THE INTERCOLONIAL BOAT RACE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1855, 10 June 1887, Page 22

THE INTERCOLONIAL BOAT RACE.

VICTORY FOR THE VICTORIAN EIGHT.

SEVEN WINS TO VICTORIA AND THREE TO NEW SOUTH WALES.

(By Our Ajjstbai.ian Spokting CobbesFONDBNT "WABRIOB").

Sydney, May 31. The tenth annual eight-oar contest between New South Wales and Victoria came off on the champion course on the Parramatta river on Saturday last, and was won in the easiest manner by the visitors. INTERCOLONIAL BACES OF THE PAST. • As far back as the year 1861 we have it on record that on Friday, December 6, of that year the Tasmanian people residing in the north of the island— Hobart Town— were holding a week's carnival, in which programme were two important events, a champion horserace and a boatrace. The first-named was won by Mr P. Keighran's five-year-old Mormon, and the latter by a Sydney crew, comprising Messrs Punch, M'Grath, Green, Brown, Green, and Dind, most of whom have gone over to the majority. The conditions of the race were as follow : — THE INTERCOLONIAL CHAMPIONSHIP PRIZE, For five-oared whaleboats, fit for whaling purposes, nob exceeding 32ft in length over all, and not less than sft beam. Distance, 8 miles. First; prize, £100 ; second prize, £15 ; and third prize, £5. This was the first occasion on which sculls were introduced into whaleboats, and well I remember the prognostications of Tasmanians, who were looked upon as good rowing men. Messrs Johnny Doyle, of Launceston ; the Jordans, of Westbury ; and the Reynolds, Hunters, and the crew of the Faugh-a-ballagh and Sylph looked upon the introduction of these sculling oars into whaleboats as a mere farce, hut when the Sydney crew came in winners by a quarter of a-inile, covering the eight miles in ihr Bmin 40sec without damaging the sculls, they were arraze.d and converted. 1n.1863,' the Balmain people being desirous of bringing together- the colonies in a .friendly set-to on the river,! added to their programme a champion prize, open to ail the colonies. A i'{ • . •

scratch crew was despatched from Victoria, and \they retqrnedjlio^eT^a^l^beaTfeJnr.p fv '? j As in' the first place, Tasmkriians were ; the first to inaugurate a intercolonial boatracingj so 1 they ware'the first to resuscitate' aquatics after a lapse of nine' years. From' 1863 up to 1871 none, of the colonies showed a disposition to compete against, one another, so, tlie^tight little" island; in 1872, .when all hopesjof the, revival .of an intercolonial; match. ; taking, place, i were abandoned, again came- to the,. fore. '■ The. Hobart , (then Hobart" Town), Regatta Cpm- ; 'mitt'e'e ' after a,-' firstclass . .day's sport, included a'champion,' prize, I 'open tio all the 'colonies apd^New^. Zealand'.' "Sydney jan'd Geelong put in 'an appearance, but' 1 Melbournefailed to do so,'' Thethird intercolonial boatrace was rowed in the month of December, and ( was won I , by the: Sydney men, Tasmania defeating .Geelong for second , place.' . uA> few months after this event, Melbourne, visited: Sydney, but met with nojuck, the local team pulling, away from them. ' , '• ,;''•'•■',.' , This last defeat was tpo much for^the V>c-i torians, sd'the Yarr'a' and Saltwaterites put their heads' together,' and " with 'ihe assistance of j the Melbourne Rowing Association B ,' they brought about one 1 of .the' most 'successful rowing matches that has ever taken place on the Saltwater river.' The early part'of 1873 was the' time' chosen! for deciding the Championship of the Australian colonies. Wells. does "Warrior" remember, it. At 3,o'clo3kjuthe afternoon the gasworks, jand to the right and left of the, Yarra and Saltwater rivers thousands of people, were congregated, 'and by the time, the race was, finished, there , must have been fully., 50,000 on land, steamboats, .and pleasure boats.' , The following crews competed : New South Wales', Tasmania, Melbourne, Ballarat, Geelong, and Ballarafc City--' . The Sydney crew was so certain of success that they hsjd a splendid ' four-in-hand 'dra^' to convey, -them, home, but they were wonderfully disappointed, .for the Sydney men were never in the race, being helplessly beaten by a.', quarter of a-mile. , The, finish jwas as follows :— Melbourne, 1 ; Ballarat 'City, 2 ; .Sydney, 3;s Bajlarat, 4 ; - Hobart (Tasmania), 5;- Geelong,, last. , The, New, South Wales' crew started firm favourites at 6, to 4 on them. ' . INTERCOLQNIAI*, CHAMPION BACES.' ', Year. 'Won by. ' Where rowed. 1861 New South Wales Hobart) 1863 New South Wales " Sydney 1872 - New South Wales Hobart 1872 New South Wales Sydney - 1873 * Victoria Melbourne, 1874 New South Wales Sydney INTERCOLONIAL EIGHT-OARED ' RACES. ■ On the 6th March 1878 the first intercolonial eight-oar race was rowed. The convincing spot was the Saltwater river, and the names of! the crews that took part on .that occasion will be read ,with interest by Australians in New Zealand:— Victobia (won). New South Wales. st lb st lb R Ward ... 10 10 W R Benson ... 10 1 J. Booth ... 11 2 J Arthur • ... II 2 W Bray ... 11 0 J M'Kanaay ... II 1 i J L Irvine ... 11 0 W G Brett ... ll H WHTuckett ... 1113 JH Wilkinson ... 11 12. J M Simpßon ... 11 4T P Strange ... •12 8 TH Young ... 12 11 WDlnd" ..< 11 5 (+ Fairbairn ... 12 2, C C Medcalf ... 10 2 F tfairburn (cox) 5 6- W Thomas (cox)... '5 T Average weight 11 9 Average weight II 3j

Since then : the events have been rowed as follows :— 3lst May 1879, won by New "South Wales; 10th' April 1880, .won by Victoria; |9fch April 1881, won by Victoria; >29th April* 1882." won by New South Wale.3; 28fch, April? 1883, won by,' Victori a; 25th April 1884, won by Victoria ; 25th, April 1885, won by New • South Wales, Victoria second, Tasmania third, Queensland, last; 24th April 1886, , won by Vicjbqria; and 28th April 1887, won by Victoria, by j five lengths with the greatest of ease." *' i

THE SYDNEY AND MELBOUENE STKOKES.

Mr Robert- D. Booth, stroke of the Victorian crew, is a clerk in the employ of the Union Mortgage and Agency Company of Victoria.; He is a broad-shoaldered, and sinewy young man. This is the third year that Mr Booth has occupied the position of stroke. In 1884 and 1886 he weighed exactly 12st, but on Saturday he turned' the scales at 12st 41b.

Mr 0. A. Bros,, stroke of the New South Wales boat, is the sou of Mr Bros, shippipg|and customs agent, Circular Quay, and is one of those oarsmen who enjoy a reputation for dash and brilliancy second to no amateur in, New South Wales, Mr Bros, like' Mr Booth,! has occupied a seat in three intercolonial races, ,'acting as stroke on each occasion.

THE BACB. At 4 p.m., Mr T. A. Dibbs' steam yacht Ens, having the umpire (Mr E. P. Simpson), 'starter (Mr W. J. Trickett, MX. A.), official timekeeper (Mr J. N. Oatley), a party of ladies, 'and the! following press representatives : —Sydney 'Morning Herald, Daily Telegraph, The Globe, j and Evening News (Sydney), The Argus, and 'Age (Melbourne), and the Otago ,D ( aily Times .and , Witness (Dunedin), arrived at the ' starting place — Charity Point. After keeping the (Victorians pulling about the stream for 20 ' minutes the cornstalks put in an appearance. Mr'G.iUpward, the Vie. crack, having won the ;toss selected the north side of the river. As they came to the post the names, positions, and weights of the eights were as follows : — ' VICTOBIA 'NEW SOUTH WALES.

sfc. lb. st.lb. B. E. Ainley (bow) 10 13 G. Searle (bow) 10 12 F. J. Taylor (2) ... 10 12 W.O. Freeman (2) 12 2 C. F» Thomas (3) ... 11 3 J. G. Kennedy (2) 12 0 S. H. Gow4ie (4) ... 11 5 W. Martin (4) ... 12 4 A. Charaley (5) ... 12 5 J. Fraser (5) ...12 0 J. Bannister c 6) ... 12 2 J.M.Kennedy (6) 12 12 0. A. Moline (7) ... 12 3 N. Johnson (7) 10 6 E. D. Booth (str) ... 12 4 O. A. Bros (str) 11 2 C. Gant (cox) ... 6 0 J. Helling (cox) 5 3 Average weight, list 9s4b Average weight, list 101b f

Mr Trickett in a load voice demanded of the men whether, they were ready, and again : " Are you ready ?" " Go !" And off both crews started, the Victorians appearing to catch thewater first, Booth going off at 42 strokes against his opponents! 43. Victoria (dark blues—Oxford) was half a length ahead at Uni^s point, which was passed in lmin 40sec. As they' approached Blaxland's Point - hundreds of voices from the steamers Inflexible. and Admiral rent the air with shouts of "Melbourne wins.", [The rain, which had been falling for over 36 hours, now came down heavens hard, which seemed to put any amount of nerve into the hearts of the visitors, as they led up towards Putney by a length and a-half, whicti was increased' by the accident to J. G. Kennedy, No. 3 in the Sydney boat, who " caught a crab " and nearly upset the boat. George Searle (bow) through this mishap lost his slide, and he had to row the rest of the journey in a fixed position. The Victorians passed Putney in 7min 45sec. The. face was never in doubt after this, Victoria winning as she pleased. The Brothers (the winning post) was passed by the Victorians in 17min 12|«ee, the Sydney crew five lengths in the rear. The accident had nothing whatever to' do with 1 the result of the race, for Victoria would under any circumstance's have carried off the tenth annual boatrace. The following is the 'official time taken

"by", Mr J. ; N. Oatley f at the 'different positions on the Champion' course: — , '' ' ■•'"' ' ■' ' ! ;'; ' ' -'■••'' > ' m. a. ' Uhr's Point .1. ... ... 140 Kissing Point, ... ... ...52. Putney Point ... ... ... 746 ' Tennyson ... ... ... 950 Cabarita Wharf ... ... .-.. 12 16 Gladesville Wharf ... ... 13 26 The Brothers ... ...' ... 17 12J "Warrior," of the Otago Witness, under the j non dt plume of " Beacon in the Sydney Even-i .ing Globe, was the only, pressman that tipped Victoria to win, all the weekly, and metro-1 pplitan papers went straight for New South yWales. < ", 1 ' . ■ ' ;