and there was also a staked 'bet' of 300_l._ to 200_l._ on Chambers.
(The race was on August 8, 1865.) The Tyne man was a strong favourite at
the start, but Kelley got away with the lead, and was never again
caught, winning cleverly by four lengths, and sculling in form such as
was never seen before or after, on old-fashioned fixed seats. Just at
this time there was a speedy Tyne sculler called Cooper; he lately had
sculled a mile match with Chambers on the Tyne, and Chambers had won by
_one yard_ only, in a surf which was all in favour of the bigger man
(Chambers). A week or two after the aforesaid Champion race, Kelley,
Cooper, and Chambers met for a 300_l._ sweepstake (specially got up for
these three men, over the two-mile tidal course of the 'Eau Brink Cut'
at King's Lynn). Both Kelley and Chambers had been indulging a little
after their Champion's training. Cooper, who had been lately beaten by
Chambers in the Thames Regatta, for a 50_l._ purse (Hammersmith to
Putney), was very fit, and jumped away from both the cracks. Chambers
was short of wind, and was never in the race. Kelley stuck to Cooper,
and rowed him down half a mile from the finish. Cooper then rowed across
Kelley, fouled him, and drove him ashore. Cooper was properly
disqualified on the foul. Next year Hammill the American came over to
scull Kelley, and the races took place on the Tyne. One race was end on
end, and the other round a stake boat. Kelley won each race with utter
ease. Hammill's style was an exaggeration of Green's, all arm work, and
a stroke up to 55 a minute at the start. About this time J. Sadler was
rising to fame. He had been a chimney-sweep, and afterwards was 'Jack in
the water' to Simmonds' yard at Putney. He, unfortunately for himself,
exposed much of his merits when rowing for the Thames Regatta Sculls in
1865, and instead of making a profitable series of matches up the scale,
beginning with third-rate opponents, he had to make his first great
match with T. Hoare, who was reputed second only to Kelley on the
Thames. Sadler beat Hoare easily, and was at the close of 1866 matched
to scull Chambers for the Championship, Kelley having 'retired' from the
title (Kelley and Sadler were allies at the time, and Sadler was
Kelley's pupil). In the match Sadler went well and fast at Hammersmith,
and then tired, fouled Chambers, and lost the race.
In the following year Kelley and Chambers were once more matched. Kelley
came out of his retirement in consequence of some wrangling which had
arisen out of the previous defeat of his pupil Sadler by Chambers. The
new match took place on the Tyne, on a rough day and with a bad tide, on
May 6. Kelley won and with some ease. It was evident that Chambers was
no longer the man that he had been. He never again sculled for the
Championship, but he took part in the Paris International Regatta in
July of the same year. Very soon after this his lungs showed extensive
disease, and he gradually sank of decline.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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