Boat Club

ised soon afterwards and it looked as if their better stickwork was going to prevail, but defensive lapses allowed the School to score twice, before the Old Boys reduced the arrears by means of a penalty bully.

Team : Unchanged. v. STYX H.C. Home, 8th March. Lost 0-5

This game followed the pattern of the York match, with the School putting up a very good show against a strong side of County and good Club players. Again they owed a lot to Gildener, who was almost continually in action, but the defence as a whole acquitted themselves well, whilst the forwards moved the ball about well without being able to apply the essential finishing touch. The quick, controlled passing of the Styx players and their use of the open spaces should have been an object lesson to their younger opponents.

Team : Unchanged.

THE BOAT CLUB

This year has seen the introduction of Head of the River Races and of School rowing in the Easter term. The House Races will in future be rowed in July.

It has long been felt that the month of May is too short to select and train School crews for the Regatta season. Moreover, House boating does not make the task of selection of a future School crew easy, for a coach wants to shuffle and re-shuffle equal oarsmen, making them row with and against each other. Also it is inevitable that short races tend to foster high ratings at the expense of technique. What was needed was a longer period for selection, and races not rowed abreast but timed over a longer distance. It is hoped that the Head of the River Races on a School basis, which also permit a master to coach a greater number of boys, will raise the standard of boating throughout the club.

House boating, moreover, will benefit from the change, principally because everybody will have had an extra season's boating. Thus the races will be rowed in VIIIs, and first year boaters will be able to row for their House in the Junior IVs. Selection for the following year's crews will be easier, as after twelve weeks' training boys will be rowing at their best. Finally the races will be fairer with the river at Summer level.

So much for the reasons for the change : now to the events of the term.

During the whole term, only one day's boating was lost, though on two other occasions the river was too fast for first year boaters. Blessed with this perfect weather, which brought with it less absenteeism, we were able to use the boats to a maximum.

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It is fortunate that the Head of the Trent at Nottingham, which has probably the highest standard bar Putney and Reading, falls during our final week's boating. The 1st and 2nd VIIIs were entered.

There were no oarsmen this year who were outstanding, but a good number who were competent. They included three strokes in W. E. Jones, J. R. Brown and I. T. Parkin, and a good seven in the Captain of Boats, R. L. Bywater. However, we lacked power in the engine room at five and six, and an adequate solution was never really found. Training went well and a fair mileage was covered. At Nottingham, after a hard workmanlike row, the 1st VIII, getting good run on the boat though perhaps at too low a rating, finished 16th out of thirty entries in 13 min. 36 sec. (1 min. 3 sec. behind the winners). The 2nd VIII contained no oarsmen of experience but was admirably welded together by Mr. Hayes, and raced well to come 22nd in 14 min. They were the only School's 2nd crew in the Senior Three Mile event. This race, which of course is totally different from a regatta, proved an excellent experience, and should doubtless stand next year's crews in good stead.

The School Head of the River Races were held in three divisions.

RESULTS:

VIIIs Division (21 miles): 1. C VIII, 13 min. 49 sec.; 2. D VIII, 13 min. 52 sec.; 3. E VIII, 13 min. 59 sec.; 4. Colts VIII, 14 min. 4 sec.

Junior IVs Division (lf miles): 1. A IV, 10 min. 32 sec.; 2. D IV, 10 min. 58 sec.; 3. E IV, 11 min. 5 sec.; 4. B IV, 11 min. 12 sec.; 5. F IV, 12 min. 21 sec.; C IV scratched.

Novice IVs Division (7 furlongs): 1. W IV, 6 min. 7 sec.; 2. U IV 6 min. 17 sec.; 3. Z IV, 6 min. 24 sec.; 4. Y IV, 6 mm. 25 sec.; 5. V IV, 6 min. 28 sec.; 6. X IV, 7 min. 1 sec.

We are grateful to the Chaplain for judging and timing the finish, and to Mr. Hall for maintaining wireless contact between the Starts and Finish. They might well have felt their three hours' duty on a winter afternoon could have been more comfortably spent elsewhere. The standard of the faster crews was high, though I feel the first year boaters, who started using slides after three to four weeks, should not do so till their second term of rowing. Next year they will race on fixed seats.

The Colts' system of the most promising boys being coached by a master to row in a higher event is now beginning to bear fruit. Two of the 2nd VIII were first year Colts last year. This term all the lower crews have been coached between two and four tim-s by a master. This, I regret to say, in five or six weeks' boating, is at present a maximum.

A great deal of work has been done by the School carpenters in the boathouse, and we thank them. It is only now that I fully realise what a tremendous task Mr. Howat had been doing by him- 42