ROWING.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLV, Issue 13, 28 September 1910, Page 9

ROWING.

The Sculling Championship. “ The consensus of riverside opinion is that Arnst is an over-rated man.’’ 1 came across this sentence in an artivl published by a London sporting journal two days before the great sculling match on the Zambesi. By “riverside opinion’’ the writer apparently meant the aquaDe quid-nuncs who are to be found in shoals on the banks of the Thames at Putney and in the hostelries of that vicinity. How these people came to form such an opinion it is difficult to understand, for neither they, nor the scribe who placed their views on record, had ever seen Arnst or any of the men he has 83 easily beaten in the course of his meteoric career. They, however, had the courage of theii convictions, for they backed Ernest Barry, and were only fearful test the parties accepting their bets should fail to toe th; line when settling day arrived! It was peculiarly amusing to hear ity bazaar lire. the way some of these anj-Annts talked. Listening to them, one could only come to the conclusion that sculling had no history, and the Australians didn’t know a good man in a boat from a duffer, they

had apparently clean forgotten that one of the outstanding features of the history of sculling is the fact that since 1875 Australasia has supplied nine world’s chanipions and that whenever an Australian has come to the Old Country in search of the major honour, or the championship of England, he ha- always managed} to get it. So tar as the Zambesi race is concerned we are at present in possession of only the baldest facts From these it wonM| appear that though Arnst admitted thas Barry had given him the race of his lif6 he really had the measure of his man practically from start to finish, sculled Barry to a standstill, and won comfortably. It pleases Mr. Guy Nickalls to tell ua by cable that if the race had been rowed upon the Thames Barry would have won! This is a very obscure mid entirely unconvincing statement, and if there << something more in it than meets the eye„ we ought to be quickly made acquainted with what that something is. Circumstances connected with the Zanu besi race may Jiave prevented Barry giving of his best, but the latest cables r<y» ceived prior to the race, stated that botk mon were in splendid condition, ami re 2 - present cd Barry as brimful of confidence, Arnst’s victory has, of course, completely silenced his Putney critics, but it has by no means altered English oammen’s opinion of Barry's sculling. I hey .still regard him as one of the most scientific scullers that we have so.-a on thO Thames for years past, mid if Arnst is willing to visit the Old ( ountry, lhero is little doubt that money will bo found for Barry to have a second cut nt the New Zealander over the Thames championship course. Arnst would be warmly welcomed here, for though he has knocked on the hea<i the high hopes we had al! entertained of seeing an Englishman in th’ proud position of world’s champion, he is, alter all, :t Britisher, and I'is . ietory has created none of that soreness whi -h would, follow defeat by a foreign: r.