Aquatic Notes.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5211, 19 March 1895, Page 4

Aquatic Notes.

— « : £bY"<JASON IN "CANTERBUB* TIMES."] •' J. Page, of the Lyttelton Club, baa secured a wager boat and i 3 practising daily with a view to competing for the . Single Scull Championship. ! The Wanganni Bowing Club has selected two junior crews for the Pictou Regatta, one for the outrigger race, and . the other apparently for the bat3wing. 1 I regret having to recora the death of j W. E. Searlf, until quite recently, a P r o- ; minent member of the Union Rowing Club. ; I As a racing man he was very unfortunate, ' never, if my memory serves me, being once ; successful, though he rowed a number of > eeconds. He waa a dashing end plucky [ oarsman, but had the bad luck to bo racing ; when there was a plethora of good men in j his class. Searle retained his membership j until satisfied that he was suffeiing from I an incurable lung complaint. He waß j never heard to complain, and drifted out of < this life to cross the grand Divide on his! journey into the unknown with a spotless : record, liked by all who knew him, aa ! loyal and true-heartjd a fellow aa ever breathed. Clubs interested in the Championship Eagatta by reason of their intention to send i representatives, will commend the action of the committee in lowering tha enr trance feeß for Championship event 3to » round five per cent. At a meeting of the committee, on March 11, replia3 were received from a large number of clubs in reference to batawing raceß. Ten club 3 objected to their being retained on the programme, six were in favour and three were neutral. After considerable discuaeiou ib wa3 resolved to adhere ;to the batswing events, and to add to the programme a Senior Clinker Fours, distance two miles, first prize jSIO, second J62. The entrance fees were"' reduced, and now areChampionship Fours 65a, Double Sculls 15s, Pairs 15s, Sculls 123 6d, Junior Foura 15s, Maiden Fonra 10$, Senior Batswing Fours 20s, Junior Batswing Fours 10s, Senior Clinker Fours 12a. A few alight alterations in the rules were made. lam not surprised that it was decided to retain the batswing races, for a good entry can be looked for in these events, and that is a matter of considerable importance to the j committee. Keefe may nob defend his right to the title in the Champion Single Sculls, his present idea being to give way to his clubmate, Barrett, who I believe is rather fancied in tho northern city. If a boat can be secured Keefe and Barrett will row in the Champion Pairs and Double Sculls. It is pioposed to include Moore, of the Waitemata-City Club, in the Auckland Club's four, a proceeding which as I recently pointed out muse not be countenanced by the Association. When a club goes outside its own circle to fill gaps in a crew, the spirit that governs amateur contests departs and a sordid desire to gain by any means takes its' place. The principle cannot be too strongly condemned, and I am looking for the Association to move pretty Btrongly in this matter if an attempt is made to " ring in " a member of anothtr club. If the Auckland Club is not capable of turning out a crew from its own members, it should give up the idea of being represented at Pioton. I believe & protest will go to the Association if Moore is a member of the crew. The season, as far as local regattas are concerned, being now at an end, a few figures will prove interesting. Three regattaß have been held — Akaroa, Lyttejton and Christchurch — carrying with them twenty-two events, distributed aa follows : — Akaroa 5, Jjyfctelton 9, Christchurch 8. At Akaroa six. clubs were represented by twenty-two crews, Lyttelton and Union sending 5 each, Wairewa 4, Canterbury and Akaroa 3 each and Avon 2; at Lyttelton the Union and Lyttelton clubs again had an equal entry, 10 each, Wairewa 7, Canterbury 5, Akaroa and Avon 4 each and Cure 3, the whole entry reaching 43 j at Christchurcb, Union sent 11 entries for the eight events, Canterbury 5, Wairewa 4, Avon 3 and Star and Lyttelton 2 each. The -totftLentrieß thus became— Union 26, Lyfctelton 17, Walroir«*-l-V-Cant«»buEy-13, Avon 9, Akaroa 7, Cure 3, Sttfr 2. Of the twenty-two events decided, Union won 8 and was second eleven times, Wairewa won 7 and was second three times, Lyttelton won 4 and was second three timee, Canterbury won 1 and wsb second twice, Akaroa won 1 and 'was second once, Avon won once, and Star was twice second. At Akaroa the prize money amounted to J644, of which Union won J222, Wairewa £11, Lyttelton £10, Akaron £1; at Lyttelton £105 was given, Union securing £42, Wairewa £36, Lyttelton £19, Akaroa £8; at Chriatchurch the prize-money totalled J69A, Union taking £33, Lyttelton £20, Wairewa £18, Canterbury £13, Avon £6, Star £4, every club represented being succetsful. The total amounts won are as follows : — Union £97, Wairewa £65, Lyttelton £49, Canterbury £13, Akaroa £9, Avon £6, Star £4. The most successful competitor has been Samuels, of the Union Club, whose record is eight starts for sis firsts and two seconds ; his club-mate, Crosbie, has also aborted eight times for five firsts and two seconds ; Reid, of the Wairewa Club, has had six starts for three wins and two seconds ; C. Chapman, his club-mate, has had a similar number of starts for two wins and three seconds. In maiden event 3 M'Gloin and W. Chapman, of the Wairewa Club, have started six times for four wins, being twice unplaced. The youtha 1 events have been well distributed Lyttelton winning two, and Akaroa, Union and Wahewa one each. For. the first time for a good many seasons— in fact since he has rowed at regabtas, I think — Daly, of the Canterbury Club, has failed ts get a win. A practical effort ia being mail© to revive sculling in Sydney. It hag been arranged to hold a tournament on the champion course, Parramatta River, commencing on April 20. There will be £100 in prizes, together with a splendid silver trophy valued at forty-five guineas. The winner will get £50 and the trophy, second £15, third £10, and fourth £s— a very fair division. The racea will be in light skiffa, time-handicaps, heats to be drawn in the usual way. Rulfis for- tho government of intercolonial eight-oared races have been drawn up.and are being considered by the several rowing associations interested co as to be adopted in time for use in May when the next race will be rowed. The code suggests that the coxswains (who must weigh not lees than Bsfc) should be amateurs under the rules of the colony they represent ; and that it during the first minute's rowing an oar or a stretcher should break the umpire may order a fresh start. Hnrding'B colours for hia raca with Tom Snllivan bore the legend "C. E. Harding, Feb. 11, 1895," on a white ground, and running round the border was outlined a Eculler in a (skiff, while at each corner was worked the rose, shamrock and thiatle. ' The Schuylkill Navy, of Philadelphia, will probably send a pair-oar crew to compete at the next Henley Eegatta. It ia expected that the men will bo Gr. W. Van VJiefc and F. R. Ballz, the champion double-scull crew of the United St,ttes"and Canada, and the winners of the wcrld'B Columbian regatta at Detroit. They will represent all the rowing clubs of Philadelphia, and not" the particular club to which they beloug.