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KENNY RECALLS ROUGHEST
CHAMPIONSHIP RACE
The story of a championship rowed in such rough con
ditions that only one crew was afloat at the finish is told in
this, another interesting contribution from Ted Kenny, secre
tary to the Australian Rowing Council. '
JENNY'S outstanding memories -of
that eventful day, April 26, 1913, on
the Port River, Port Adelaide, are the
first appearance of the subsequently
famous Murray Bridge crew, which did
so much to put South Australia on the
rowing map, and the extraordinarily
rough conditions in which the cham
pionship was rowed.
He says that he has never seen a
title event rowed in rougher water and
Murray Bridge was the only crew afloat
at the finish. Tasmania struggled over
the line with the boat entirely under
water. New South Wales retired 200
yards after the start with a broken
poppet string. Queensland sank be
fore they had covered a mile, and Vic-
" toria met with a similar fate just as
they reached the two-mile mark. West
ern Australia managed to keep afloat
for 2% miles, at which point they rowed
ashore and emptied their boat, even
tually reaching the finish several
minutes after the winners.
Certainly there was a rougher day
at Perth — in 1923, when no crew
could even launch a boat, much less
get to tne starting line, ana uie iaue
was postponed until the Monday when
it was dead calm. Under such condi
tions the win was not as satisfactory
to the South Australians as their later
successes. The outstanding feature of
their victory was their excellent water
manship, which enabled them to bring
their boat through such seas with very
little water in it, as it was very rough
in every part of the river. Contrary to
their later style, they rowed a fast short
stroke, which suited the rough condi
tions, the riggers being raised prior to
the race.
INITIAL SUCCESS
This was South Australia's initial
success in the Australian eight-oared
championship, and the crew comprised
G. H. S. Oliver, 10.8 (bow) ; W. H. Pfeif-
fer, 10.6 (2); E. D. Thomas, 12.8 (3);
A. V. Scott, 13.0 (4); P. A. Atkinson,
12.8 (5); A. B. Sladden, 12.7 (6); E. H.
Joyce, 10.7 (7); W. M. Sladden, 10.2
(stroke); R. Woodhead (cox); E. E.
Higgs (coach and emergency).
Bow was not 18 years of age at the
time of this win. The coxswain, who
was a. member of the Mercantile Club,
of Adelaide, showed great knowledge of
the course.
Another outstanding memory of this
race was the wait for more than an
hour at the start with a bitterly cold
wind blowing. The starter (the late
Joe Clouston) had an unenviable task,
in. which the crews did not help him.
Victoria on the outside took a share in
the jockeying to improve positions and
caused some trouble. Eventually when
I the crews were about in line, Tasmania
dashed off before the gun was fired;
| the others followed as best they could,
and the starter was unsuccessful in his
efforts to recall them.
Western Australia got the worst of
the start with their boat half across
the course, and Victoria was little bet
ter. South Australia took the lead be
fore the first mile was covered, and
Victoria and Tasmania had a hard
struggle. Tasmania were slightly in
front for two miles, when Victoria went
down, both boats shipping much water
over the second mile. South Australia
won by 18 lengths in 17min. lsec.
The sculling race was won by Fred
Coverdale, of Tasmania, by 12 lengths
from Fyfe Marr, of Queensland, in
24min. 35 4-5sec., the distance being
three miles. Coverdale gave a great
exhibition of watermanship in the
rough seas. Just prior to embai ic
ing, he discovered that the rubber grip
of his scull had been neatly cut down
the side with a sharp knife. Fortu
nately, he had a spare grip. At Perth
the previous year Coverdale capsized
just after the start on account of the
rubber grip of his scull slipping. j
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