Disqualification On Oarsman Lifted

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30678, 18 February 1965, Page 14

Disqualification On Oarsman Lifted

The sentence of disqualification on J. Little, the former Union Rowing Club member and now a member of Avon Rowing Club, waa lifted by the Canterbury Rowing Association at a meeting last evening.

Mr A. H. Gould moved that under the special circumstances provided for in rule 53, Little be given permission to row for Avon for the rest of the season.

This was carried after a lengthy discussion held mainly in committee, by 11 votes to five.

Earlier, the president, Mr B. R. Walker, had questioned the validity of a motion passed at the last meeting on February 3, when he was absent, which refused permission for Little to transfer to the Avon club under rule 53. He claimed the meeting had in fact been ruling that Little should be disqualified from rowing in the New Zealand championships and, for the Avon club, until March 17, and that the meeting should restate the motion. Mr Walker said it was not necessary to approve of transfers under this rule. The meeting had not ruled what rule 53 meant. It stated that an oarsman may not row for a club in regattas if he has rowed for his previous club within the last three months. Little had rowed for Union at an inter-club regatta on December 17.

Following the meeting Avon had lodged a protest through the association to the New Zealand Amateur Rowing Council. Mr H. Gould was appointed to report the council’s findings.

During the discussion a heated exchange took place between Mr Walker and Mr W. R. Richards, a vice-presi-dent, and president of Union club. Mr Richards maintained the previous meeting had been clear on the subject and said Mr Walker was making goats out of the delegates, in the eyes of the rowing,-world. Mr Richards left the meeting in protest at the way it was beitig handled. Finally, . Mr B. Knight (Union) iqoved that the association’s interpretation of rule 53 was that Little, having rowed for the Union club within the last three months, was ineligible to row for Avon at regattas. This was carried. The meeting then went back to a previous discussion on the Canterbury championship regatta at Kerr’s Reach on Saturday. Avon had rowed its senior four in that event and Little had been a crew member. Mr'Gould moved that the Avon senior four crew be disqualified from the event, which it had won. The motion was carried. The rowing council also held a meeting-last night in Wellington to discuss Avon’s appeal. Its decision was telephoned through to Mr Gould, who reported to the association that the council upheld

Ite decision to disqualify Little.

The words “row for” were interpreted to mean any race, in a status or non<tatus regatta. Mr Gould then said that for the good of Canterbury rowing as a whole he would still like to see the Avon senior four row at the New Zealand championships. Rule 53 provided for special circumstances and he considered these circumstances were present, to give dispensation to row.

The crew had been training hard (it comprises four Olympic representatives, M. Brownlee, G. Patterson, J. Gibbons, and Little), and permission to row would give them a chance to win the senior fours. If they did it would be the first time the province had had a championship fours since 1901. Such transfers had been done about four times in Auckland this season. He moved that under the special circumstances Little be given permission to row for Avon for the rest of the season. Mr J. Wylie (Avon) said he agreed. Little's term of disqualificataion ended only two weeks and a half after the championships. Mr M. Corsbie (Canterbury) disagreed. “I do not feel that this would be for the good of rowing in Canterbury. Little has been given the opportunity to row for Union. He just felt his chances of gaining a red blazer were better if he went to Avon." He feared this would kill rowing if young oarsmen felt their chances of promotion were suffocated because of bringing members of other dubs to row in top crews. Mr E. Lindstrom (Avon) moved the meeting go into committee to hear his submissions. Several Union delegates also spoke in committee.

When the meeting came out of committee, Mr Walker asked delegates to consider their decision carefully. The association had always been proud of the way in which clubs had worked together for the good of the province as a whole.

The motion was carried to allow Little to row in the national championships.