Avon senior crews dominant at Picton

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33422, 2 January 1974, Page 5

Avon senior crews dominant at Picton

Avon, dominating the main event at the Picton rowing regatta yesterday, proved that it has one of the strongest senior classes in the country.

Avon won the four »eniorl< races and the open eights 1 event, and its No. 2 crews . finished second in each - 'senior race. With its fine win, Avon’s chances of gaining several . i titles at the national cham- i pionships next month im- ! proved greatly. The crews;! showed they were up to i schedule with training. Because of its strength in the senior class, Avon won the 1 Fredericks Memorial Cup, making it the top club at the regatta. The club also retained the “Mack” Love Memorial Trophy : for the senior fours. But the honour of winning the ; most events went to Canterbury, ; which triumphed in the lower- ! class events, winning seven races, ! one more than Avon. After a slow start, Canterbury made a great run at the end of the pro- ‘ gramme and won four consecu- 1 tive races to draw closer to ! Avon on the points table. After Canterbury’s wins Avon again moved clear with an effortless win in the open eights, its senior crew, a strong con-

i tender for the national title, winning by six lengths. The final points table was: Avon 52, Canterbury 42, Walrau 19. Union 17, Arapawa 14, Blenheim 13, Nelson and Picton 2. SENIOR FOURS Avon’s first and second in the senior fours was a fine performance. The favourite Avon No. 1, which Included three New Zealand representatives, rowed easily in front, and the No. 2 crew, the bow of the senior eight, rowed gamely to head the strong Wairau, Blenheim, and Union crews. The senior single sculls was a tussle between J. G. Lopas, and the veteran, B. R. Reid, both of Avon. Reid, making a return to Picton after a break of 12 years, just failed to catch the freestroking Lopas, the top sculler In Canterbury last year. Reid, aged 38, finished half a length behind Lopas. Union had a disappointing regatta, its mains crews, the junior and senior fours, being badly out of form. Its only win came in the youth fours event. Results were:— Senior Single sculls.—J. G. Lopas (Avon), 1; Reid (Avon), 2; R.

Pickerill (Canterbury), 3. Dist-1 ance: Half a length. Coxless pairs.—A. J. Earl and T. L Coker (Avon), 1; P. J. Walker and R. Flanagan (Avon). 2; V. Allen and Pickerill (Canterbury 3. Distance. Double sculls.—G. Nolan and 1. Sutherland (Avon), I; Lopas and D. E. Lindstrom (Avon), 2; R. Hegglun and R. Sutherland (Wairau). 3. One length. Fours.—Avon No. 1,1; Avon j No. 2,2; Blenheim, 3. Three I lengths. Open eights.—Avon 1, Wairau i 2, Union 3. Distance. Schoolboy fours.—Canterbury 1. Avon 2, Picton No. 2, 3. Dist-, ance. Lightweight fours.—Canterbury 1, Blenheim 2, Nelson 3. Distance. Junior Double sculls.—V. Allen and B. Rowe (Canterbury), 1: P. Glubb and K. Berry (Union), 2; Blenheim, 3. Half a length. Coxless pairs.—B. Allen and Rowe (Canterbury) 1; Arapawa, 2; R. Stocks and G. Knight (Union), 3. One length. Fours.—Blenheim, 1; Wairau 2; Union, 3. Five lengths. Maiden Single sculls.—R. Hegglun (Wairau), 1; D. Stollery (Canterbury), 2; K. MacDonald (Wairau), 3. Distance. Double sculls.—P. Wicks and Stollery (Canterbury), 1; M. Ryan

-and M. Halley (Avon), 2: B. Gillen and R. Lindstrom (Avon), 3. Distance. Fours.—Avon No. 1,1; Arapawa, 2; Wairau, 3. Two lengths. Eights.—Canterbury 1, Union 2. Half a length. Novice Fours.—Arapawa 1, Blenheim 2, Canterbury No. 1, 3. Three lengths. Eights.—Canterbury 1, Union 2. i • Three-quarters of a length. Youth fours.—Union 1, Avon 2, 3. Two lengths.