1951 Australian University Championships— Huon River, Franklin TAS
The Championships were conducted on a 3 mile cousre on the Huon River on 30th May 1951 with all six universities competing. For the first time ever, a dead heat for first placing occurred. The conditions were noted as fast.
Men's Eight
Time: 14 mins 46 secs
Dead heat for first place then 1.5, 1, 8 and 4 lengths
Equal 1st Melbourne University - Bow: James A Gobbo, 2: D R Sutton, 3: John D Bailey, 4: M Frank A Robertson, 5: Owen McKay Coltman, 6: Robert W Buntine, 7: A G (Paddy) Barrett, Str: James S S Edwards, Cox: John N Button, Cch: James M Ferguson
Equal 1st Sydney University - Bow: Ryan, 2: Kennedy, 3: P Bayliss, 4: David G Lane, 5: J Hurst, 6: Gregory McNamee, 7: Webster, Str: E G F Cowdrey, Cox: D Budd
3rd University of Western Australia- Bow : Robin White, 2: J Rogers, 3: Bernard Lochtenberg, 4: I W Morison, 5: John Hunt, 6: Richard Kernot, 7: N Marsh, Str: Francis Slee, Cox: James Pannell
4th University of Queensland - Bow: Bruce Chrichton Barrett, 2: Francis James Barnet Hepple, 3: Allan Battaglene, 4: R McDonald, 5: D Dowrie, 6: David Kronfeld, 7: Keith Alexander, Str: Brian Jones, Robert George Bourne, Cch: A Duncan
5th Adelaide University - Bow: William Andrew Alexander Greer McBeth, 2: Michael Sydney Talbot Hobbs, 3: John Mathwin Heuzenroeder, 4: David Harris Prest, 5: Graeme Campbell Reynolds, 6: Walter Douglas Fotheringham, 7: John Tassie, Str: Hugh David Cook, Cox: Julius Marcus Opit,
Emerg: K Trenorden, Cch: R Francis
6th University of Tasmania - Bow: J Benbow, 2: Alan Walter Wright, 3: Robert Powell Mather, 4: Anthony Arnold English, 5: Robin Bethune Jones, 6: Robert Rufus Boniwell, 7: David Eric Scaife, Str: Bryan Michael Kenneth Gatehouse, Cox: R Jeffries, Cchs: J J Edwards and J Urquhart
The Mercury in Hobart reported:
Sydney then staged its amazing burst of speed. Rating 40, and getting punch from a terrific leg drive, the crew literally shot ahead. Even with a few yards left Melbourne headed Sydney by the narrowest of margins, but the crews crossed the line locked together. Queensland finished fourth, with South Australia and Tasmania finishing in that order.
Rowing authorities classed the race as one of the greatest ever seen in the Commonwealth. It was the first dead-heat registered since the inauguration of the championship 63 years ago.The Oxford and Cambridge crewshave dead-heated only once in the English classic.The chairman of the Tasmanian . Rowing Council (Mr. J. R. Berkery), who judged, said the finish was the best he had ever seen. It was absolutely impossible to separate the crews.
MUBC crew
Back row: J D Bailey (3), J A Gobbo (bow), J N Button (cox), D R Sutton (2), M F A Robertson (4). Front row: R W Buntine (6), J S Edwards (str), J S Ferguson (cch), A G Barrett (7), O McK Coltman (5)