SCULLING.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14017, 25 June 1913, Page 6

SCULLING.

THE WORLD'S CHAMPIONSHIP: ,< PpAECJJ.IX ENGLAND. ' | ye,. -;*•»*■ By “ Victor” '■■■ ■ ‘ The race between Ernest Harry and Harry Pearce for the world’s- Sculling championship is .to be rowed on July 21. In a letter received in Sydney last week Pearce reporting All. well"’with the Australian representative in England. “Same Old tale,” conftridnces Harry, “Nothing new, but/ everything is, -going along O'K. This is a ’terrible place forgetting weight off, but it has a great redeeming feature, the air is so crisp and sharp that it seems to give yon added energy. I don’t trouble much • about my weight so long as I get-good and strong in the wind. I am list. 41b. now and will be quite satisfied to row at that weight.. I row the full course now every day, and do not .think it is-’a bit. harder than the Paramatta, notwithstanding the extra mile. "The water -runs so fast that yon seem to fly along. Myuvind is prettygood now, and, if 1 go on improving 'it; 1 should be vdi-y'fit. ’ r - _ ; ■ "• *; “Barry 'is doing- liglrf-Work ■ daily, but I; have hot ;aeeu : anyt’liinpf oP his'- -T-nSt work. - - ...'■ a . “The critics here -wilt have none -of me,Pearce adds; “I do not'swing far enough, and I should row with my knees together to get extra strength on the drive; I shoot my slide, and .was out; in fact, I am beaten already. Archie or Charlie'Smith,--however,, cannot see the marked faults, and I have looked for them myself, but am unable to fimT'theih. At present I do good fast work off the mark, and row to nice, clean, weighty strokes from Hammersmith (Ip miles) to Barnes (3J miles) so my condition is not too bad. The only thing which caii-trouble me ; is that I might overdo it; but I will take : the best of care to guard against that. Jas. Paddon, the present Australian champion,- has a deposit up of .£IOO to meet Harry Pearce, win. or lose, on his return to Australia, and in those circumstances Paddon might not find it convenient to race Arnst except on a date that would enable him to meet Pearce as well. There seems little doubt that Pearce Will meet Paddon on his return, especially as Paddon is pressing for the match. And there seems little doubt that'Arnst will ultimately race the bolder of the world’s title, as well as Paddon or Ilagney. There is nothing new to report in connection with the proposed-' Arnst-Hagney match. Haguey, it will be remembered recently challenged A.rnst, who signified his willingness to accept, hut would not row within twelve weeks’ time. Hagney could get backing up to <£2oo for a race with the ex-champion of the world provided the men rowed within'eight: weeks. Arnst, however, could not- sec his way clear to agree to Hagney-s terms. Hagney was greatly disappointed when his backers bold out for a race within IwO mouths, and after several attempts to persuade, them to allow him to agree to Arnst’s date, the only course left open to the challenger was to look for somebody else to put up the necessary amount to enable him to go on with the arrangements. Within a few days Hagney had a promise of support to the extent of AtOD from one person, but as he had promised the* exehampiou that- the stakes would be not less than 4:200 bo would not sign up. Haguey thought it advisable not to go on with the match until; lieJpad the full amount. This he hoped ..lo have before the end of last week, hut others whom lie approached on the subject were of the same opinion as those who had been behind him when the race,was. first proposed—that twelve weeks was too far ahead. Hagney is now, ip the position of having his stake money for a race to be rowed in three mouths,,\\fh lie those who ai’e prepared to put up. the; balance want the race, to take place within eight weeks. Arnst is still in ,Sydneyand although • he stated some weeks' agb.j,{h'»t. lie would. not botlicr about the Hagiiey match, he has been considerate enough to give way to Hagney, and if the latter cun overcome the difficulty with • his backers the pair should come to terms. Anyhow, all rowing people,.would be pleased to see Arnst and Hagney meet, because it would give some idea as to how Dick will shape against Paddon and the winner of the Pearijp-Harry rare., ' i “MY BEST.” " DICK ARNST. THE MOST .TRYING RACE. TF AVEBB HAD ONLY KNOWN.” . (Sydney Sun.) Dick Arnst,; ex-champion sculler of the world, has rowed many hard races. Emm the time; of his entry into the sculling world, when lie won the Rush Handicap oh the ‘Parramatta River, until his defeat by Barry, Arnst was called upon "to.answer many stiff .problems, but lie came mu .satisfactorily. ■ THE HARDEST RACE. “ r l lie hardest race 1 ever had—and 1 suppose, under the eirciimstanc-e.s, it was my best achievement,” said Arnst, “was the second one against Billy Webb on the AA anganur River, on June 22, 15109. If yon remember, that race was rowed at a very fast race,..and that was "hat I was afraid of. ~1 was-suffering from gastric influenza .at the time, but under the conditions of agreement had to get into my boat. Dr, Thacker, of (,'hristehnrch, who was my backer, told me before the race- started that if 1 was closely pressed at any stage of the three and a quarter miles course I would feel intense pains through the,.hack and round about the region of the lungs. Sure enough, they came on me after about a mile and a .quarter had been covered, and so suddenly that I almost collapsed in the boat. Webb was half a length in front of me at the time, and apparently full of strength. But just as the pain became most excruciating f observed that Webb shortened" his ■Sjroke as if to save himself. I saw in a flash that he was tired, and gathering; all ray strength, while endeavouring- to torget. the pain, I drove, my boat along lor five strokes and then felt like ‘throwing in the towel.’ So fatigued must A\ ebh have been that I got a break ol three lengths on him Had he heen able to, keep Agoing ■ for'!'’another quarter 01, a . mile::at a tusi:'- clip nothingon earth,-eoulfiMuCvehssrved-. li-Ont gluing up. As it was the pain clungfit me for pegging away. Then relief came tig „mp„ by „degrees; aiid T by the time Wub'o had recuperated his strength I Was ready. Four times he made short; sharp spurts, hut

always I managed to stall him off. That was the way of it to the (Mid of the race. ■ ' I i 'ijME «*(% \mNT/f fo'l "Welrtr" w-sTs^fr^ont-Tw - that rWn—ivt' the «f®*of advantage of..hall a, -length.' . O.u .-the stretell 'clown to the mile; I : gradually closed on and passed him, but when we s wept .past the . post, I only .had. a lea cl of four or'five'■ feet, .and was not feeling any doo good on it. You can judge how fast the race was vowed .-when I tell you that the mile was put behind in Sniin. losec., which is a record- for still, water. Then it was that 1 had my worst period, Wit all the- same I was in front . when two - miles had gone in lOmin. 51 sec. The throe and a quarter miles occupied 18 min. "15sec. THE RUSH HAND! CAB. : ‘‘Yes, that was my' best achievement from a. physical point of view, hut". .to my mind the greatest was when 1 ' won the Rush Handicap. I bad' only .been in a boat for six months at the .’time, and having cpmo fresh, from the. cycling track it was natural to suppose that I would .not be much good in a race' of tlfat sort. ’ 'the liandicapper looked ' after me. all right,, and 1 bad only Slsqc. start from George Towns,;\vho.was;oil scratch. That' was to be-tbe day of iny life.- ; “I was all' strung Kip whe.u ni.v turn came to got away down the course, .and’ 1 tell yon [ never entered into anything so seriously as f did then, ft seenied to me that everything in life dcqro.nded_.upon my ’winning that race. T knew that 'I must ho doing pretty well when I passed the leaders one after the other, .until, looking round, I discovered- to my, siiiipriso that I was alone in’front. .That did not have any effect upon niy ■ earnestness. I knew the calibre of. sortie of-the men who were conceding starts, to. me, and realised that any slackening down on _ ray part' might- prove fata].to .my. anticipations.’ ' I therefore kept going for all I was worth,, and won the.race, To say that I w,as pleased with myself, that day would be to put it mildly.. The realisation that 1 had won. such, a race in open company at the first . time of asking was good to think upon. And, really, ■if I had to say which was the proudest day of my racing career. T would nominate the one on which . I won the, ,Rush Handicap. On that, therefore,, I must also consider it my host -achievement,.’ “But”—Arnst shook his.' head—l’m glad •Billy AVcbb didn't know how bad T ■was that day on the AVanganui,.!’ ...