BOWING.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16034, 27 January 1920, Page 10

BOWING.

By “VICTOR.”

The Wanganui Union Club’s crews for the Hamilton Regatta, to be held on Thursday, left yesterday by the express train. The Union Club is the only one outside the Auckland province which is competing in the Hamilton Regatta, and its crews figure in the senior fours, maiden pairs, senior pairs, maiden double sculles, and handicap sculls. The Auckland Herald says: “The Wanganui Union senior crew is mainly composed of members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force crew that did did so well in England. The Wanganui Union crew has a great reputation and its advent is welcomed especially in view of the New Zealand Championship Fours next month. The Hamilton seniors are equally confident of winning the prize. Of the city clubs West End seems to have the best prospects, provided the crew in training makes the journey. The training of the Waitemata crew has been irregular, and the same can be said of the North Shore four. Still the outsiders may bring off a surprise. The revival in sculling since the war is most marked, and a glimpse at the handicaps will be necessary before any opinion can be passed. The champion, Hadfield, will be a competitor, but he may find the opposition fairly strong. According to reports from the south, the Wanganui Union’s representative, A. Sharpe, is in fine form.”

As a matter of fact, the form shown so far by A. Sharpe has been disappointing, and he will need to do a lot better than he has done in his training spins to have any chance with Hadfield unless he gets a good start from the Aucklander, who must be a greatly improved sculler now compared to what he was when Sharpe beat him in 1915. On the other hand, Sharpe does not seem to be rowing so well now as he was then, though he may improve with a race or two.