1929 Rowing Victoria State Championships

1^st Arthur Cambridge, Bendigo

2nd J C Hardy, Footscray City

3rd E F Johnson, Mercantile

4th H E Ricketts, Drummoyne (NSW)

The race was held prior to the Four-oared Championship, on Saturday, 19^th January, 1929, over a 2 1/2 mile course, upstream. A. Cambridge (Bendigo) won by 100 yards. Mr. Cambridge is commended in gaining his fourth championship sculling victory.

Arthur Cambridge

1^st Wendouree – Bow: F Yates, Str: G Hutchins, Cox: A Lind

2^nd Ballarat

3^rd Merbein

4^th Banks

5^th Wahgunyah

6^th Ballarat City

7^th Mildura

Wendouree Rowing Club again demonstrated their superiority in pair-oared rowing by winning the Championship event rowed at lake Wendouree on Saturday, 2^nd February, 1929. Seven crews competed. Wendouree winning by half a length from Ballarat. They are warmly congratulated on their achievement of winning seven out of the last eight pair-oared Championship races.

1^st Mercantile – Bow: J A Greenshields, 2: Douglas C Brooke, 3: J South, Str: Cecil N McKay, Cox: R Cliff, Coach: James M Macfarlane

2^nd Banks

3^rd Ballarat

4^th Hawthorn

5^th Richmond

6^th Melbourne

7^th Barwon

Mercantile Rowing Club won the Four-oared Championship by two lengths from Banks. The race was rowed on Saturday, 19^th January, 1929, downstream over the same distance and course as the Championship Eights. The Victors are complimented on their success.

1^st Ballarat – Bow: J Inglis, 2: E Panther, 3: J Russell, 4: E Elsworth, 5: Stanley B McGorm, 6: H Grace, 7: K Taylor, Str: H Inglis, Cox: A J King, Coach: W D Dawson

2^nd Melbourne

3^rd Banks

4^th Hawthorn

5^th Richmond

DNF Mercantile - Bow: J A Greenshields, 2: A R Shannon, 3: Henry G Guinn, 4: James G H Sprigg, 5: W C Haworth, 6: Douglas C Brooke, 7: J South, Str: Cecil N McKay, Cox: M Green, Cch: James M Macfarlane

The race was rowed downstream over a 2 1/2 mile course, commencing at the 42 chain mark, Lower Yarra, and finishing at the 3 mile 2 chain mark, Coode Canal, on Saturday, 8^th December, 1928.

Ballarat Rowing Club was successful. Won by three and a half lengths, three-quarter length between second and third.

The distance of the race was reduced to 2 1/2 miles on account of construction work on the Spencer Street Bridge narrowing the width of the river at that part. The race was rowed downstream for the first time, as it was deemed by the Committee that a better course was obtained.

Mercantile broke an oar during the race and did not finish the course.

1^st Stanley B McGorm, Ballarat

2^nd Arthur H Cambridge, Bendigo

3^rd E F Johnson, Mercantile

Stan McGorm

Acting on the representations of the Victorian Amateur Sculling Association, a One Mile Sculling Championship was held for the first time. The race was held at Lake Wendouree, Ballarat, on the same day as the Championship Pairs, Saturday, 2^nd February, 1929.

S. B. McGorm won by 1 1/4 lengths from A. H. Cambridge. Mr. McGorm is congratulated on winning the first One Mile Sculling Championship of Victoria. His victory was particularly meritorious as one hour previously he rowed a hard race and finished a close second in the Pair-Oared Championship event.

1^st Mercantile – Bow: A Sloss, 2: R Scott, 3: D Saunders, 4: R W Lille, 5: S S McKay, 6: J E Campbell, 7: I P Graham, Str: J H Bailey, Cox: M Green, Coach: James G H Sprigg

2^nd Essendon

3^rd Banks

4^th Albert Park

5^th University

6^th Bendigo

7^th Footscray City

8^th South Melbourne

The race was rowed Saturday, 20^th April, 1929, over a two mile course, commencing at the 2 1/2 mile mark, Coode Canal, and finishing at the 40 chain mark, Lower Yarra. Eight crews competed. Mercantile won by two feet from Essendon, with Banks a canvas away third.

With the increasing number of competitors in junior events and the high standard of rowing it was decided to hold a Junior Eight-oared Championship.

Conditions for the race were that entries restricted to one crew from a club, open to all oarsmen eligible to row in junior races, the rule in relation to not more than 50 percent of a previously successful junior crew again competing in a similar event not to apply to the junior championship race, the race to count one point per oar towards the Junior Premiership, the distance of the race to be two miles.

The introduction of the Junior Championship Race was an unqualified success, and there could be no better testimony to the judgement of the Committee in including the event in the Championships than the excellent race witnessed in the inaugural contest. For over a mile not one length separated the eight crews, and at the finish a canvas covered the first three crews.

The standard of rowing was highly commended by experienced critics of the art of rowing. The race served an excellent purpose in demonstrating that amongst the junior ranks Victoria possesses promising oarsmen capable of fighting out a hard race, and should help as an additional guide to selectors for Interstate purposes.

Victorious Mercantile Crew

1^st Essendon Ladies – Bow: Ruby Robinson, 2: Minnie Anderson, 3: Edna Barlow, Str: Rose Gideon, Cox: W Dron, Cch: Mr A R Gideon

2nd Albert Park Ladies

3rd YWCA - Bow: D Eyre, 2: P Constable, 3: T Ricketts, Str: P Burren

The Championship was conducted on 9th February 1929 on Albert Park Lake at the VLRA regatta. The winning Essendon crew was selected to represent Victoria in the Interstate Championships and won this event.

The Victorious Essendon crew in their Victorian uniforms

There was a senior pairs event at the VLRA regatta but the newspaper report does not call it a Championship. Accordingly no Championship Pairs are recorded for this year.