AQUATIC.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8104, 1 September 1904, Page 3

AQUATIC.

HENLEY REGATTA. [FXOM OOR COBRESFONJHBNT.] LONDON, July 8. The feature of the Henley Regatta held this week was the defeat of the Australian holder of the Diamond Sculls, Mr 7?. S. Kelly, of Balliol College, Oxford, by the Toronto sculler Louis sScholes. r It w^.s generally agreed that the race lay between thi3 pair, and, in view of the immense improvement observable in the Canadian's sculling since he visited Henley last year, many were inclined to believe that Kelly would meet his Waterloo. But the majority of aquatic critics pinned their faith .to the Australian, Arho appeared to be sculling in his very best form and to be in the pink of condition. Possibly Kelly was not quite so fit on the day he met Scholes as his friends imagined. Personally I fancy he was a trifle "overdone." After the race it was said he had wrenched his leg badly in the course of the heat, but as he rovrod No. 2 in the Leander crew which won the Grand Challenge Cup the next day the injury could not have been severe. Still it might temporarily incapacitate Kelly. The fact remains, however, that Scholes, though by no means the finished i exponent of the art of sculling that Kelly can claim to be, is very strong, plucky and a grand stayer, who can shift his boat at a great pace. This was shown in the final for the Diamonds, when the Canadian, hard hunted all the way by Cloutto, covered the course in the record time of Bmm 23sec. The conditions on the day, it is true, were all in favour of fast times, but, even so, Howell's Bmin 29sec required a real good man to beat it. , In a sense the draw was unfortunate, lor Kelly and Scholes came together m the Becond round. The Australian won nia tost heat from Kav Mouai, of University College, Oxford, 'in hollow fashion. Rowing at forty strokes per minute at the start i he cleared his rival ere sixty seconds had sped, and was soon leading by a clear three lengths. A nasty cross wind interfered materially with Kelly's j»peii,in i the final section of the race, tyit he finished ' in grand style, lengths ahead of Mouat, in , 9aiin lsec. ,« , j „*•>» I Meanwhile Scholes had "cleared out Wells and A. A. Stuart with consummate ease, A. H. Cloutte, who beat the Canadian in the preliminary heats last year,. had_run away- torn D. C. Stuart, and Guy E^pn had knocked out St. George Asbe and Viscount Mahon. Wh«4 Scholes and Kelly met oa Wednesday Cloutte had already narrowed the issue by defeating Rixon, and the rac« between the Canadian and the Australian decided which man he would hare to meet in the final. For the heat Kelly was the better' favourite in the surreptitious betting that always goes on even , at the best-regulated amateur sports meetings, and in the early atageß of the race ms position seemed to have eveTy justification. He opened at forty strokes to the minute, aodj walling in grand style, soon «»t»blished a half-length, lead. Going ahead rapidly, he was clear in tho next hundred yards, awd^ crossing over, began to give Soholee the benefit of his baok-wash. The Canadian, however, would not put u P wl^ l - thia, and, spurting persistently, forced Kelly back into his own water. The Australian, however, retained his two lengths' lead at Fawley Court, 4xnin lls«o from the start, but he was obviously rowing his hardest, and though Scholes kept to the same rate of striking a* the Antipodean, viz., thirtysix to the minute, he seemed to be travelling much easier. Gradually Kelly's stroke loeb its power, and the Canadian began to creep up, and at the mile was only a length behind. Foot by foot Soholes reduced the Australian's leadi and at Phyllis Court had got on level terms with Kelly. Tie amateur champion tried to spurt, but it was ■ soon evident that he was done with. A' few strokes later the Canadian 'began to draw away, and even as he did so Kelly stopped dead, leaving his rival to paddle Dome *lon», amid great cheering. R was reported after the race that ©»« of Kelly's leg B had given way. Certainly > his.souUme in the later stage* suggested : trouble in Ida nether limbs, and fc<s fcfcd t0 be assisted out of his boat into one of the guard launohes. ' . i; . -n i i n ■■. '-