1950 Australian University Championships— Lower Yarra River, Melbourne VIC
All six universities competed at these Championships which were held on 3rd June 1950. The course was the 2 mile course on the Lower Yarra. The Melbourne crew comprised five King's Cup oarsmen and the Sydney crew only one, Robert Tinning. Sydney was described as a lively, smooth-rowing crew with much of the flexibility of the NSW King's Cup. The Melbourne crew was described as rowing with time, swing, drive and clearance.
The Melbourne Argus reporting on the race noted that Melbourne University has now completed a season without defeat in senior eight-oar rowing - their successes including the Victorian Championship.
Men's Eight
Time: 10 mins 50.2 secs
Margins:
3 lengths
1 1/4 lengths
canvas
1st Melbourne University - Bow: Graeme Roderick McLeish, 2: Andrew C Kingsbury, 3: Owen McKay Coltman, 4: Robert W Buntine, 5: David S MacGlashan, 6: Leonard Clarence Weber, 7: A G (Paddy) Barrett, Str: Ian C Everist, Cox: Alexander Lister Bennett, Cox: James M Ferguson, Cch: Jim Ferguson
2nd Sydney University - Bow: James Kennaway, 2: Ross Kesterton, 3: Bruce Downey, 4: G. Thomson, 5: G. Drewe, 6: D. Stanley, 7: A. McAuley, Str: D. Rourke, Cox: R. Marshman, Cch: Colin Davies
3rd University of Queensland - Bow: Edward Alexander Brookes Douglas, 2: Allan A Seawright, 3: Colin Spencer Brett, 4: Louis John Lambert, 5: Jim M Dowrie, 6: David S Kronfeld, 7: Don H McClymont, Str: Phillip Albert Taylor, Cox: Robert George Bourne, Emerg: David John Mercer, Cchs: A D Brown and in Melbourne Herb Shears of Mercantile, Manager: F Lou Poulgrain
4th University of Western Australia - Bow: Gordon Westlake, 2: William Irvine,
3: John Cook, 4: William Cooper, 5: John Radunovich, 6: Robert Pearce, 7: Neil Marsh, Str: John Bell, Cox: Keith Burrows. Cch: Dr Gordon Barratt-Hill
5th University of Tasmania - Bow: G Jaques, 2: John Clive Virtue, 3: A Knott, 4: R Mather, 5 B Pitt, 6: Robert Boniwell, 7: D Scaife, Str: John Hudson, Cox: John Parker, Cch: Don Hughes
6th Adelaide University - Bow: William Andrew Alexander Greer McBeth, 2: Walter Douglas Fringham, 3: J Harris, 4: D Harris, 5: Graeme Campbell Reynolds, 6: John Salisbury Jose, 7: Robert Benjamin Cooter, Str: Hugh David Cook, Cox: Malcolm Forgan, Emerg: Ian McCarthy, Cch: T K "Toff" Qurban
The Launceston Examiner reported the race as follows on Monday 5th June 1950:
VIC. WINS VARSITY BOAT RACE
MELBOURNE - Victoria won the intervarsity boat race by three lengths from New South
Wales on the Lower Yarra on Saturday afternoon. Rowing up-stream, the 2 mile
course was covered in 10 min 50 1/5sec.
The boats finished in the following order: VICTORIA 1, N.S.W. 2, QUEENSLAND 3. Won by three lengths and 3/4 length. Western Australia, Tasmania and South Australia finished in that order. In the sprint for the finishing line Tasmania gradually overtook South Australia, who tired badly and finally fell back behind the game Tasmanian crew.