THE SCULLING CHAMPIONSHIP. BEACH VICTORIOUS. A DESPERATE RACE. [REUTER'S TELEGRAM.]

Te Aroha News, Volume V, 3 December 1887, Page 1

THE SCULLING CHAMPIONSHIP. BEACH VICTORIOUS. A DESPERATE RACE. [REUTERS TELEGRAM.]

Sypxey, "November 26. The sculling race for the championship of the world and aside, between Beach and Hanlan, took place to-day on the Nepean River. Despite the intense heat and the extremely wot weather which sot in this afternoon there was an enormous attendance of spectators. Beach, who was the favourite, led all the wwar,j r , but was closely pushed by Hanlan. The lace was a most desperate one all along the course, the competitors being loudly cheered by the thousands assembled. The race, which was rowed in 19min. sosecs., was won by two lengths and a-half, and was the toughest yet rowed.

The excitement in Sydney to-day \vi 1 outrival if nob surpass that seen in Melbourne on the Cup Day, for this is the day on which the Sculling Championship of tho World is to be decided on the River Nepean close to that city. William Beach, the Australian champion of the world, meets Edward Hanlan, the Canadian ex-cham-pion, and tho whole English speaking world awaits fho result with breathless interest. It is now considerably over two years fcince the two scullers last met — two years fraught with great change to both of them. Previous to his defeat by Beach, Hanlan was the aquatic wonder of the world — the unbeaten, tho'invincibie. Beach broke the spell, and the Canadian has done nothing since to roco\ er his lost reputation, while his opponent has added victory to victory and, gave by Hanlan, stands the unchallenged Champion of the World, and justly ho holds the title, for between iris last race with Hanlan on March 28th, "1885, and the race to-day, Beach has met and vanquished tho chief scullers of the present" time, including Bubonr, Ross, Teenier and Gaudaur. The present race is the result of a challenge thrown down by Beach last year to the

world, which Hanlan failed to accept afc the time, and is for the championship and £500 | a-sidc. A brief account of the career of > the two men should prove acceptable at the present timo, though their chief performances aro well known and their names are household words. William Beach is not a native of the colonies. He was born in Sussex, in England, in 1851, which he left "when five months old for the colonies. The stern necessity of earning his bread and butter did. not give him much chance to practise the art of sculling on Lake lllawarra, near which, at Dapto, his parents took up their residence. He 'was brought up as a blacksmith, and -while toiling in the smil.hy was unconsciously developing a muscular frame and building up thews and sinews which, added to his indomitable pluck, in after years gained him world-wide fame and a good income. Ho did not commence rowing on the lllawarra until he was 23 years of age, and his fir.st i victory was one he may well look back on with a smile. He beat a publican after a grand tussle over a two-mile course in heavy I watermen's boats for a wager of 5->. After j that he entered into sculling heartily and j took part in a good many local races, bu t his first race of any importance was towards the end of 1881, when he pulled off a prize of £25 at Sydney in a handicapped skill race, against 16 acullerd. In the same year he was easily defeated by H. Pearce (handicapped by 1001b). Moved by this thorough beating, Beach started practising in wager boats. At the Anniversary Regatta, 1881, he was beaten by McDonald, but he turned the tables a little later on in a match with this sculler for £40 a-side. He then rowed Solomon over the champion course for £50 and won. His next appeal ance was for Punch's tiophy, when he was beaten by Rush, thi- being Beach's fust appearance in outriggers. Then came the sensational match wiih Reynolds lor £50 over the championship course. A foul ensued, and the urap ; ie ordered them to row over again the fo lowing Saturday. Reynolds then led to Putney, where he fainted from o\ev - exertion, and fell out of his boat, leaving Beach to low over the rest of the distance. Beach--- mo»t important match at this time, however, was against an old opponent of hi-, Clifford, whom he had often raced with varying succe&s on the lllawarra. He beat Clifford over the championship course foi £200 aside, winning easily. He also had &e\ oral matches with Trickett, who beat him at the Balmain Regatta in 1883. He met Ti icketfc on April 2, 1883, over the championship course. Trickett won, but Beach turned the tables in three successive matches that had been arranged to see who was to meet Hanlan. On the 16th August, 1884, Beach beat Hanlan for the championship of the world and £500, but Hanlan made public his dissatisfaction at the result, attributing it to the interference of the now worldfamous Tomki. Another match was arranged and Beach again beat him on March 27th, 1885, on the same conditions, as the first race. Between the two Beach settled the question of supremacy between him and Clifford by a very decisive victory. Hanlan then went back to America, but challenged Beach to meet him la<-t year on the Thames. Beach accepted the challenge and went Home to meet Hanlan and to take part in the International Races got up by Mr Lines on the Thames. Hanlan did not show up till too lato to meet Beach, but the latter conclusively proved his right to the title he held b} r canying all before him in the International Races, and his tremendous struggle with Gaudaur will be still fresh in the minds of the public. The champion received a splendid ovation on his return to Australia, after which he retired into private life, but Hanlan's talk brought him forth once more, and for the past six weeks or more he has been in active training tomeet the Canadian, from cablegrams published yesterday it will be seen that the race comes off on the Nepean, and that both men aro confident of victory. As natural, the Auckland public almost to a man fancy the colonial. Edward Hanlan, who is quite as woll known to the general public, has been rowing all his life, for when quite young he was, in the ferry business at Toronto, and first brought himself into note for his fkill with the oar as a ferryman. When he went in for racing in wager boats he carried all before him. He met and vanquished several American champions, and then turned his attention to foreign matches. He beat W. Elliott for the Championship of England on Juno 16, '1879, and then during the next two years met and defeated Elias Lay cock and Edward Trickett twice gaining the championship title. The English scullers had no show against him, and the Americans were equally unsuccessful, Courtney, Ro<?s, and Tcemer all going down before him. In 1884 he came out to the Australian colonies, and he had the satisfaction of defeating Clifford, but Beach lowered his colours. Since that time Hanlan's career has been a chequered one, and a very peculiar one. Exhibition matches are chiefly what he has rowed in, but this year he was beaten by Gaudaur for the championship of America. In a return match, however, Haulan turned the tables, though there was a suspicion of all not being right in the match —Gaudaur openly stating such to bo the fact. Previous to his sailing for Australia Hanlan was easily beaten by Teenier for the championship won from Gaudaur, and Teenier has followed this up during last month by defeating' Gaudaur also. Hanlan has never tired of expressing his opinion that fit and well he can dofeat Beach, and the contest this afternoon, bar accidents, should settle the question. Mr M. Gallagher to-day received a wire from Mr J. Decble, Beach's backer, to the following effect : — "Boat race reckoned a certainty for Beach.' 1

Skbious Outbreak oe Pleuro - Pjn-kit-MONIA. — Pleuro-pneumonia in a virtulent form broko out recently, according to an English paper, in a herd of cattle on Llowellyn Farm, Rhyl, belonging to Mr Edwin Davies, and subsequently, by order of the Privy Council, the whole herd were do*troyed. Nine cattle had already been killed. The carca£O3 wore buried in quick lime.