THE REGATTA.

Waikato Times, Volume 111, Issue 18548, 30 January 1932, Page 6

THE REGATTA.

HAMILTON LEADS WINNERS

CHAMPIONSHIP FOURS HELD. NEW SINGLE SCULLS CHAMPION. Success beyond all expectations attended the Anniversary Day regatta and New Zoaland rowing championships held at Hamilton yesterday. Perfect weather, keen rowing, and exciting finishes and a record orowd combined to fulfil the most sanguine hopes of those who organised the big carnival. It Is no exaggeration to say that the championship regatta was one of tho best yet held; It was certainly monarch of all over held on the Waikato.

The record crowd present was estimated at approaching 6000, nearly 1000 people travelling on the special train from Auckland. When the train left Mercer it was crowded and platform passes had to be used as tickets, ail the special tickets having been sold out.

Once again the Hamilton Rowing Club has demonstrated its superiority in most classes of rowing. Though possessing the undoubted advantage of rowing on their own course, the local oarsmen were fully extended in ■several of the.events and the'club’s foremost position (out of 15 competing clubs from all over the country) with two first and seven seconds is deserving' of the highest praise. In the four, championship events alone the local club topped the list with a first <rand ; Vtwo seconds. It also secured the'bulk of the donations (£59), Wairau (Blenheim) being the next most successful club from the financial standpoint with £25. Some Keen Rowing. Some of the rowing seen yesterday will go down in the history of the sport as the keenest on record. There were several surprises on the day. While the consensus of opinion favoured Hamilton lifting the classic event, the senior championship fours, few anticipated almost a walk-over. For another year the “rooster,” symbolising rowing supremacy in the Dominion, remains on his lofty perch on the boatshed at Ferry Bank. The Wairau oarsmen rowed a fine race for. second place in this event.

It was unfortunate that the eagerness of the competitors to hug the ■town bank caused a postponement in the single sculls championship—the second classic and most popular event. After the minor damage to some of the boats owing to a collision had been repaired the race was placed last on the programme and certainly made a fitting final to a memorable day’s racing. It was not generally expected that Turner’s form would be up to the standard to ensure him retaining the title. The Napier holder also had the misfortune to pass the inside of a buoy en route. What caused such great surprise and delight was the emergence of the Waitcmata -entrant, R. Smith, who forged ahead to secure the title by a six lengths’ margin. Jackson (Wanganui Union) and Stuart (Auckland) thoroughly deserved the other places. G. W. St. Clair pulled valiantly for Hamilton, but could not make the distance.

Sculls Champion “Chaired.”

A scene of great enthusiasm was witnessed after the race when Smith landed. He was “chaired" by his club mates and warmly congratulated on all sides.

After journeying all the way from Christchurch for the purpose, C. Stiles and F. 11. Thompson successfully defended their title of New Zealand pair oar champions. It is no detraction to their splendid exhibition to state that they were fully extended by the Hamilton pair who strained every nerve, but were left a bare halflength behind at the finish. Sandos and Bayly made an effort which will not be readily forgotten.

Wanganui Union, represented by A. K. G. Jackson and E. O. Trail, had a meritorious win in the only other championship event —the double sculls. In this the Hamilton pair defeated Tauranga to secure second place, Hamilton was the most successful club on the day with the two firsts and seven seconds. The following clubs had one first each:—St. George’s, ■North Shore, Waitemata, Wanganui Union, Avon and Auckland. West End secured two firsts, Wairau a first and a second; Tauranga notched two seconds, and Aramoho one second. How the Donations Went. The prize money was distributed as follows: —Hamilton, £59; Wairau, £25; Waitemata, £l9; West End, £l4; Wanganui Union, £l4; Avon, £l2; St. George’s, fllO; North Shore, £7; Auckland, £7; Aramoho, £5; Tauranga, £3. When the occurrence of several unrehearsed incidents is taken into account the organisation of the regatta left little to he desired. The programme was given an unfortunate start by the late arrival of the special train, while the mishap to the single sculls boats caused a further . delay. Under these circumstances the Regatta Committee did well to finish shortly after 6.30 p.m. Hardly a hitch occurred in the broadcasting “arrangements which were in the hands of Radio House, Hamilton, and officials from IYA Auckland. The big crowd in' the vicinity of the boathouse was given continuous information of the progress of the crews from start to finish. This year a special platform for broadcasting was erected below the decking of the railway bridge so that there was a more accurate description than has been obtained on former occasions. Army of Helpers. The various attractions arranged to supplement the rowing were all well patronised and greatly appreciated. There is no doubt that the public got their money’s worth yesterday. To the dozens of men and women helpers and officials who put in a strenuous day's work in an honorary capacity, much of the success of the big carnival is due. These people, who entertained the visiting officials and oarsmen, organised children’s events, novelty events, sold refreshments and performed all sorts of other tasks too numerous to mention, had the satisfaction of knowing that their services were well worth while when the shades of evening fell. an historic trophy. STILL HELD BY HAMILTON. BELONGED TO SCOTTISH PEER. / Th c handsome Hallyburton-John-stone Trophy, which the Hamilton Rowing Club retained yesterday by winning Ihe New Zealand senior fours championship, lias a. more interesting history than most trophies of this l kind.

It originally belonged to the Duke of Buccleuoh, a Scottish peer whose family had possessed it for many years. When Mr Hallyburton-John-stone acquired it and presented it for competition among Dominion oarsmen the Duke had a replica made, which he still, lipids.

CONCLUDING RESULTS.

N.Z. CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLE SCULLS. WANGANUI UNION: A. K. G. Jackson, E. 0. Trail 1 HAMILTON: I. W. St. Clair, G. W. St. Clair 2 TAURANGA: C. Haua, G. Dennison 3 'Won by three lengths, 2i lengths between second and third. From a good start all crews pulled evenly until Hamilton spurted and held the lead. North Shore did not start. Hamilton headed for the centre of the river and Tauranga put a length between themselves and Union. At the mile peg Union overhauled Tauranga and rowed level with Hamilton for some distances. Union weighed in on the ClaudelandSySide and left Hamilton, Tauranga dropping back six lengths. Union added another length and was a moral winner approaching the boathouse.'Tauranga had Hamilton bustled to reach second place.

JUNIOR FOURS (B. and B.)

WEST END: G. D. Conway, R.

Witten, C. Wright, F. Conway i HAMILTON: D. Hare, J. Graham, L. A. Partridge, G. Lewis .... 2 WAITEMATA:, E. Bishop, l N. •B. Hunt, J. H. Beesley, R. G. Barker 3 Won by a canvas, with half a length between second and third. Time, lOmins 56 2-ssecs. Also started: — Tauranga: C. Cameron, A. R. Cullimore, H. Pearson, P. Harvey. Aramoho: F. Iloskyns, F. Jones, P. Stowers, K. Shaw. St. George’s: J. R. 11. Biss, P. Williams, A. Andrews, G. H. Biss. Petone: L. Horne, R. Meadows, W. Lind, c: Gimblett. There was a great fighting finish. West End was the first to get away and led Hamilton, St. George’s and Petone. At the mile peg the positions were West End, slightly ahead of Hamilton, Aramoho and St. George’s level, with Waltemata, Petone and Tauranga following. At the threequrater mile mark the four leading •orews were level. West End and Hamilton swapped places alternately and provided a thrilling race up the river. >' Tauranga and Petone dropped out of the running. Hami’ton, on the Claudelands side, and West End-on the town bank, rowed neck-and-neck to the boathouse where West End spurted splendidly to win. St. George’s were third, followed by Waitemata. The former were disqualified for passing inside a buoy.

N.Z. CHAMPIONSHIP PAIR OAR. Of £ls; 1J miles. -- AVON: C. Stiles and F. H. Thompson - 1 HAMILTON: B. Sandos, W. Bayly 2 STAR: G. C. Cooke, F. 11. Mullins 3 Won by a bare half length; 1J lengths between second and third. Time, llmins 57secs. Also started.— Wairau: W. Gibbons, J. Rutledge. The Avon ('Christchurch) pair, who came here specially for the purpose, retained their title , after a strenuous race with Hamilton, which will be long remembered. 'A gusty wind made conditions rough in the centre of the river. The Hamilton challengers drew ahead early and pulled across to the town bank, taking the lead from Avon and Star. Wairau dropped behind early. Avon drew level with Hamilton at the mile post and then took the middle of the stream. The home pair held their own on the town bank and Star overhauled after a fine spurt on the Claudelands bank. Of the three crews the title-holders were rowing the prettiest stroke. Sandos and Bayly made a superhuman effort to overtake the southerners at the boathouse, but the latter were too good. YOUTHS’ FOURS. Of £9; 1 mile. AUCKLAND: S. Scott, V. Corbett, G. Frank, W. Haslett 1 HAMILTON: J. Stewart, J. Clough, J. Flynn, J. Denz 2 TAURANGA: D. Cameron, M. P. Rhodes, N. Tonkin, P. Sanders 3 Won by half a canvas, with threequarters of a length between second and third. Time, 7mins 14 2-ssecs. Also started: Waitemata: N. C. Mason, H. T. Lee, 0. Crump, F. S. Finlayson. West End: N. 11. D. Conway, N. W. Jerrome, J. 11. Donovan, G. McLisky. Auckland sprang a surprise in this race. Tauranga got into quiet water at the start and pulled ahead of Waitemata, Hamilton, West End and Auckland. All crews were moving at the rate of about 30 to the minute. Under the bridge Tauranga was half a length ahead of Hamilton. Tauranga and Hamilton rowed together up the straight, with Auckland a length behind, Waitemata and West End following. Auckland spurted brilliantly and overtook the other crews near the boathouse, Hamilton recovering too late and losing by a bare halfcanvas. This was the fastest race of the day for a mile. CONSOLATION FOURS. Of £2O; 1J miles. WAIRAU: W. Gibbons, H. Rutledge, C. Saunders, J. Rutledge 1 ARAMOHO: D. Holmes, R. Coxon, R. Edwards, W. Heath 2 NORTH SHORE: A. E. Cotes, L. B. McCallum, W. Seager, C. Oliver 3 Won by half a length, three-quar-ters of a length between second and third.' Time, lOmins 59secs. Also started St. George’s: G. W. D’Authreau, F. Solomon, W. R. Woolhouse, 1. C. Horton. From a good start St. George’s took the lead from North Shore and Wairau. St. George's doing 29 to the minute, showed a nice stroke and maintained the lead by three-quar-ters of a length to the mile peg. Aramoho and North Shore led Wairau. Under the bridge Aramoho was half a length ahead or St. George’s, with North Shore and Wairau following. North Shore weighed in and overtook the others, but. in an exciting finish Wairau and Aramoho spurted for the first positions. Pclone did not start. N.Z. CHAMPIONSHIP SINGLE SCULLS Of £l2, and trophy presented by Mr F. W. Burley. Of I 4 miles. WAITEMATA (R. Smith) 1 WANGANUI UNION (A. K. G. Jackson) 2 AUCKLAND (A. Stuart) 3 Won by six lengths with a similar distance between second and third. Time, llmins 41 sees. Also started. — Tauranga: G. liana. Napier: W. Turner. Hamilton: G. W. St. Clair. in the last and most popular race

of the day R. Smith (Waitemata) caused a great surprise by showing splendid form against his more experienced opponents. Turner, the litlc-holder, was not in the picture. St. Clair had difficulty in dodging the willows shortly after* the start. At the mile peg the positions were Napier, Tauranga, Auckland, Waitemata, Hamilton and Union. Approaching the bridge Smith forged ahead, and as the remaining crews passed under the bridge he had a clear three lengths lead. St. Clair was showing a fine stroke on the Claudelands bank. There was a length difference between Turner and Haua nearing the bridge, with Smith, St. Clair and Jackson following. Smith then clapped on pace which held magnificently to the finish. Approaching the boathouse Smith increased his lead to six lengths with Stuart, St. Clair, Turner, Jackson and Haua following in that order. Jaokson came forward to gain an easy second from Stuart, St. Clair, Haua and Turner in that order. Turner rao inside the buoy and was disqualified. ■

ST. JOHN AMBULANCE. high STANDARD REACHED. PRAISED BY JUDGES. The judges of the St. John Ambulance competitions commented high!} on the efficiency shown by the various St. John Ambulance Brigades. Dr. F. D. Pinfold, who presented the prizes, made praiseworthy remarks on the brigades’ work. Drs. E. C. Brewis, J. G. .Maclcereth, and J. B. McMiken were unanimous in their praise. Dr. Brewis said the teams were very sound in their methods employed in treating the patient. A very high standard had been reached. Dr. Mackereth remarked that the work throughout was uniformly good. Ther9 was some difficulty in separating the different teams, the winners being distinguished by their knowledge of the finer points. The Hon. J. A. Young complimented 'the organisation on its work and efficiency. Following were the results:— Hague Efficiency Cup—Private F. Ware (Hamilton) 1, Private S. Hague (Hamilton) 2, Private F. E. Berney (Taumarunui) 3. There were 12 entries. Judge: Mr E. M. Smith. Waikato Taniwha Shield —National Reserve Nursing (Auckland) 1, Hamilton Ambulance 2, Auckland Nursing 3. There were. 19 entries. Judges: Drs. Mary Douglas and Milroy. South Auckland Cup—Hamilton No. 3 team 1, Hamilton No. 2 team 2. There were 16 entries. Judges: Drs. E. C. Brewis and J. B. McMiken. Hamilton Cup—Frankton Junction No. 2 team 1, Matamata No. 1 team 2, Frankton Railway 3. Judge: Dr. J. G. Mackereth.

OTHER POPULAR EVENTS.

HIGHLAND DANCING. A large section of the crowd at the regatta yesterday afternoon were entertained by the Highland dancing competitions'. Music was supplied by the Hamilton Pipe Band. Following were the. results: — Highland Fling—D. Gilmore 1, G. Scott 2, D. Sorensen 3. Seantriubhais—D. Gilmore 1, D. Sorensen 2, G. Scott 3. ■. Sword Dance —D. Gilmore 1, D. Sorensen 2, G. Scott 3. Sailor’s Hornpipe —D. Sorensen 1, D. Gilmore 2, G. Scott 3. Irish Jig—D. Gilmore 1, D. Sorensen 2. The points prize was won by D. Gilmore. Children’s Races. The children were well catered for during the afternoon, races and other novelty events keeping them entertained. Following were the results:— Boys under 7—Nelson Drummond 1, Norman Lee 2, Noel Wilson 3. Girls under B—Joyceß—Joyce Cavanagh 1, Doris Flargo 2, Julia Roach 3. Boys under B—Gordon Forester 1, Noel Burrct 2, Norman Olds 3. Boys under 9—T. Drummond 1, Roy Gibbs 2, Bob Roach 3. Girls under 10—51. Roach 1, Dulcie Buckingham 2, J. Roach 3. Girls under 9—Pat Roach 1, Runy Gibbs 2, Val Garret 3. Boys under 7 —Drummond 1, B. Gordon 2, B. Choat 3. Girls under 11—M. Smith 1, J. O’Meara 2, E. Harker 3. Boys under 11—B. Buckingham 1, W. Hardy 2, C. Crabb 3. Girls uqder 12 —T.' White 1, D. Sorensen 2, D. Buckingham 3. Boys under 12—J. Rowe 1, D, Reed 2, 0. Johnston 3. Girls under 14—B. Davis 1, P. Prince 2, R. Stewart 3. Boys under 14—T. Drummond 1, V. Robinson 2, A. Cubis 3, Married Ladies’ Race —Mrs J, Perkins 1, Mrs Watkins 2. Wrestling. Wrestling proved a popular Innovation and drew a large gallery. The three events were keenly contested and provided bright wrestling. Following were the- results: —Lightweight—F. Haines 1. sliddle-weight —A. Newton drew with A. Barr. Heavy-Nveight—W. Shattock. Tnc final between Shattock and H. Gilmer was strenuous wrestling all through, the winner gaining the verdict with two subrnisison falls. Canoe Racing.

The canoe racing provided a gay spectacle, the youthful contestants earning the plaudits of the crowd with their exceptionally clever handling of their frail barques. The novelty events caused considerable amusoment, very few of the competitors escaping a ducking. Following ware the results: —Junior doubles—Tiki (Searle and Stewart). Senior singles —.Mustard (T. Sanders). Water polo —Hamilton East drew with Hamilton West. Duck chase—Hawkins Bros. Hand paddling—Hawkins Bros. Ladies’ race—Miss Tombs. Senior doubles—Evans and' Dowling. Junior duck chase—S. Stewart. Canoe fight—T. Sanders and 11. Birch. A FINANCIAL SUCCESS. CO.M.MITTEE EXPECTS £250. INCOME FROM SPECIAL TRAIN. The Hamilton Regatta and Carnival Committee hopes to net about £250 in connection with yesterday’s regatta. There were over 800 on the special excursion train from Auckland. As the committee receives is from the Railway Department on each ticket over £4O will conic from this source. The gate takings at the close of the day s racing amounted to £ISS but many tickets sold beforehand have yet to he added.

Entries yielded £52 compared with £2B last year. The gate takings at last regatta amounted to £lO2.