias retained the title, has had a fine career as a sculler. In 1912 he won several big amateur races on tho Clarence River, and all his wins were in heavy Ixial-s, not racing skiffs. His first effort in professional sculling was on the Richmond River when ho contested the Coraki Hundred. Arnst also competed then. The race was won by G. Casey, who acted as pacer to Paddon when training, Paddon gaining second place. He had several other successes before rowing Felton for the Australian sculling cliampi on ship. This big event he won on February 15, 1915, and he still holds the title. On November 1 the same year he defeated Arnst, and ho proceeded to England in 1914 when he unsuccessfully contested the world’s championship with E. Barry. That was on September 7. Since then he successfully defended the Australian championship title against W. MMJovitt, of Tasmania, and regained the world’s championship by defeating D’Arcy Hadfield on the Wanganui River in 1922. Last year he survived a challenge by Hadfield and now he has retained the title against Felton. Paddon is 40 years of ago and is 6 feet 3| inches in height. FELTON’S CAREER. A. D. Fcllon first came into prominence in tlie sculling world in 1919 when he won the championship by defeating Ernest Barry on the Thames. The following year Barry proceeded to Australia and regained tho title from Felton, the race being rowed on the Parramatta River. These are tho only occasions except the present upon which ho lias been a competitor for the championship. HISTORY OF THE TITLE. Tho history of the world’s sculling championship has frequently been written in lirief on tho great occasions when the race for world’s honours has been contested in Now Zealand or by a New Zealander, as in tho case of Webb and Arnst. There is no need, therefore, to give mere than a brief outline on this occasion. Professional scuffling really originated among the old Thames boatmen nearly 90 years ago in the years celebrated by Charles Dickens in several of his novels. There was never any better watermen than those who plied their craft for a livelihood on the Thames before mechanical propulsion on the sea became common. For many years there were competitions among tho Thames boatmen for the pride of the river, but it was not, till the ’fifties of the last century that the professional sculling cha.mpienship of England came into being with the claims of J. Messenger after defeating T. Colo on tho Thames. Three years later Messenger was beaten by Henry Kellery, who hole! supremacy for nearly 20 years, heating several carsrneil of renown. tn 1876, one Ned Trickett, an Australian, challenged Sadler, then holder of the title, 37 years of age, and on tho decline. Irickett stood 6 feet 4 inches in height, and did not impress the critics, but the greater strength of his strokes told, and lie won. It. was not, till Ernest Barry defeated Arnst on the Thames nearly 50 years later that tho championship returned to England. In the meantime, many waters wore the scone of championship races. In Australia it, was the Parramatta, and hero Trickett defended liis title successfully. Ho was finally beaten by Edward Hanlan, of Canada, on tho Thames in 1880, after a farcical race, in which the winner lay down in his boat and waited for Trickett to come up. Hanlan was reckoned tho prettiest sculler of all time. Ho was then in his twenty-fifth year. In 1884 Hanlan succumbed to another Australia, W. Beach, who hold the title for three years, beating the famous J. Gaudaur on the Thames after tho garnest struggle on record. Beach again defeated Hanlan, and retired in favour of Peter Kemp, who also succeeded in beating Hanlan. Towards the end of 1888 appeared the brilliant Harry Searle, who defeated Kemp and them went Home to row O’Connor, the Canadian champion, on the Thames. Searle won, hut died as tho vessel was entering Sydney Heads on tho way home, A broken

column at tho finishing point of the Parramatta course is his memorial. Kemp again assumed the title, and held it for a time until beaten by James Stanburv. In 1892 Stanbury defeated Tom Sullivan, the first Now Zealand challenger, on the Parramatta, and in 1896 C. B. Harding, the English amateur, on the Thames. Then Gaudaur, at the ago of 33, beat Stanbury on the Thames in a race which the Australian claimed on a foul, disallowed. .Gaudaur insisted on all challenge races being rowed in Canada. George Towns challenged him in 1901, and beat him on his own waters, bringing back the championship to Australia. Towns beat Tresider, tut was beaten by Stanbury. Next year Towns recovered the title. Edwai'd Durnan, a Canadian challenger, was beaten bv Towns on the Nepean in 1907. Towns ‘handed the championship to bis brother Charles, who was beaten by William Webb, of Wanganui, on the Parramatta. _ . The championship was now in New Zealand, and the Wanganui was the scene of some fine challenge races. Webb defeated Tresider there early in 1908, and held tho title till tho end of that year, when he wae defeated by Richard Arnst, ex-cham-pion cyclist, in the time of I9min 52seo. Webb was not satisfied, and in Juno, 1909, rowed Arnst again on tho Wanganui. Arnst won in the record time of 18min 14 5-ssec. Tho subsequent history of the title is more familiar. Arnst beat Barry on the Zambesi, but was beaten by the Englishman on the Thames. Barry boat successively Durnan, Pearce, and Paddon, hut Felton won the title on the Thames in the vear after the armistice. Barry recovered it on the Parramatta, but retired soon afterwards! Arnst challenged, and bis claim to the title was accepted. He defended his title successfully against Patrick Hannan on the Wa.irau in June, 1921, but was defeated bv D’Arcy Hadfield on the Wanganui on January 5 of the following year. Hadfield’a claim was short-lived, as he was defeated or. the same river by James Paddon in Anril. 1922. and the title returned to Australia. In July of last year Hadfield challenged Paddon. and the race which was rowed on the Richmond River in New South Wales, resulted in an easy win for tho holder of tho title.

min. sec. 1876 Trickett Sadler 25 23 1877 Trickett Rush 23 27 i 1879 Trickett Laycock 23 39 1680 Hanlan Trickett 26 12 1881 Hanlan Laycock 25 40 1883 Hanlan Boyd 21 25 1882 Hanlan Trickett 28 0 1884 Hanlan Laycock 22 45 1884 Beach Hanlan 20 28i 1885 Beach Matterson 34 Hi 1885 Beach Clifford 26 0 1885 Beach Hanlan 22 51 1886 Beach Gaudaur 22 29 1886 Beach Ross 23 5 1887 Beach Hanlan 19 55 1687 Kemp Clifford 23 47 1888 Kemp Hanlan 21 36 1888 1888 Kemp Searfe Hanlan Kemp 21 22 25 44J 1889 Searla O’Connor 22 42 1890 Kemp Matterson 21 m 1890 Kemp M'Lean 21 46 i 1890 M'Lean Kemp 22 13 1891 Stanbury M'Lean 22 154 1891* Stan bury M'Lean 18 25 1892* Stanbury Sullivan 18 27 1896 Stanbury Harding 21 51 18DG Gaudaur Stanbury 23 I 1897 Gaudaur Johns tone 1901 Towns Gaudaur 20 30 1904 Towne Tresidder 21 48-1-5 1905 Stanbury G. Towns 19 47 1906 Towns Stanbury 19 534 1907 Towns Human 22 27 1907 Webb C; Towns 20 43 1908 Webb . Tresidder 20 28 1908 Arnst Webb 10 52 1909 Arnst Webb 18 15 1910 Arnst Wbelch 21 50 1910 Arnst Barry 20 14 3-5 1911 Arnst Pearce 19 40 1912 Barry Arnst 23 3 1912 Barry Human 22 31 1913 Barry Pearce 24 91-5 1914 Barry Paddon 21 28 19)9 Felton. Barry 25 40 1920 Barry Felton 24 32 1921 Arnst Hannan 22 23 1922 Hadfieltl Arnst '19 46 2-5 1922 Paddon Hadfield 19 15 1923 Paddon Hadficld 19 19