AQUATICS

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume VIII, Issue 374, 23 September 1897, Page 5

AQUATICS

The Auckland Rowing Club held its annual Ameeting at the Metropolitan Hotel, Queen Street, on the evening of S.-ptember 16th. There was an excellent attendance, and the prospects of the • season were cheerfully discussed. The balancesheet, which was adopted, showed that the re- - ceipts had been £142 6s 7d, and the expenditure £142 2s 9d. The surplus of assets over liabilities was £139 2s 4d. Among the officers elected for . the ensuing season were the following:—President, Mr J. Marshall; captain, Mr F. J. O’Meara; - deputy-captain, Mr 1. Hardie ; secretary, Mr H. McKnight; treasurer, Mr R. H. Buttery ; committee, Messrs T. Henderson, Cashel, Turner, Thomas, Fookes ; Mr Henderson was elected a life member of the club. We have to acknowledge, through the courtesy of the hon. secretary of the West End Rowing Club, the receipt of a pamphlet containing a list of officers, the captain’s report, the annual bal-ance-sheet, etc., of the club mentioned. We are sorry that want of space prevents us from dealing more fully at present with this interesting business paper, but we must congratulate the officers for the manner in which they have conducted the affairs of the club during the past season, and although this popular club have made rapid progress in the past we will join Captain Clark in hoping that it may still go “ one better” during the coming season. We also notice that all members and friends are invited to attend the West End Boathouse on Saturday afternoon, 2nd October, at 2.30 p.m., which is the time fixed for holding the annual meeting. A cable from London intimates that on Saturday last, the first of three swimming contests between Tyers, of England, and Percy Cavill, of New South Wales, took place at Blackpool, and was witnessed by thousands of spectators. The water was rough and the wind fresh, and Tyers was made a pronounced favorite, 2 to 1 being laid on him. The Englishman led for the first quarter of a mile, but after that Cavill went to the front and led for the remainder of the distance, winning eventually by 40 yards. Cavill kept a beautiful course far out, but Tyers entered a protest against him on the ground that he finished outside of the finishing flags, but the judges disallowed the protest and awarded Cavill the race. After his defeat Tyers refused to swim the long-distance sea race arranged between him and Cavill, but challenged the latter to swim him a series of matches from 100 yards to a mile in still water. The decisive victory of the colonial in rough water against such a swimmer is a very flattering one. A short time ago Tyers proposed to tour the colonies as the Champion of the World, but a colonial has proved in his own country that he has no right to the title.

Athletic and Football items on page 13.