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A Centenary of Rowing Regattas–
Murray Rowing Association

Appendix 4 - Grand Challenge Four Winners

Winners of the Grand Challenge Race until the event was abandoned in 1930. To win a Challenge, a crew had to win two races. In the early years when there were only a few entries by local Clubs, the race would be run at least twice for a crew to gain the necessary two wins. As the number of entries increased, heats had to be run so a boat naturally had to win both heat and Challenge final to secure the Prize and this constituted the two wins. After the change to outriggers in the 1920's, the Senior Four became the main race in conformity with the usual amateur programme and the Challenge Fours Race became outmoded and redundant, disappearing after 1930 as a Challenge Race with heats merely duplicated a Senior Fours Race with heats. Another reason for the waning interest in the Challenge Race was that, without the incentive of financial gain after the assumption of amateur status in 1892, this Challenge Race gradually became meaningless.

At the inception of the Race, although towns are named by the winners, there were no Clubs represented. For example, Chiltern, an older (1858) goldfield than Rutherglen and represented at the first Regatta in 1860 by the winning boat "White Squall", would not have had a Rowing Club. It is obvious that, at first, a boat represented a group of men who had a financial interest in racing their particular boat. It was, only later, presumably in the late 1860's or early 1870's, that the Wahgunyah, Rutherglen, and later still, Corowa Clubs were formed.

Year Club Year Club

1860

Chiltern

1896

Echuca East

1861

Rutherglen

1897

Lake

1862

Rutherglen

1898

Lake

1863

Rutherglen

1899

Not Held

1864

Wahgunyah

1900

Lake Moodemere

1865

Rutherglen

1901

Lake

1866

Rutherglen

1902

Lake

1867

Rutherglen

1903

Not Held

1868

Rutherglen

1904

Lake

1869

Wahgunyah

1905

Lake

1870

Wahgunyah

1906

Rutherglen

1871

Rutherglen

1907

Corowa

1872

Rutherglen

1908

Corowa

1873

Rutherglen

1909

Eaglehawk

1874

Rutherglen

1910

Lake

1875

Not held.

1911

Lake

1876

Wahgunyah

1912

Lake

1877

Wahgunyah

1913

Wahgunyah

1878

Rutherglen

1914

Wahgunyah

1879

Rutherglen

1915

Wahgunyah

1880

Rutherglen

1916

Lake

1881

Wahgunyah

1917

Wagga

1882

Wahgunyah

1918

Corowa

1883

Wahgunyah

1919

Corowa

1884

Wahgunyah

1920

Corowa

1885

Wahgunyah

1921

Wahgunyah

1886

Rutherglen

1922

Wahgunyah

1887

Rutherglen

1923

Shepparton

1888

Wahgunyah

1924

Melbourne

1889

Lake

1925

Wahgunyah

1890

Lake

1926

Parks

1841

Lake

1927

Nagambie

1892

Lake

1928

Nagambie

1893

Lake

1929

Rutherglen Lake

1894

Rutherglen

1930

Nagambie

1895

Echuca East

   

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