Avon has six oarsmen in world titles squad

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33492, 25 March 1974, Page 22

Avon has six oarsmen in world titles squad

(New Zealand Press Association) WANGANUI. Twenty-one rowers—including six from Avon—may represent New Zealand in the world championships at Lucerne, Switzerland, later this year—a men’s eight, coxless four and quadruple four, and a women’s coxless four.

They were announced by the national selectors after a four-day trial ended yesterday.

“The standard was extraordinarily high and the selection was most difficult, with many oarsmen being on a fine line between selection and omission,” said the convenor (Mr F. Strachan;. The $47,000 excursion to Europe from mid-July to midSeptember will begin next month, when the women assemble at . Kerr’s Reach for special* training. First for women

The selection of a women s crew opens new horizons for New Zealand rowing but the trip for the lucky four—two from Auckland university and two from Porirua—is not yet definite. “The girls will have a fourweek training session and trials before we finally approve the selection, but we are optimistic they will come up to standard,” Mr Strachan said. ■

The full squad will assemble fqr eight weeks’ training in Christchurch from May 18 before departing for Europe about July 20.

The crews selected are:— MEN Eight.—A. J. Hurt (West End), D. Keane (Waikato), L. E. Wilson (Waikato), A. J. Earl (Avon), T, I. Coker (Avon), A. McLean (Wellington), D. Rodger (Cambridge), R. Blomfield (Whangarel), E. Simmons (Avon, cox). Coxless four.—G, McAuley (Whakatane), I. Sutherland (Avon), D; E. Lindstrom (Avon), R Robinson (Waikato). Quadruple four.—J. White (West End) R. Tonks (Union, Wanganui), J. G. Lopas (Avon), D, Lock (Petone).

WOMEN Coxless four—M. Horwell (Porirua), E. Cato (Auckland University), R. Matheson (Porirua) L. Keys (Auckland University).

Experienced crew The men’s eight might be equal to any that has represented New Zealand in recent years. It contains four members of the goldmedal winning eight from the Munich Olympic Games — Hunt, Wilson, Earl and Coker.

They will be joined by Rodger, stroke of the junior and colts eights in England and Australia last year, Blomfield, another member of the Colts’ crew to Australia, Keane and McLean, both former New Zealand champions. The selection of the coxless four was complicated by

the decision to include a quadruple four for the first time in international competition. This later crew includes Tonks, a member of the coxless four which won a silver medal at the Munich Olympics and was in the coxed four which contested the European championships last year. New class

Quadruple rowing differs from a normal four-man boat in that each oarsman works with two sculls instead of a single scull.

Hie New Zealand team will compete in two regattas overseas—in Germany on July 27-28 and Switzerland on August 17-18—before the women compete in the world championships on August 31 and the men from September 4 to 8.