Hie Sculling Championship.

Taranaki Herald, Volume L, Issue 12619, 1 August 1904, Page 5

Hie Sculling Championship.

TOWNS DEFEATS TRESSIDER. United Press Association.— By Eleotric Telegraph.— Copyright. Sydney, July 30. After an interval of twelve years the. Pairamatta River was to-day again the scene, of a contest lor the sculling championship of tho world, George Towns proving his right to the titlo by easily defeating the challenger, li. Tress ider. Great interest was centred in the event, crowds taking possession of all point* of vantage along the- river, while several steamers which followed tho race was largely patronised. A cold south-east breeze blow across the course, heading tho boats, in some of the longer reaches, to some extent ; I >ut it had no practical effoct on tho result. Tresidder, who scaled 13st 41b, to Towns* list, won the toss for position, and selected the, southern shore. Tho men got well away together, Towns rowing 36 strokes to the minute and Tresidder 35. The latter forged ahead, and before reaching^ Uhrs Point was leading by a length. Towns, taking things steadily, gradually reduced the gap, and at tho milo, which took Gi minutes, had drawn level with his opponent. At Putney, where the champion was rowing 26 and Tresidder 25, Towns had half a length lead, which he increased to a length and a hall by the time the gasworks were reached. Thence he had tho race in hand, and rowing well within himself Towns increased his advantage tt> four lengths at Crabarita, and to £*x lengths at Gladesville, finally winning by about ton lengths. Tresidder made several game at tempts to overhaul the leader, but alter passing Putney, where he first showed signs ol -firing, ho failed to make any impression on the champion. \t Abbotsford Tresidder ran into a pleasure boat, which stopped Him for a tixne, but he kept gamely plugging in to the finish. The time- was 31min IB 4-ssec. The. winner was accorded a great reception. TRESIDDER FAIRLY BEATEN. (Received August 1, 9.40 a.m.) Sydney, Aug. 1. Tresidder admits that he was -fairly beaten on his merit*. CONDITIONS OF THE RACE. In drawing u p the conditions of the race, the prize was fixed at £ 1000, half of which is to be returned to the subscribers of the winner, according to their subscriptions. The race was rowed with the tide on the Parramatta River, over the championship course from Ryde Bridge to Searle's monument. Mr William Beach acted as umpire. Mr Fitzhardinge was judge. CAREER OF TOWNS. Towns was born on the- Hunter in February, 1869, and is two \ears oki.r than Trossidor. He left Newcastle m ISG4 unassisted for the purpose of trying to win the championship, and it speaks much for his determination that he worked his passage to England, where he arrived in tho spring <>! the same year practically an unknown quantity. He stands 3 feet Si inches in height, and has the build of a stayer. His performances on the Hunter and other rowing places in Australia proved that he was possessed of gi-il Up to his arrival in England he had only rowed one match in his life. That was 'over a throe mile course on the Hunter on March 24. l<S9o, when he was pitted against C. Neilson, for £100, and won by two lengths and a la£, [* handicaps and other events, however, Towns has a good record. He began rowing at 11, whim he secured second place in a race for youths under 15 at his first attempt. In the course of time he annexed six firsts and five seconds for youths under 19 years of age. At 20 he began to fly at higher game, and won five first pr^es in allcomers race. In September. 1892, Towns formod one of 21 entrants tor a big professional handicap over the champion course on the Parramatta River. J. Stanbury was on scratch, and Towns received 1 8 seconds from him, by means of which he was able to row into third position, the winner being Chris. Neilson, off the 10 seconds' mark. This was, of course, some time before the To wn? -Neilson match. In the second big handicap in which Towns tried his luck, on the Clarence River, he went a stop higher— in the second place. The race was over two miles, and was won by Cressey, wno a had two lengths' start from Towns? and won by a length. On January 2<i, 1897, Towns was pitted in an all-corn-ers-light «kiff handicap in Sydney harbour, "when he had the honour of being placed on scratch, and had the misfortune to be blown over in a squall. When Towng arrived in England lie bid for a match with R. C Harding, of Cholsoa, but supporters of professional rowing 1 were so slack at the time that the e*-champion bad to let the opportunity slip. Then came W. A. Barry, and tho match of 1897 was duly arranged. Towns shot Hammersmith Bridge fin front, and won by half a length. The eecond match botween tho pair was September, 1898, whon they contested the final tor tho "Sportsman" Challenge Cup and championship of England. Barry, it is said, was hardly wound up to concert pitch on that occasion, and was well led to Hammersmith Bridge, but an accfidont happened to Towns' boat, and ho could not finifih the- course, so Barry won. That led to a challenge from Townß to row again, and the men met on May 1, 1899, when Towns won. He also won, for the second time, tho " Sportsman" Challenge Cup, defeating J. Wray, ami followed this up by easily dofoating Jake (iaudaur three- miles with a turn at Rat Portage, Canada, for the championship of the world. TRESTDDUR'S CAREER. Richard Bernard Trrsidder is a native of Wallsend, a suburb of Newcastle, where he was born in 1871. He is - r >ft 10^in in height, and a heavier man than tho champion. He started rowing- as 18, and competed frrquenr ly at local regattas with (Jeor^o Towns, so that in the early part of

[iheir career thoy were not strangors. lie first made his appoaraucu in a light/ skiff at the .Newcastle. Rogatta in January, 1892, in the All-comers' llandiicap. feather weight, but only secured third place in his heat, Oeorgo Towns, 301 b, finishing fourth ; whilst at the Wallsend Regatta tho same year lie took part in the All-comors' Itace in I light skin's, foathor weight, and was beaten by Towns, 301 b, by two lengths. His performances at the local regattas do not call, however, for any special mention. He rowod his: first match "oh the Hunter, when ho defeated T. Jordan over a mile course, and on December 5, 1896, he doieated J. Ford over the Raymond Terracn course in wager boats for a stake of £50 a side : whilst on February 25, 1899, he also defeated A. Wox-boys ovor the Terrace course in watermen's Rkiffs, carrying 30tt>, for £100 stakes. The .poriormancc which has chiefly brought him into prominence was the y,ace in March last year with Harry Poarco on tho Parramatta River for tho championship of Australia and £100 a side.