1954 NSW AAGPS Head of the River
Clear Victory for Shore in Eights (The-Sun Herald, 11 Apr 1954)
G.P.S. rowing coaches consider that the Shore eights, winners of yesterday’s Head-of-the-River at the G.P.S. Regatta on the Nepean River, is one of the best schoolboy combinations ever to win the title.
Shore beat Newington by one and a quarter lengths over the mile-and-a-half course, with King’s a surprise third. It was Shore’s 23rd G.P.S. victory, and coach Bill Thomas’s third success in four years. Shore led Newington and St. Joseph’s at the halfway mark but the race soon became a struggle between Shore and Newington when St. Joseph’s dropped back.
Shore, with perfect style and bladework, began to peg back Newington over the last quarter of a mile, and at the finish went away to an easy victory. Newington coach Col. Davies said later that the Shore crew was the best eight he had seen in his nine years as a G.P.S. coach.
Senior 1st Eight
Major Rennie Trophy
8:07.40
1 ¼ lengths
¾ length
1st Shore – Bow: R.R. Dickson, 2: D.D. Vaughan, 3: R.W. Gall, 4: R.R. Warden, 5: J.R. Heath, 6: P. McN. Gardner, 7: R.P. Waddington, Str: C.B. Gordon, Cox: T.B. Studdy
2nd Newington
3rd The King’s School
Senior 1st Four
Yaralla Cup
5:56.80
1 ¼ lengths
2 lengths
1st Shore – Bow: D.E. MacCallum, 2: R.P. Heath, 3: J.M. Ferris, Str: W.R. Minns, Cox: R.M. Whybrow
2nd High
3rd St. Joseph’s College
Senior 2nd Four
6:05.00
¼ length
2ft
1st St. Joseph’s College – Bow: E.C. Stark, 2: S.B. Banks, 3: D.D. Byrne, Str: P.J. Williamson, Cox: C.W. Clarke
2nd Newington
3rd The King’s School
Senior 3rd Four
4:32.00
¾ length
1 length
1st High – Bow: D.D. Sutherland, 2: R.J. Burbage, 3: R.S. Rushall, Str: G.R. Sample, Cox: D.H. Anderson
2nd Newington
3rd Shore
Senior 4th Four
4:31.00
¾ length
½ length
1st High – Bow: A. Holt, 2: J.R. Pilger, 3: N.C. Smith, Str: A.J. Winton, Cox: I. Mashman
2nd Newington
3rd Shore