Boating Part 3

1837.

_Henley. College match._

QUEEN'S. LADY MARGARET (St. John's).

1. Lee, Stanlake. 1. Shadwell, Alfred H.

2. Glazbrook, Robert. 2. Colquhoun, Patrick.

3. Welsh, Jos. 3. Wood, H. O.

4. Robinson, John. 4. Antrobus, Edmund.

5. Meyrick, Jos. 5. Budd, R. H.

6. Todd, Jos. 6. Fane, W. D.

7. Eversley, John. 7. Fletcher, Ralph.

Penny, Chas. J. (stroke). Hurt, Robert (stroke).

Berkeley, Geo. T. (c.o.x.). Jackson, Curtis (c.o.x.).

The names of the Queen's and St. John's crews are here given, instead of recording them in the lists of University oars, for this was not strictly a University race, though in those days it had almost as much prestige as one.

In 1839 the third University match was rowed, and Henley Regatta was founded. At the Universities, about this date, various prizes were established, all of which gave a stimulus to oarsmanship.

Pair-oar races were established at Oxford in 1839. They were rowed with c.o.xswains until 1847. At Cambridge similar pairs were founded in 1844, and were rowed from the first without c.o.xswains. The obsolete rudder of the Oxford pairs is now held by the c.o.xswain of the head eight. The Colquhoun Sculls had been founded at Cambridge in 1837. 'University Sculls' were inst.i.tuted at Oxford in 1841. Four-oar races, each crew to be from one college, were founded at Oxford in 1840, and at Cambridge in 1849. Thus, by the latter year, each U.B.C. had its set of contests for all cla.s.ses of craft--eights, fours, pairs, and sculls. Lists of the winners of these various honours from year to year will be found elsewhere in this volume.

[Ill.u.s.tration: TOWING GUARD BOATS UP HENLEY REACH.]

Aquatics may be said to have reached full swing with the completion of these inst.i.tutions at the Universities. Matches between the Universities were propounded annually by one or other club from 1839, but time and place could not always be agreed upon, nor could 'dons' be always persuaded to allow men to row in such races. There was many a hitch in old days, from one cause or another. Since 1850 the U.B.C.'s have annually met each other in some shape or other at Henley, or in a match; since, and including, 1856 matches over the Putney course have been annual. Since 1859 neither University has put on at any regatta.

Various causes tended to stimulate rowing, e.g. regattas and also professional racing, which is dealt with separately under the head of 'Professionals.' A perusal of the tables of records of Henley and other regattas will also show how compet.i.tions gradually increased in number, and also in the fields which they produced.

REGATTAS.

The inst.i.tution of Henley Regatta in 1839 was the outcome of the various eight-oared matches which have been rowed on that part of the river during the ten years preceding. The regatta began with one prize only, the Grand Challenge Cup, a trophy which is unique for cla.s.sical design, and which is to this day the 'blue ribbon' for amateur clubs. The gradual growth of Henley may be traced by perusal of a leading article contributed by the writer of this chapter to the 'Field,' in the July of 1886, on the eve of the greatest change which the regatta has undergone, that of alteration of the course. The article is now reproduced,[6]

through the courtesy of the proprietors of that journal.

[6] See Appendix.

The new course, as compared with the old one, will best be understood by reference to the map of the reach, which appears elsewhere. The change has had only two trials, those of 1886 and 1887, but it may be said that so far rowing clubs which frequent Henley are unanimous in approving of the alteration; and so are all retired oarsmen, whose personal experience of the regatta was under the old _regime_.

[Ill.u.s.tration: STARTING THE EIGHTS--OLD COURSE, HENLEY.]

The old course was very one-sided. In the middle third of a mile--on a stormy day--with a stiff wind from W. or S.W., the shelter of the Bucks bushes--especially before house-boats and steam launches multiplied and monopolised the frontage of the Bucks and Oxon sh.o.r.es--used to reverse entirely the advantage otherwise pertaining to the Berks stations. On such a day the Berks station placed most boats hopelessly out of the race, unless they could keep within a length of the Bucks boat till the 'point' was reached--in which case the poplar corner made a pretty counterpoise to the advantage of Bucks shelter, and caused some interesting finishes. Under the new _regime_ not more than two boats can row in one heat; and as the course is now staked out, and neither compet.i.tor can hug the bank, the difference between windward and leeward stations, even when hereafter a gale shall blow, will no longer be so glaring as of old.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PAIR-OAR.]

The Universities no longer compete at Henley. In these days of keelless boats more practice is needed, in order to do justice to the craft, than when heavier and steadier craft were used. It is found to be impossible to collect all the eight best men of either U.B.C. twice in one year.

Examination and other causes reduce the ranks more or less; and, as the annual Putney match between the Universities is considered by them to be of more importance than any other contest, they devote their best energies to that, and leave minor sections of either U.B.C. to fight Henley battles. It is found that a good college eight, or a club crew of which some one college forms a nucleus, can be got together better, in the limited time available for practice for the regatta, than eight better men who probably cannot find time to practise all together for more than a week, and who will further, for the same reason, be short of condition.

Till 1856, it was the custom for the U.B.C.'s, if they could not agree as to time and place for a match, to a.s.sent to meet each other in the Grand Challenge; and such meetings ranked practically as University matches. Records of these _rencontres_ of the U.B.C.'s will be found in tables at the end of this volume, together with a history of Henley past and future.

The 'Seven-oar episode' of 1843 was not a University match or meeting.

The O.U.B.C. were entered at Henley; Cambridge were represented by the 'Cambridge Rooms;' but the C.U.B.C. was not officially represented by that crew. Just before the final heat, the Oxford stroke fainted, and the Cambridge reasonably objected to the introduction of a subst.i.tute.

The Oxonians then decided to row with seven oars. They had a wind abeam, favouring the side which was manned by only three oars. They eventually won by a length, or thereabouts.

In 1843 the Thames Regatta was started, and greatly supplemented the attractions of Henley. The mistake of this regatta was the rule which made challenge prizes the permanent property of any crew which could win them thrice in succession. By this means the Gold Cup for eights, the _piece de resistance_ of the regatta, pa.s.sed in 1848 to the possession of the 'Thames' Club. The regatta lingered on one year longer, shorn of its chief glory, and then died out.

Records of the winners of the chief prizes at it, amateurs as well as professionals, will be found in 'Tables.'

In 1854 a new Thames regatta, called the 'National,' was founded. It was supported by the 'Thames Subscription Club,' and died with that club in 1866. In the last year of its existence it introduced amateur prizes as well as the usual bonuses for professionals. In 1866 a very important regatta was founded--the Metropolitan. Its founders expected it to eclipse Henley, by dint of offers of more valuable prizes, but it never took the fancy of the University element, and for want of the wider-spread compet.i.tion which strong entries from the U.B.C.'s would have produced, it never attained the prestige of Henley. Still the honours of winning eights, fours, pairs, or sculls at it rank, in amateur estimation, second only to Henley. Barnes Regatta is of very old standing. The tideway is always a drawback to scenery, but Barnes always used to produce good audiences and good compet.i.tors. Its chief patrons were tideway clubs and the Kingston Rowing Club.

[Ill.u.s.tration: GONDOLA.]

Walton-on-Thames flourished in the 'sixties.' It has now died out. It was as a picnic second only to Henley. The course was rather one-sided, and hardly long enough to test stamina.

Molesey Regatta, of less than ten years' growth, now holds much the same station in aquatics that Walton-on-Thames once claimed. It draws its sinews of war from much the same up-river locality that used to feed Walton.

Kingston-on-Thames has a longer history than any regatta except Henley.

Its fortunes hang on the Kingston Rowing Club, but it is well patronised by tideway clubs.

Regattas have for a season or two been known at Staines and Chertsey, but they depended on some one or two local men of energy, and, when this support failed, they died out.

Reading has a good reach, and has of late come to the fore with a good meeting and a handsome challenge cup.

To return to watermen's regattas. The late Mr. J. G. Chambers, and a strong gathering of amateur allies of his, revived a second series of Thames regattas in 1868; these meetings were confined to watermen and other professionals, whose doings are scheduled in 'Tables' hereafter.

How the second series of Thames National regattas followed the fate of series No. 1, and of the 'Royal Thames Regatta' before that, will be found in the chapter on professional rowing. The so-called 'International' Regatta lived but two years, and fell through so soon as its mercenary promoters came to the conclusion that they could not see their way to harvest filthy lucre out of it.

There used to be a well-attended regatta at Talkintarn, in the Lake district. It died out from causes similar to those which led to the collapse of the 'Royal' Thames regattas, i.e. the dedication of its prizes to those who could win them a certain number of times consecutively. The Messrs. Brickwood thus became the absolute owners of the chief prize for pairs, and a Tyne crew became the proprietors of the four-oar prize.

The Tyne, the Wear, Chester, Bedford, Tewkesbury, Worcester, Bridgnorth, Bath, and other provincial towns produce regattas, but none of them succeed in drawing many of the leading Thames clubs, and without these no regatta ever establishes even second-cla.s.s prestige.

The rules of Henley Regatta are here appended. They serve to inform intending compet.i.tors of the code under which they will have to enter and to row, and they may also offer valuable hints to other regatta executives, present and future.

HENLEY ROYAL REGATTA.

_Established_ 1839.

_President._

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE LORD CAMOYS.

_Stewards._

THE MAYOR OF HENLEY.

The Rt. Hon. the EARL OF FREDK. FENNER, Esq.

MACCLESFIELD. H. T. STEWARD, Esq.

W. H. VANDERSTEGEN, Esq. Colonel BASKERVILLE.

ALEXANDER C. FORBES, Esq. HUGH MAIR, Esq.

J. F. HODGES, Esq. Sir F. G. STAPYLTON, Bart.

HENRY KNOX, Esq. W. H. GRENFELL, Esq., M.P.

J. W. RHODES, Esq. J. H. D. GOLDIE, Esq.

W. D. MACKENZIE, Esq. The Rt. Hon. LORD LONDESBOROUGH.