ROWING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23334, 28 October 1937, Page 5

ROWING

By Outrigger

NORTH END CLUB The committee of the North End Club had drawn up the following programme of club races for the season:— November 6, Trial Fours; November 27, Vice-president's Fours; December 11. Christmas Fours. After the holidays dates will be fixed for the following events:—President's Fours, Double Sculls, and Butterfield Fours (sealed handicap for regatta crews). There has been considerable activity in the boat shed. Every opportunity has been taken to get the new members out on the water, and by the form shown the club's prospects in youth and maiden classes appear very bright. The selectors hope to have an outstanding junior four to represent the club this season. An appeal is being made by the committee among past and present members and supporters for donations, towards a fund to purchase a new single sculler. The club is indebted to Messrs S. Eggers and M. Butterfield and their willing band of assistants for their work in attending to the plant, which is now in fine -condition. The new running gear fitted to the boats has proved outstandingly successful. MEMORIAL TO OARSMAN " One of the finest sportsmen Otago has produced."—This was the tribute paid to the late Mr T. R. Wright by a speaker when a new single sculler was dedicated to his memory at the Queen's Drive Club's official opening of the season on Saturday. The ceremony was performed by Mr N. Dodds (president), who referred to the loss that the club had suffered by the death of Mr Wright. Esteemed by all. he had given excellent service to the club during his lifetime, both as an oarsman and as a club member. Others present spoke in similar strain, special reference being made to the appropriate form of the memorial. A brief summary of Mr Wright's active participation in the sport shows that he first rowed for the Union Rowing Club in the year 1886-89. He was one of the original members of the Queen's Drive Club, and he was in the crews that won the Senior Pairs and Senior Fours at the Boxing Day regatta in 1892. He rowed for the club at all regattas for several years after that, and stroked the Champion Fours at Picton in 1895-96 and in 1896-97. In 1897 he was selected to go to Australia as a New Zealand representative, but, owing to the New South Wales rowing laws, the crew could not compete. In that year also Mr Wright was made a life member of the Queen's Drive Club. In 1898 he was selected to stroke the Otago crew against the North Island at the championship regatta. Removing to Dunedin in 1898, he joined the Dunedin Amateur Boating Club, and won many races for that club, including the stroking of the club's crew in the first inter-club Eights at Dunedin in 1899. ROWING SHORTS " Without wishing to pinch the copyright of Mr Coates, I think that Queen's Drive nas at last turned the corner."—Mr P. Vallis, speaking at the official opening of the season of the Queen's Drive Club on Saturday. Mr Vallis said that the club had had a fair amount of ill-luck. From what he had already seen there appeared to be many good juniors available, and he thought it would not be long before the club would repeat some of the remarkable successes of the past. A cable message received in Australia recently indicated that an English eight will probably visit Sydney for the Empire Games in February. Sir James Leigh-Wood, chairman of the Empire Games Association of England, is most anxious that a crew should compete, and announced that one donation of £SOO had been promised towards the expenses, and another enthusiast had guaranteed to make up any deficit before the crew left. "It is not in the best interests of the sport after what happened at Akaroa to let the strokes decide whether the water is smooth enough to row championship events," said Mr C. G. Herdman at the annual meeting of the Auckland Rowing Association, in referring to a Wellington motion on the order paper for the annual meeting of the New Zealand Association. The motion is that rule 65 be altered to read: "All championships shall be decided on smooth water and in daylight. The suitability of the water shall be decided by the majority of the strokes in any championship." A decision was made to support the motion with the exception of the portion relating to the stroke oarsmen. Club captains this year are: J. P. Vallis (Otago), G. Thorn (Port Chalmers), J. Hurrell (North End), and W. Leftwich (Queen's Drive). The North End Club has recently added to its equipment three massage tables, the gift of the club president (Mr J. Y. Love). Mr Love has been a generous supporter .of the club; last year he made a present of a single sculler. A tribute to the manner in which the energetic committee had tended tc the plant was paid by the president (Mr N. Dodds) at the official opening of the season of the Queen's Drive Club on Saturday. The boats were in spick and span order. The Port Chalmers Club is making every endeavour to secure its new and enlarged quarters at the earliest possible date. The latest move in the campaign is directed towards obtaining a Government subsidy towards the construction of the proposed building, this, of -course, having reference to the promised assistance to sports bodies in connection with the constitution of a National Sports Council. The president (Mr J. Y. Love) has approached the member for Chalmers (Mr A. Campbell), seeking his advice and co-operation in the matter. Mr Gordon Wright, son of the late Mr Tom Wright, was present at the Queen's Drive opening on Saturday, when the club's naw sitsglc sculler was dedicated to the memory of his father. Although he has not as yet received any advice regarding the date of assembly or of the arrangements tc be followed, L. Pithie, the Port Chalmers member of the Empire Games crew, intends to be thoroughly fit for the Sydney event and he has already commenced training. EIGHT-OAR RACING The remit introduced at the annual meeting of the Auckland Rowing Association to the effect that the rules which state that maiden and youths' eight-oar races are to be rowed in clinker boats should be enforced came ■in for much criticism (says an Auckland critic). Judging by the opinions expressed by delegates, it seems that the enforcement of the rules would clearly put eight-oar racing on an unsound footing. Actually, the ruling referred to in the remit was threshed out two years ago by the New ocaland Council, when it was decided to grant automatic permission to contest maiden and youths' eights in best boats' Certainly it is more beneficial to let oarsmen row in best-and-best boats from the beginning of their rowing ac tivities, although there arc some who think it better to wait two or three years before giving them experience in these boats. OTAGO CLUB The " learn to row " campaign conducted by the Otago Club met with fair success, with a resultant rise in membership figures. Included in the new arrivals with previous experience in other centres arc E. Tyson, formerly of Wellington and Gisbornc, and E. Perano, of Picton. Special attention has been given to the plant. Swivels have been fitted to several of the boats, and members are optimistic regarding their use in regatta events. The new four-oar boat, swivel-rigged, which is being built by Mr A. M. Miller at Port Chalmers, is nearing completion. The Jerram four, which was sent down to Port for repairs, is ready to be returned to the boatshed, and the repairs to one of the single scullers have almost been completed. The club i.s reported to be negotiating for the purchase of the Macandrew Bay Club's double sculler. If the deal is completed, sister boats will be available for club races. The season's racing will probably be commenced

with the Walter Fours, followed by the Mathie.;on Fours for new members. SINGLE SCULLERS The addition of a single sculler to the plant of the Queen's Drive Club means that three of the four main clubs on the harbour are now equipped for this class of racing, which is expected to increase in popularity. North End has yet to secure a shell, but members are at present sending the hat, around for the £3O required. There is every indication that greater attention will be given to this class of racing this season. At various club openings prominent officials have expressed pleasure at its return to popularity and their intentions of promoting it still further. At Queen's Drive on Saturday, Mr P. Vallis said that, speaking as a member of the association, he intended to go as far as possible to have single sculling right through the four classes.