Henry Ernest Searle

Henry Ernest Searle
Henry Searle in 1889
Born	Henry Searle 1866-07-14 Grafton, New South Wales, Australia
Died	10 December 1889(1889-12-10) (aged 23) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Cause of death	Typhoid
Resting place	Maclean Cemetery, New South Wales
Nationality	Australian
Other names	The Clarence River Comet
Title	World champion sculler
Term	1888-1889
Predecessor	Peter Kemp
Successor	Peter Kemp
Parent(s)	Henry Searle and Mary Ann Brooks

Henry Ernest Searle (1866–1889), was a professional Australian sculler, who also was the World Sculling Champion from 1888 until his premature death from typhoid in 1889.

Born on 14 July 1866 at Grafton, New South Wales to Henry Samuel Searle, bootmaker, and his wife Mary Ann, née Brooks. The family later moved to Esk Island, lower Clarence River, where they farmed at subsistence level.

Searle soon learnt to scull and rowed his brother and sisters three miles (4.8.km) to and from school. At 18 Searle first competed in a skiff race and for three years raced with some success at local regattas. His first important victory was the defeat of a Sydney professional in an out-rigger handicap at Grafton in January 1888.

Moving to Sydney, Searle was coached by an established sculler Neil Matterson, and with the financial backing of John and Thomas Spencer (Sydney brothers who a decade earlier had backed Edward Trickett), he began a strenuous training programme and won four matches between June and October.

After failing to get a match with the former World Champion Ned Hanlan, Searle challenged the then champion Peter Kemp. On 27 October 1888 the match took place on the Parramatta River. The usual £500 a side was at stake as well as the Title. At the start Searle took the lead and although Kemp made great efforts he could never overtake the leader who won by about twenty lengths in a time of 22m.44s. Thus Searle was World Champion. See also World Sculling Championship (Professional)

Searle, Matterson and other 'cracks', including Bill Beach, next competed in the 'Grand Aquatic Carnival' rowed in Brisbane between 5 and 11 December.

In a heat Searle and Matterson continually and deliberately fouled Beach, for which they were disqualified from the heat but not, to the public's annoyance, from the carnival. Consequently, they finished first and third in the final after Beach refused to row.