ROWING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21774, 13 October 1932, Page 5

ROWING

By Outrigger.

OTAGO CLUBS

Judging by the enthusiasm shown by the members, the Queen’s Drive Boating Club, will have a very successful season. All the club’s first-class oarsmen will be available for regatta crews, and several new members have already joined up. During last week, and also • this week, there was considerable activity at the shed, the crews taking full advantage of the good weather to prepare for the season's rowing. The club’s champion four and also the pairs and double and junior four arc showing splendid form, and the maiden and youths’ fours show promise. The function held in the boatshed last Saturday afternoon was ndtable because of the presence of rowing men from all parts of the harbour and the large number of prominent oarsmen of other days. The Port Chalmers Rowing Club and the North End Boating Club will open the season on Saturday afternoon, when the usual official functions will be held at the respective boatsheds. In the'meantime the members of both clubs are busily engaged in getting the plants in order for the season. There is every indication that the two clubs will have a very successful season. The membership of the Port Chalmers Club is again large, and the officials should have no difficulty in securing two crews for several of the classes. The Otago Club’s season was officially opened on October 1, when there was a large attendance of members, friends, and delegates from sister clubs. The water, unfortunately, was too rough for rowing. A pleasant function took place during the afternoon, when a badge was presented to each life member. The club is very fortunate in having such a fine body of life members who still retain an active interest in the welfare of the club, 'and the badges were presented as a token of esteem and appreciation for their past services to the club.

During the week water conditions were not all that could be desired, a strong nor’-easter making the water rather choppy for the skiffs. However, crews from the Otago Club took to the watering opportunity afforded, and it was pleasing to see the keenness of the new members, most of whom have now had their first spin. Several likely-looking oarsmen were noticed,. and { with careful coaching, some good material' should .be' available for regatta crews. 4 Jt behoves all ’ the older members to see,that thp young men get proper attention.- for .'the- next few weeks and are moulded into shape before regatta training, commences, and novices would be well advised to. reciprocate by paying strict attention to' the . words of their coach. By so-doing the coach would be encouraged to ■ give of his best and thc novice would.. therefore, become proficient in a much shorter time; . With the advent ,of: daylight saving good spins should be-.had in the evenings, and ;it is/expected that . members of all the clubs will be in regular attendance at the. sheds.

QUEEN’S DRIVE CLUB * The ‘Queen's Drive . Club’s, opening, last Saturday .proved a very- pleasant function. The various speeches were made , on- the boathouse staging in bright, sunshine, and the season was declared open by the president (Mr; J, H. Graft ford). . ' As yet not many crews have taken the water owing to unfavourable weather, but al) members are keen end everything points to another good season. The, custodian (G. Clark) has done excellent work with the club’s plant, and'under-bis able direction most of the .members did their share towards helping to recondition the boats, etc. ■No crews have been picked-yet, and in the: senior ranks the club will, have about eight men, two-new men being H. Parsons and L. Pithie, two of last year’s juniors, entering senior class rowing this year. In juniors the club has three new men in 0. Macdonald, D. Clark, and R. Anderson, all members of last year’s champion youth crew. From these and last year’s J'uniors a , good crew should be selected, n the Maiden class the club' should have a good crew, as several oarsmen eligible for this class have announced their intention of rowing this season. A few novices have to be broken in yet, but last year’s No. 2 Youths’ should be a good combination in this class. This crew is a particularly keen one. and with good coaching and strict attention to training should give a good account of itself during the season. ‘ ' NATIONAL MEETINGS With the rowing season again in evidence interest is again being manifested in .the coming national meetings. It is believed that the Wellington and Marlborough Amateur Rowing Associations are applying for the Interprovincial Eight-oar Race, and the Canterbury Association is supporting Wellington’s claim for the Dominion championships. Last season the Eight-oar Race was held at Picton, and the championships at Hamilton. AN EXCELLENT COURSE The course at the Olympic Games, according to G. C. Cooke, stroke of the New Zealand eight-oar crew, was an excellent one, the only fault being that there was always a side breeze, but this was usually so slight that it did not adversely affect the crews on the inside. The course was originally a portion of an inlet from the sea and was dredged to straighten and deepen it. Trees had been planted along either side, and when fully grown would shelter the course from the wind. An excellent boathouse was built to house all the craft, and after the Games it had been taken over by the newly-formed Long Beach Rowing Club. The club also purchased the German and Japanese boats and Bobbie Pearce’s single sculls, go that rowing would probably become a very popular sport at Long Beach in a few years’ time. The majority of. the residents near Long Beach had never seen any rowing events before, and they took a decided interest in the sport. When the crews were in training before the Games their workouts were witnessed by a large number of spectators, and for two or three days before the races the grand stands along the course were absolutely full.

FAMOUS SCULLER The rowing writer for the Wanganui Herald gives the following particulars regarding Harry E. Searle, the notable sculler who created a sensation in rowing circles in the ’eighties:—Searle was born on the Clarence River (N.S.W.), And was entirely self-taught as an oarsman. To show what pluck he had at 19 years of age, he arrived at Grafton to row his first race against such men as Hanlan, Neilson, and others. He had with him an old boat, sadly out of repair. Mick Rush’s son saw him training with some other Scullers, and told his father if Searle had a decent boat he could_ beat the lot of them. Mick fixed up his own boat, and Searle used it, and won easily. He was never beaten afterwards. Such champions as Beach, Stanbury, Clifford, Kemp, Hanlan, and others admitted that Searle was the fastest sculler and greatest wonder that ever sat in a boat. Searle had hie first race for the World's Championship on October 27, 1888, when he met and defeated Peter Kemp on the Parramatta. The following year he went to England to row W. J. O’Connor, who wag then champion of Canada. It was said that Searle was drugged prior to the race. Big sums of money changed hands in those days over the results of boat races, and as Harry was favourite an attempt was made to buy him, but he scorned the offer. It is now a matter of history how he rowed that race with his brain dulled and his stomach in bad order, presumably due to the drug. Searle was able to overcome the disabilities under which he was rowing, and with a superhuman will-power he drove his boat along to cross the line with the championship still safe in his keeping. He said that if anyone wanted the championship they would have to row in Australia for it. He booked his passage to Sydney by the next boat, but he never reached home alive. He contracted typhoid fever at Colombo, and died at Williamstown (Victoria) on December 10, 1889, at the age of 23 years. His funeral was one of the lax - gest ever seen in Australia, it being estimated that 200,000 attended. After Soarle’s death Peter Kemp again assumed the title, though at the time Jim Stanbury was generally recognised as being a better sculler. When MTLean beat Kemp, Stanbury challenged, and won the title from M'Lean. This was in 1891. It was Jim Stanbury who went to Wanganui in 1906 and was beaten by W. Webb.