WORLD'S CHAMPIONS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 182, 7 September 1914, Page 7

WORLD'S CHAMPIONS.

THE SCULLING PREMIERSHIP. " On the historic Thames is "being rowed to-day a race for the sculling championship of the world K between Ernest Barry, of England, and' James Paddon, champion of Australia. Therefore the following sketch of the history of the sculling championship should be very interesting:— When. Barry wrested from Arnst the coveted title of champion sculler of the world, it was something like 30 years since the professional sculling championship of the world passed away from the hands ; of English oarsmen. . That, was the when the Australian, Edward Trickett, challenging J. H. Sadler on the decline of liis'power, deifeateif liim rather comfortably on the Thames and carried the title oyer to Australia. There it remained, except for the short period when it was held by Gaudaur and Hanlan, both of them Canadians, In 1907 a Now ZealaMer, 'W. Webb, challenged for the" honour, jwhieh George Towns handed to his younger brother . to defend, and it'wa3 carried across the Tasman Sea. The title was later won by Arnst, who stalled off four challenges, until Ernest Barry,took the title back to England in 1912, and it still remains in the Old Land. / FIRST COLONIAL CHALLENGE. The first challenge from overseas came from Australia in 1863, when R. A. W. Green, made a -match with Robert Chambers over the Putney-to-Mort-lake course. Green led for the first mile and a~balf, but was easily defeated in the end. Three years later, when one of the finest scullers of alf time, Harry Kelly, had succeeded Chambers in the title, he was challenged by James Hammill, of Pittsburg,. U.S.A. Two matches were rowed on the Tyne, and Kelly had no difficulty in winning them both. Followed, three years later, Walter Brown, the champion of America, seeking to wrest the honour from J. H. Sadler, now in the prime of life. Brown suffered by the climate, and in any case was not a formidable challenger, anil Sadler rowed over the course and held the laurels. When at length Trickett put in a challenge for Australia, Sadler was 37 year* of age, and his powers were on the decline. Trickett, who, was trained and taught the use of the slide by Kelly/won the race. He took the title to his native country, and defended it in several races on the Parramatta.

In 1880 Trickett was challenged by Edward Hanlan, champion of Canada, the United States, and England, and he went to England to defend his position. It was of the earliest and most amusing victories in the history of sculling. Hanlan, who was 25 years of age, and four years the junior of his opponent, gained a lead of three .lengths, and then stopped rowing a*l looked about him. On hid opponent closing up, he pulled a couple of dozen strokes and then stopped and lay down flat in his boat until Trickett came up with him. He then diverted the spectators by paddling on, using his sculls alternately. He stopped five times before reaching Barnes Bridge, and won as he liked. y HANLAN AND BEACH. Hanlan had a number of successes both in England and Australia before his defeat by William Beach on the Parramatta River in 1884. Beach had five victories in defence of the title, not the least exciting being that he gained over Gaudaur on-the Thames in 1886. At one stage both men were so exhausted that they could not proceed. Beach was the first to gather Himself together for another effort; Gaudaur failed to respond, and the champion won easily. Beach retired in 1888, handing the championship to a countryman, Peter Kemp, who was defeated before the year was out by a new Clarence River (N.S.W.) sculler, Harry Searle, the same young man who created such an impression when he defeated the Canadian O'Connor on the Thames in 1889. He died on his return to Australia, when the steamer was outside Sydney Heads, and a monument, erected by public subscription, stands at the finishing point on the banks of the Parramatta River. Kemp resumed the title, and, aided by Stanbury, a future champion, he defeated or stalled off challengers for two years before being defeated himself.

Stanbury secured the championship for himself in 1891, and held it for nearly six years. He appeared in England in 1896, when he defeated C. Harding, but the same year he met his fate. The match in which Joe Gaudaur won the championship from the Australian ia specially noteworthy, inasmuch as it was one of the very few sculling matches in which a man well advanced in the thirties —he was 38 years of age —has defeated one not yet out of his twenties. When the race was half fin-

ished Stanbury pulled for a foul, bumped, and appealed, holding up his hand. 'lt was -disallowed, and he proceeded in a. half-hearted manner, losing the race by some lengths. Having secured the title for Canada Gaudaur claimed that challengers inust meet him in Canadian waters. He defeated the challenger at Vancouver, and the restriction/was the prime means of allowing,him to retain the title for five year_s. ( . - ~ WEBB AND ARNST. At length, in 1901, another Australian,' George Towns, accepted .the conditions,'and after a long fiaggle the course at Home was agreed upon. The race was postponed for three days owing to the rough weather, and then Towns won by four lengths. Towns and Stanbury were alternately champion until 1907, when William.Webb, of New Zealand, who in his first professional race in December, 1906, had defeated Stanbury for the championship of New Zealand, challenged the champion of the world. Towns, as before stated, handed the title to his younger brother, who was defeated without much difficulty by the New Zealahder; Webb's first match in defence of the -championship took place on February 25, 1908, on the Wanganui River. The challenger, JRichard Tresidder, of Australia, 37 years of age, had previously challenged Towns in 1904, but was defeated. ■„ Webb was eight years his junior. The race took place on the Wanganui River on which Webb had defeated Stanbury. . Now we pass along by easy stages, not forgetting the wonderful "comeback" act by Stanbury, until the era of success ofs the black and silver fern and kiwi, which commenced with the victory of William Webb in August, 1907, and wound up with -fhe unexpected defeat of Dick Arnst by Ernest Barry on the Thames on July 29, 1912 —five years of New Zealand activity, with Arnst, the mighty man from Tai. Tapu, as star performer. Since then Ernest Barry has held the fort and kept the flag flying on behalf of Old England, by stalling off challenges hy Canada (Eddie Durnan) and Australia (Harry Pearce).