Pat Hannan
Encyclopedia
Pat Hannan was the last of six New Zealand
oarsman who attempted to win the World Sculling Championship (Professional)
title.
JP Hannan, known as Pat or Paddy, was born in Wellington in 1886 but was later a resident of Blenheim for a number of years. He had a successful amateur career and then went to Sydney, Australia, to take tutelage from George Towns (rower)
and Harry Floyd before turning professional.
. Hannan declared that he was willing to row Webb for the Title and for £200 a side. The race was run on 24 September 1915 on the Whanganui River championship course with Webb the winner.
The First World War curtailed sports but in 1920 Hannan challenged Fogwell for the single sculls Championship of New Zealand. The race was held on the Wairau River, near Blenheim
, on 20 November 1920. It is unclear how Fogwell came to be the holder of the Championship as it seems that Webb had not lost it by any race. He had retired undefeated. Hannan won but in a return match scheduled the following month he had to forfeit because of injury and Fogwell became the holder. In 1923 and 1924 reports of races for the Australasian Title, (see below) Hannan was stated to be the NZ Champion but how that had occurred was not said. Perhaps it meant the NZ resident Champion rather than the holder of a formal Title. Apparently, no further New Zealand Title matches were held and in July 1930 Hannan retired. See also New Zealand Sculling Championship
.
, a New Zealander, was the holder of the Single Sculls World Title as he had won it by default from Ernest Barry
. Arnst had earlier been the World Champion by winning races and wanted to defend this otherwise empty Title so he accepted a challenge from Hannan. For the fifth time a match for the Single Sculls World Championship was rowed on New Zealand waters; this time it was held on the Wairau River
on 11 June 1921. The course was slightly shorter than normal, being three miles one hundred yards long. The stake was the usual £500 a side plus each contestant was to get half the net gate which was expected to be a substantial amount.
The race got underway despite a strong nor-west wind that was blowing. Hannan made a game effort to beat Arnst who was the stronger of the two and who won easily enough. Later it was reported that Hannan was a better sculler than the result might have indicated as had picked the wrong side of the course to his detriment, that his boat was too light for the conditions and it was incorrectly rigged. He had also wrenched his wrist shortly after the start so was hampered in his effort.
When asked by a reporter in 1926, of how he became interested in rowing, he explained how fora
period of three years, he had trained under private tuition for the boxing ring. That was until his mother was acquainted with the fact, upon her very strong objection, and preference of Pat becoming a good sculler.
While at Petone he captured the Gold Medal Handicap of one mile from scratch.
In 1912, Pat paid a holiday visit to Australia he decided on a more serious approach to rowing after meeting such professionals as George Towns (rower)
and Harry Floyd and took a course of tuition under them. Pat's first win was the Parramatta Hundred, in December 1913; this was rowed over a distance of two miles. There were forty contestants, the race being decided in heats. Included in the final contestants were George Towns and James Patrick Hannan. In that contest he rowed off the same mark as Towns (George Towns later became his trainer).
On Wednesday 21 January 1914, Hannan defeated Archie Priddle, the ex-amateur champion of Australia, over a course of three miles on Lake Albert, near Wagga . After his victory in Australia he returned to New Zealand. In January 1915, during a visit to Grovetown, near Picton Pat was so impressed with the fine stretch of row-able water the Wairau River had to offer, that he decided to train there for the Webb challenge. Later he set up home in Blenheim where he became a partner in Bests Garage (later Newmans) and while there, trained for many of his major races. In September 1915 he rowed against William Webb (rower)
for the New Zealand Sculling Championship
. The race was rowed on the Whanganui River; however after they had covered quarter of a mile, Paddy’s leg went on him. The injury had been caused some years previous in a tramway accident in Sydney, resulting in the challenger being defeated .
In March 1920, Pat Hannan rowed against and beat Billy Fogwell at Wairau. In June 1921, he lost to Richard Arnst in a challenge for the world championship on the Wairau river. On 29 October, the following year Pat Hannan won the New Zealand Sculling Championship when he rowed against Fred (Jumbo) Wells, a renown cyclist, winning easily by ten lengths.
In succeeding years Pat Hannan rowed against the world’s best professional scullers, defeating among others, McDevitt, the Australian, to retain the Australian championship on the Waitemate Harbour in February 1924. A race which was declared a ‘no race’ and which raised a considerable storm in the rowing world, however Pat Hannan won the re-row a few weeks later.
In all, he won the New Zealand title six times and the Australian title four times.
James Patrick Hannan retired from sculling after his victory over Jim Mason at Whangarei in 1929, at the age of 45 years.
Record over 14 years:
1913- Won professional handicap, Parramatta
1914- Beat Arch. Priddle, ex-amateur champion of Australia.
1915- Lost to Webb, New Zealand title, Wanganui River.
1920- Beat fogwell, New Zealand championship, Wairau River.
1921- Lost to Arnst, world’s title, Wairau River.
1922- Beat Jumbo Wells, New Zealand title, Wairau River.
1922- Beat Fogwell, New Zealand title, in record time.
1923- Beat Felton, Australasian title.
1924- Beat McDevitt, Australasian title, Auckland Harbour.
1924- Beat Arnst, Australian title.
1925- Beat Hadfield, Tauranga.
1925- Lost to Goodsell, world title, Parramatta.
1926- Beat J Mason, New Zealand title
Extract from: The Seaport News, M Taylor- Picton Historical Society
On 28 April 1923 a match was raced between Hannan and Alf Felton
for the Australasian Championship. Felton was stated to be the Australian Champion and Hannan the New Zealand one. The race was held on Nelson Harbour and the purse was £500. Felton crossed the line first but was disqualified for cutting Hannan off. This race was notable in that it was the first New Zealand sports event broadcast on radio.
The following year a match was arranged between William (Bill) McDevitt, the Champion of New South Wales
, and Hannan for the Australasian Championship. There was some debate as to whether this was a genuine title or simply an excuse for a money match. The purse was £500 which was subscribed by Auckland
residents. The race was held on the Waitemata Harbour
, Auckland on 2 February 1924. Hannan was declared the winner but the boats were so far apart width wise at the end of the course there was some discussion as to who actually crossed first. These sorts of courses were not laid out with buoys as in modern races.
Because of the dissention, a rematch on the same course of three and a quarter miles was raced on 28 February and it resulted in Hannan being the victor by a good margin. McDevitt said that the water was too rough for him on this occasion but his opposition had won squarely.
In 1924 Richard Arnst
challenged Hannan for the Australasian Title. The race for the Australasian title was, unusually, held on the Waikato River
on 26 October over a course of three and a quarter miles. Hannan got the lead at the start and maintained it throughout. Arnst broke part of his right scull on a piece of driftwood near the start but he later said that it had made no difference to the result of the race. Hannan won by over twenty lengths.
of Australia. He in turn lost it in 1925 to Major Goodsell
, also Australian, who held off one challenge from McDevitt before he accepted a challenge from Hannan. The race was held on 27 June 1925 on the Parramatta River
, Sydney. Despite a good effort by Hannan, Goodsell crossed the line in front. This was the last World Title race involving a New Zealand oarsman. See also World Sculling Championship (Professional)
.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
oarsman who attempted to win the World Sculling Championship (Professional)
World Sculling Championship (Professional)
The World Sculling Championship , evolved from the Championship of the Thames for professional scullers.Only the sport of boxing claims an older Championship of the World...
title.
JP Hannan, known as Pat or Paddy, was born in Wellington in 1886 but was later a resident of Blenheim for a number of years. He had a successful amateur career and then went to Sydney, Australia, to take tutelage from George Towns (rower)
George Towns (rower)
George Towns was the Australian Single Sculls World Champion from 1901 to 1905 and 1906 to 1907. He was the last of the seven Australian Champions who between them held the title almost uninterrupted from 1876 to 1907.-Early Sculling:...
and Harry Floyd before turning professional.
New Zealand Title
A Title match for the Single Sculls Championship of New Zealand was arranged between Australian William (Billy) Fogwell (holder) and Hannan which was to be rowed in Sydney in March 1914. Holders of national titles were not always citizens of the country concerned, and unusually this match was not to be held in the country named in the Title. For unknown reasons the match was declared off and Fogwell said he would hand the Title over to Hannan who then claimed to be Champion. This was apparently disputed by New Zealander William Webb (rower)William Webb (rower)
William Charles Webb was the first New Zealander to hold the Professional World Sculling Championship Title. He was also known as “Bill” or “Billy Webb”.-Early life:...
. Hannan declared that he was willing to row Webb for the Title and for £200 a side. The race was run on 24 September 1915 on the Whanganui River championship course with Webb the winner.
The First World War curtailed sports but in 1920 Hannan challenged Fogwell for the single sculls Championship of New Zealand. The race was held on the Wairau River, near Blenheim
Blenheim, New Zealand
Blenheim is the most populous town in the region of Marlborough, in the north east of the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the regional council. It has a population of The area which surrounds the town is well known as a centre of New Zealand's wine industry...
, on 20 November 1920. It is unclear how Fogwell came to be the holder of the Championship as it seems that Webb had not lost it by any race. He had retired undefeated. Hannan won but in a return match scheduled the following month he had to forfeit because of injury and Fogwell became the holder. In 1923 and 1924 reports of races for the Australasian Title, (see below) Hannan was stated to be the NZ Champion but how that had occurred was not said. Perhaps it meant the NZ resident Champion rather than the holder of a formal Title. Apparently, no further New Zealand Title matches were held and in July 1930 Hannan retired. See also New Zealand Sculling Championship
New Zealand Sculling Championship
The Professional Single Sculls Championship of New Zealand - Record of Racing March 1881Albert White of Mercury Bay offered to scull any person in New Zealand for the professional Championship of the country. He wanted to row for either £100 or £200...
.
World Title Attempt
Richard ArnstRichard Arnst
Richard Arnst or Dick Arnst , born Jacob Diedrich Arnst, was a New Zealand rower, six times Single Sculls World Champion during the early part of the 20th century.-Early life:...
, a New Zealander, was the holder of the Single Sculls World Title as he had won it by default from Ernest Barry
Ernest Barry
Ernest James Barry was a British rower and Thames Waterman, five times Sculling World Champion during the early part of the 20th century and winner of the Doggett's Coat and Badge Race in 1903.-Sculling career:...
. Arnst had earlier been the World Champion by winning races and wanted to defend this otherwise empty Title so he accepted a challenge from Hannan. For the fifth time a match for the Single Sculls World Championship was rowed on New Zealand waters; this time it was held on the Wairau River
Wairau River
The Wairau River is one of the longest rivers in New Zealand's South Island. It flows for 170 kilometres from the Spenser Mountains , firstly in a northwards direction and then northeast down a long, straight valley in inland Marlborough.The river's lower reaches are noted for the surrounding...
on 11 June 1921. The course was slightly shorter than normal, being three miles one hundred yards long. The stake was the usual £500 a side plus each contestant was to get half the net gate which was expected to be a substantial amount.
The race got underway despite a strong nor-west wind that was blowing. Hannan made a game effort to beat Arnst who was the stronger of the two and who won easily enough. Later it was reported that Hannan was a better sculler than the result might have indicated as had picked the wrong side of the course to his detriment, that his boat was too light for the conditions and it was incorrectly rigged. He had also wrenched his wrist shortly after the start so was hampered in his effort.
Personal Life
Born at Wellington 24/8/ 1884, the son of Mr Edmond Hannan, educated at Marist Brothers school and Te Aro in Wellington. Pat married miss Alexis M. Watson. An all round sportsman, he excelled in swimming, rowing, sculling and rugby .When asked by a reporter in 1926, of how he became interested in rowing, he explained how fora
period of three years, he had trained under private tuition for the boxing ring. That was until his mother was acquainted with the fact, upon her very strong objection, and preference of Pat becoming a good sculler.
Sculling
Resulting in 1904 at the age of 20 years of his joining the Wellington Rowing Club where he came quickly to the forefront as a sculler, winning five races under the club colours. In 1910 he joined the Petone Rowing Club, between that time and 1912 he was successful in 11 amateur events.While at Petone he captured the Gold Medal Handicap of one mile from scratch.
In 1912, Pat paid a holiday visit to Australia he decided on a more serious approach to rowing after meeting such professionals as George Towns (rower)
George Towns (rower)
George Towns was the Australian Single Sculls World Champion from 1901 to 1905 and 1906 to 1907. He was the last of the seven Australian Champions who between them held the title almost uninterrupted from 1876 to 1907.-Early Sculling:...
and Harry Floyd and took a course of tuition under them. Pat's first win was the Parramatta Hundred, in December 1913; this was rowed over a distance of two miles. There were forty contestants, the race being decided in heats. Included in the final contestants were George Towns and James Patrick Hannan. In that contest he rowed off the same mark as Towns (George Towns later became his trainer).
On Wednesday 21 January 1914, Hannan defeated Archie Priddle, the ex-amateur champion of Australia, over a course of three miles on Lake Albert, near Wagga . After his victory in Australia he returned to New Zealand. In January 1915, during a visit to Grovetown, near Picton Pat was so impressed with the fine stretch of row-able water the Wairau River had to offer, that he decided to train there for the Webb challenge. Later he set up home in Blenheim where he became a partner in Bests Garage (later Newmans) and while there, trained for many of his major races. In September 1915 he rowed against William Webb (rower)
William Webb (rower)
William Charles Webb was the first New Zealander to hold the Professional World Sculling Championship Title. He was also known as “Bill” or “Billy Webb”.-Early life:...
for the New Zealand Sculling Championship
New Zealand Sculling Championship
The Professional Single Sculls Championship of New Zealand - Record of Racing March 1881Albert White of Mercury Bay offered to scull any person in New Zealand for the professional Championship of the country. He wanted to row for either £100 or £200...
. The race was rowed on the Whanganui River; however after they had covered quarter of a mile, Paddy’s leg went on him. The injury had been caused some years previous in a tramway accident in Sydney, resulting in the challenger being defeated .
In March 1920, Pat Hannan rowed against and beat Billy Fogwell at Wairau. In June 1921, he lost to Richard Arnst in a challenge for the world championship on the Wairau river. On 29 October, the following year Pat Hannan won the New Zealand Sculling Championship when he rowed against Fred (Jumbo) Wells, a renown cyclist, winning easily by ten lengths.
In succeeding years Pat Hannan rowed against the world’s best professional scullers, defeating among others, McDevitt, the Australian, to retain the Australian championship on the Waitemate Harbour in February 1924. A race which was declared a ‘no race’ and which raised a considerable storm in the rowing world, however Pat Hannan won the re-row a few weeks later.
In all, he won the New Zealand title six times and the Australian title four times.
James Patrick Hannan retired from sculling after his victory over Jim Mason at Whangarei in 1929, at the age of 45 years.
Record over 14 years:
1913- Won professional handicap, Parramatta
1914- Beat Arch. Priddle, ex-amateur champion of Australia.
1915- Lost to Webb, New Zealand title, Wanganui River.
1920- Beat fogwell, New Zealand championship, Wairau River.
1921- Lost to Arnst, world’s title, Wairau River.
1922- Beat Jumbo Wells, New Zealand title, Wairau River.
1922- Beat Fogwell, New Zealand title, in record time.
1923- Beat Felton, Australasian title.
1924- Beat McDevitt, Australasian title, Auckland Harbour.
1924- Beat Arnst, Australian title.
1925- Beat Hadfield, Tauranga.
1925- Lost to Goodsell, world title, Parramatta.
1926- Beat J Mason, New Zealand title
Extract from: The Seaport News, M Taylor- Picton Historical Society
Australasian Title
(Australasian is Australia and New Zealand.)On 28 April 1923 a match was raced between Hannan and Alf Felton
Alf Felton
Alfred D Felton, known as “Alf”, was the first Australian after World War I to win the professional World Sculling Championship. Before the war seven other Australians had held the title.- Life and Racing:...
for the Australasian Championship. Felton was stated to be the Australian Champion and Hannan the New Zealand one. The race was held on Nelson Harbour and the purse was £500. Felton crossed the line first but was disqualified for cutting Hannan off. This race was notable in that it was the first New Zealand sports event broadcast on radio.
The following year a match was arranged between William (Bill) McDevitt, the Champion of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, and Hannan for the Australasian Championship. There was some debate as to whether this was a genuine title or simply an excuse for a money match. The purse was £500 which was subscribed by Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
residents. The race was held on the Waitemata Harbour
Waitemata Harbour
The quite famous Waitemata Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland, New Zealand. For this reason it is often referred to as Auckland Harbour, despite the fact that it is only one of two harbours surrounding the city, and is crossed by the Auckland Harbour Bridge. The Waitemata forms the north...
, Auckland on 2 February 1924. Hannan was declared the winner but the boats were so far apart width wise at the end of the course there was some discussion as to who actually crossed first. These sorts of courses were not laid out with buoys as in modern races.
Because of the dissention, a rematch on the same course of three and a quarter miles was raced on 28 February and it resulted in Hannan being the victor by a good margin. McDevitt said that the water was too rough for him on this occasion but his opposition had won squarely.
In 1924 Richard Arnst
Richard Arnst
Richard Arnst or Dick Arnst , born Jacob Diedrich Arnst, was a New Zealand rower, six times Single Sculls World Champion during the early part of the 20th century.-Early life:...
challenged Hannan for the Australasian Title. The race for the Australasian title was, unusually, held on the Waikato River
Waikato River
The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand. In the North Island, it runs for 425 kilometres from the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and emptying into Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake. It drains Taupo at the lake's northeastern edge, creates the...
on 26 October over a course of three and a quarter miles. Hannan got the lead at the start and maintained it throughout. Arnst broke part of his right scull on a piece of driftwood near the start but he later said that it had made no difference to the result of the race. Hannan won by over twenty lengths.
Second World Title Attempt
Hadfield had become the World Title holder in 1922 but subsequently lost it that year to Jim PaddonJim Paddon
James Paddon, known as “Jim”, was the second Australian after World War I to win the professional World Sculling Championship. Before the war seven other Australians had held the title....
of Australia. He in turn lost it in 1925 to Major Goodsell
Major Goodsell
Major L Goodsell was an Australian who five times won the professional World Sculling Championship. “Major” was his given name and not an army rank....
, also Australian, who held off one challenge from McDevitt before he accepted a challenge from Hannan. The race was held on 27 June 1925 on the Parramatta River
Parramatta River
The Parramatta River is a waterway in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Parramatta River is the main tributary of Sydney Harbour, a branch of Port Jackson, along with the smaller Lane Cove and Duck Rivers....
, Sydney. Despite a good effort by Hannan, Goodsell crossed the line in front. This was the last World Title race involving a New Zealand oarsman. See also World Sculling Championship (Professional)
World Sculling Championship (Professional)
The World Sculling Championship , evolved from the Championship of the Thames for professional scullers.Only the sport of boxing claims an older Championship of the World...
.