Strong rowing challenge by Canterbury crews

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33775, 22 February 1975, Page 4

Strong rowing challenge by Canterbury crews

(By

T. R. DUNBAR)

Providing that the waters of Lake Waihola run smooth next week, the Canterbury crews should, have their most successful campaign at the national rowing championships.

A modicum of luck combined with familar water conditions is all that the province needs in its quest to administer a severe shock to the long-dominant North Island crews. The lake is notorious for becoming rough at crucial times and upsetting the chances of any river crew. And two years ago atrocious weather prevented races from being run on either of the first two days. All three Canterbury clubs — Avon, Union, and Canterbury — have prepared for the championships with arduous periods of fitness training as well as several rowing workouts and races in local regattas

One of the country’s best-known coaches, Mr E. R. Lindstrom (Avon), is optimistic about Canterbury’s chances.' “This would be the strongest contingent from all three clubs that has been sent to the nationals from this province,” he said.

“Apart from the youth, light-weight and some small boat events, in which almost no local clubs have entered, Canterbury would have potential winners right through the various sections,” he added. As has so often been the story in the past, the major handicap of all South Island crews will be the lack of heavy competition. In all the local regattas, apart from the provincial championships, in which several other South Island crews took part, competition has been only against other Canterbury crews. Nevertheless, all the local crews are nearing peak form and the week at Waihola before the finals should be beneficial. The greatest array of talent will undoubtedly come from the Avon club, easily the strongest in the province, although both the other clubs are strong contenders for titles.

Avon’s senior eight will be the greatest drawcard for its supporters at Waihola, as it has a very good chance of becoming the first South Island crew to win the title since the nationals began at Akaroa in 1937.

It showed its dedication towards this end by going down to the lake a week early for more racing and acclimatisation.

Avon, third last year, has made only one change to its crew, which is stacked with internationals and has lost just one race — it finished third behind the national colts crew at the Picton regatta. Trevor Coker and Athol Earl, members of the gold medal winning eight at the Munich Olympics, will not attempt to regain the coxless pairs title they won at Waihola two years ago, the eights will be top priority. Similarly, Jeff Lopas. another member of the crew and the Canterbury single sculls champion for the last two years, has not entered for his specialist event.

Two powerful fours, comprised of members of the eight, have been racing well all season and both will almost certainly make the final. The senior four (Coker, Ivan Sutherland, Earl, and David Lindstrom) should retain the title it won in such fine fashion at Lake Karapiro last year and the No. 2 four (Ross McCoy, Ross Lindstrom, Lopas and Ray Flanagan) should acquit itself well, too.

The second four has been getting closer to the champion four all season and this is a “good indication for a unified and strong eight,” according to Mr Lindstrom.

A feature of the second four is the comparative youth of two of its members — McCoy is only 20 and Ross Lindstrom 18 — and the lack of weight of another member, Flanagan, who is only 12 stone. John Stuart, a maiden sculler from Avon, should make the finals of his event and might even be the first Canterbury sculler to win a title since 1957. No Canterbury crew has won the maiden eights, but the young Avon crew, un-

beaten this season, might well be the first to do it. It has a ven tough assignment. however, as 17 crews, including about 12 from the North Island, are competing.

Its strongest competition will probably come from Waikato, which has won the event more times than anyone else, and West End. But it is the best maiden eight the club has produced, according to Mr Lindstrom, and it might surprise the North Island crews.

The maiden four is not as good a combination as the eight, and has the difficult task of trying to repeat the win by the club crew in the event last year. All three Canterbury novice eights have a chance of winning the title, spurred by the friendly rivalry they have engaged in all season.

Avon won the Canterbury title — in a desperately close finish with Otago — as well as the first of the pennant regatta races. But Union has beaten it twice during the season and Canterbury once finished second in front of it.

Otago should be the greatest danger to the chances of the provincial crews as it has an average weight of 14 stone and its superior strength would have allowed it to beat the stylish Avon crew' three weeks ago had it not been for the catching of three

crabs during the last few hundred metres Lake Waihola has "not been a happy hunting ground” for one of the coaches from the Canterbury club, Mr T. B. Le Bas However, the club’s junior four (Bruce Allen. Bernie Rowe, Maurice Davies, and Brent Stenning), anothei crew with a perfect record this season, might change his luck. It includes a former New Zealand colts representative. Allen, and Rowe, a former colts trialist.

Thirty-two crews are contesting the event, which should produce some of the closest competition of the regatta, with the North Island crews likely to be as strong as usual. Other likely finalists from the club include the maiden eight, the novice! four, the light-weight four, the junior double (Rowe and Basil Pettigrew) — unbeaten this season — and. Pettigrew in the single j sculls.

Union’s best chances, apart from its novice eight, I should lie with its senior double of Hamish Hamilton and Alan Wheldale, which

won the Canterbury title from Ivan Sutherland and David Lindstrom in impressive style and went close to Coker and Earl in the senior coxless pairs.