ROWING NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 373, 15 March 1932, Page 11

ROWING NOTES.

Prospects for Kaiapoi Regatta. Interprovincial Race. The last local regatta of the 1931-32 season will be held on Saturday at Kaiapoi, and the racing will take place on the Cam, a narrow, tide-affected stream of sufficient width to permit of three boats rowing abreast. This necessitates the various events being rowed in heats, and for this reason the course is a short one, possibly a little under half a mile in length. As all the local clubs, numbering seven, will be represented in most of the events, those for which the whole seven nominate will require two heats each of two competitors and one of three competitors, the winning three competing in the final. At least it Is to be presumed that this will be the arrangement, for it would never do to have two heats of three crews each, thus giving one crew a bye and a place in the final without having to race for that honour. There are seven events on the programme—junior, maiden, and youths’ pairs and double sculls, and light-weight maiden double sculls. A guide as to the possible results is to be gained from the Akaroa and Christchurch regattas and the Head of the River races. Akaroa, it is freely admitted, have a mortgage over the two junior races, and the same may be said of Union with respect to the youths’ events, and Avon for the maiden double sculls. This leaves the maiden pairs and the lightweight maiden double sculls. With respect to the former class, there has been no racing since Akaroa, except the Head of the River race, in which Union showed such excellent form and won so convincingly that a repetition of that form points to the winning crew coming from that club. At the Kairaki regatta on March 5, Union led all the way in the light-weight event, and unless some of the other crews have made considerable advancement, or Union have gone off, the crew should again The Canterbury Eight. The question of representation in the interprovincial race to be rowed at Picton on March 26 was practically determined at last week’s meeting of the Canterbury Rowing Association. The meeting had before it data with respect to the approximate expenditure that permitted the clubs interested definitely to determine to be represented. Original estimates available were practically prohibitive unless very liberal contributions were forthcoming, but subsequently others, on a reduced scale, came within the financial scope of the clubs, and the sub-committee set up to act was able to report that the cost of transport of boat and crew and the board of the crew could be met. During the week the crew were out each evening doing steady work. Most of the attention of the large number of bicycle-mounted local followers of the sport who followed the crew along the banks was centred on Reid, of the Akaroa Club. First given a seat at No. 6, subsequently he was moved up to No. 2 position. Reid, while lacking polish, is probably the most powerful oar in the boat, and for that reason most certainly should he lower down than No. 2. A man of his power should ho well in the body of the boat. No. 2 seat could well be filled by one less powerful and vigorous. Cooper, originally selected for the No. 2 position, had to fall out owing to being unable to get away, and the vacancy has been filled by Gilby, who was selected as emergency. A much more efficient, if not such a showy oarsman for the emergency position would have been K. Brown. The Gee Cup. The last event of the Union Rowing Club’s programme of club races for the season was concluded on Saturday. This was the Gee Cup, a handicap single sculls, for which there were ten competitors. The results were as follows: G. Empson (4sec) beat O. Butler (6see) by two lengths; C. Piper (Ssec) beat R. Saxby (6sec) by a length and a half; L. Hampton (6see) beat W. Rhind (Ssec) by a length; W. Greenway (3sec) beat J. Seelen (6see) by two lengths; G. Empson (4sec) beat C. Piper (Ssec) by a length; C. Cooper (scr) beat L. Hampton (6sec) by a length; W. Greenway (3sec) beat G. Toner (scr) by two lengths; C. Cooper (scr) beat \V. Greenway (3sec) by a length. Final: C. Cooper (scr) beat G. Empson (4sec). Cooper had made up his handicap at half-way, and from there In the finish the boats raced on even terms. Cooper getting in the last stroke which gained him the victory by a foot. Cooper won the event last year, starting from scratch. The Union Club will close the season on the first Saturday in April with a scratch race. The other local clubs have a number of crews training for the final club races. The Best Crew. A correspondent, one closely associated with the sport, comments briefly on last week’s reference to the Canterbury eight, and asks if the writer will give his own selection, his views as to the best system of selection, and how he classifies his selection in order of In reply, basing the selection purely on proved merit as displayed by public performances, and eliminating all club chatter, purposeful chin-wagging and ear-whispering, the writer considers tM best racing eight that can be secured in Canterrbury to be: Stiles, Thompson, Cox, Reid, Cooper, Toner, Brown and M’Giffen. As regards order of merit, Thompson, Cox and Stiles are placed first, about equal, then Cooper, Toner, Brown and M’Giffen. All these have proved flieir qualities as racing oarsmen. With respect to Reid, this may be said: As yet be is inexperienced in the finer points of the boat racing, but there is in him all the elements that constitute the make-up of a champion. With respect to the selection of the crew, the local association has determined on a committee of three, the three to be members of different clubs. In the writer’s opinion, no system yet devised has given entire satisfaction, but he gives preference to the one-man system and considers that the two-man system is preferable to the three-man. But when club feeling has an important bearing on the matter, then the three-man system provides an easy way out, though it has palpable flaws.