THE INTERCOLONIAL BOAT RACE
In this engraving are given the portraits of the Victorian crew, who will meet New South Wales in the intercolonial eight oared boat race, to take place on the Lower Yarra in March next. This will be the first eight oared race between the two colonies, although it will not be the first time that they have contended for the aquatic championship of Australia. Five times have four oared crews of the two colonies had a trial of strength, the first taking place in Sydney in the year 1863, in which the victory fell to the sister colony. Since then intercolonial matches have been rowed once in Hobart Town, and twice in Sydney waters, in all of which the Victorian crew was doomed to suffer defeat. The only match won by Victoria was the one rowed in Melbourne in the year 1873.
In the trial of strength and skill which is to come off, Victoria has spared no pains to select her best men, and although circumstances have necessitated several changes in the crew just picked, she hopes by the judicious selection that has now been made, joined to the steady practice to which her champions have subjected themselves, this time to wrest the aquatic laurels from New South Wales. The stroke oar for Victoria is Mr Simpson, a bank clerk, who has achieved celebrity in Geelong waters. He was one of the eight crew who carried off The Leader Cup in Melbourne last year, and has won nearly every race for which he has started in Geelong. No. 7 is T. Young; he is a well known rower, and, besides forming one of the winning crews of the Challenge Eight and Challenge Four, helped to carry off the Footscray Plate last year. No. 6 is Fairbairn, a late arrival from England, where he was one of the Oxford representatives in a University boat race. He rowed stroke in the last eight oar match between Melbourne and Geelong.
Number 5 is Tuckett, a bank clerk, who won the Junior Sculls last year, and who has been one of the crew in nearly all the matches in which the Banks Rowing Club has been victorious. No. 4 is J. Irvine, also a representative of the banking institutions, and in most of the matches in which he has been engaged has been on the winning side. No. 3 is Booth, a clerk in the Commercial Bank, who formed one of the Geelong eight that successfully met Melbourne last year. No. 2 is Bray, a member of the Warehousemen’s Rowing Club who materially aided last year in carrying off the President’s Cup. No. 1 is Ward, also a warehouseman, and one who has done good service for the club to which he belongs.
The men have been undergoing steady training, and still buckle to their work with a will. They are beginning to pull well together, and think that if skill and stamina have anything to do with victory, Victoria has a right to look forward with certainty to claiming the race. The Victorian crew will pull in an imported boat by a celebrated maker.
