THE GREAT SCULLING RACE FOR THE WORLD’S CHAMPIONSHIP.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVI, Issue 938, 27 February 1908, Page 6

THE GREAT SCULLING RACE FOR THE WORLD’S CHAMPIONSHIP.

The great race for the sculling championship of the world took place on Tuesday on the famous Wanganui River. For weeks before, Wanganui had been in a simmer of excitement over the approaching contest, and with the constant influx of visitors, this was constantly added. It reached a climax when the local sculler prevailed, there being a wild outburst of enthusiasm such as the township has never seen before. The interest was by no means confined to Wanganui, but extended all over the Dominion. In Auckland for days past the race has been the chief topic of conversation, and when the time approached for the results to be wired through, great crowds assembled at the newspaper offices in anticipation of the posting of the winner’s name. When it was gleaned that Webb had proved victorious, there was great cheering. THE RACE. Although rain fell in the morning at Wanganui, it had cleared off before the race, and the water was in perfect order. Webb was on the starting-line first, where he was soon joined by Tressider. The local man won the toss and took the inside berth, but there was nothing in it, the water being quite calm. The start was by mutual consent, and was a splendid one, Tressider striking 30 to the minute and Webb about two less. In the first three hundred yards there was nothing in it between the rivals, but then Webb’s more machine-like action began to tell, and inch by inch he drew out. Amidst great cheering from the spectators Webb continued to get clear, and at the mile post was a length ahead, the time being 6min lsec. Slowly but surely the Wanganui man drew away from his Australian rival, and at the two-mie post was three lengths to the good, the time being 12m. 6s. Getting farther away he crossed over into Tressider’s water and gave the latter his backwash. Half a mile from the post<the Australian spurted gallantly, and closed up the gap to a little over two lengths. Nearer than that he could not get, and when the winning line was crossed Webb was two and threequarter lengths to the good. There was continuous cheering at the finish, the defeated man getting a splendid reception from the crowd, •who were not slow to recognise the grit with which he had fought a losing fight. That he was not rowed out by shown by the fact that he sculled back to Wanganui, distant over seven miles, immediately after the race, being cheered all along the route. Possibly if the Newcastle man had put a little more of that reserve strength into the race during the early stages of the contest, the finish might have been closer. A particularly pleasant feature of the race was the good feeling shown by both scullers, Webb speaking of Tressider in terms of warm praise, while the Australian freely admitted that the better man had won. The time for the race, viz., 20m. 285., is 17 seconds faster than when Webb beat Towns on the Parramatta River, although the course is about 100 yards longer, but, of course, the conditions were somewhat different. WEBB’S RECORD. Webb is 29 years of age, and among other records, has the following to his credit: —

VBCTORY FOR THE NEW ZEALANDER.

WEBB WINS BY 2% LENGTHS.

1905-6. —Ist Champion Single Sculls, and Ist Champion Double Sculls, at Picton; Ist Senior Fours, at Waitara, 2nd Senior Fours, at Wanganui; Ist Senior Single Sculls, at Wanganui. 1904-5. —2nd Champion Single Sculls, and Ist Champion Double Sculls, at Wellington; Ist Senior Clinker Fours, Ist Clinker Fours in best Boats, and Ist Senior Single Sculls, at Wanganui. 1903-4. —Ist Senior Fours, and Ist Senior Single Sculls, at Wellington. 1902-3.—lst Senior Single Sculls, and Ist Champion Single culls, at Wanganui.

1901-2. —Ist Senior Single Sculls, and Ist Junior Single Sculls, at Wanganui. 1900-1. —Ist Maiden Single Sculls, 2nd Junior Fours, and unplaced Clinker Junior Fours, at Wanganui. 1906. —Beat Jas. Stanbury on the Wanganui River on December 26. 1907. —Beat C. Towns on the Parramatta for the championship of the world on August 3. 1908. —Defeated R. Tresidder for the world’s championship, February 25. WHAT TRESSIDER HAS DONE. Tressider, who is eight years older than his opponent, has done a good deal of rowing in small handicap events, but his best races have been when in 1903 he beat Harry Pearce for £lOO and the championship of Australia, and again three years later, when he defeated Thoroughgood for a similar stake, and the same title. George Towns beat Tressider in 1904 on the Parramatta for the world’s championship. BYGONE CHAMPIONS. The first race for the world’s championship, so far as is known, took p ace in 1846, when Coombes defeated Campbell on the Thames. He followed this up the following year by beating Newell, and four years later did the same to Mackinney. Coombes was beaten twice by Cole in 1852, and then Messenger and Kelley held it. Next that fine sculler Chambers came along, and in turn defeated Kelley, White, Everson and Green, but in ’65 Kelley had his revenge, and also beat Hamill on the Tyne. They were doughty rivals, Chambers and Kelley, and there cannot have been much between them. Chambers won the title again in ’66, but Kelley beat him once more in ’67, only to be beaten by Renforth in ’6B. Sadler held it for two years till the Australian, Trickett, came on the scene, and in succession he beat Sadler, Rush and Laycock. The race against Rush in 1877 was the first championship rowed on the Parramatta River, afterwards the scene of many homeric struggles. The great Canadian Hanlan first won in 1880, and in succession he worsted Trickett, Laycock, Boyd, Trickett and .Laycock, but met his Waterloo at the hands of William Beach. The writer will not readily forget the scene at Circular Quay, Sydney, when good old Bill Beach, as his admirers termed him, returned after the victory. At the very least a dozen crowded ferry steamers met the Orient liner at Sydney Heads and escorted her up the harbour. On landing a procession was formed, and finally Beach had to address a crowd of ten thousand people from the balcony of Deeble’s Hotel. Since Beach’s time the holders of the title have been Kemp, poor Searle, who died on his return from beating O’Connor, Kemp (again), McLean, Stanbury, Gaudaur, of Canada, George Towns, Stanbury (again), George Towns (once more), C. Towns, and now Webb. Truly the Wanganui man figures in a list of famous scullers.