Avon sweeps rowing titles

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34072, 9 February 1976, Page 3

Avon sweeps rowing titles

Just as it did last 1 year, the big strong Avon senior crew looks set to bring the national rowing eights title to the South Island for the first time. In the Canterbury championships at Kerr's Reach at the week-end. Avon predictably won the eights and fours , —it is national champion in the latter — and two of its most distinguished senior men, Athol Earl and Trevor ■Coker, added the pairs for good measure. A complete domination of the senior events by Avon ‘was completed by Jeff Lopas — the champion sculler — who, with George Nolan, also won the .double sculls. Although Avon was the easiest of eights winners, it did not rate very high. Its greatest rating was 34. It may have to lift this rating to match the top North Island iclubs, who have more competition. One of the outstanding ievents was the vouth eights, idominated by school teams of

icontrasting styles. The St! Bede’s College crew, rowing >as Avon, was a rough and. ■ ready combination, short on elegance and with a technique showing room for improvement but lacking nothing in doggedness. Christ’s College, by comparison, was a well-drilled eight as it so often is, and the two crews’ meeting not only provided one of the best finishes — St Bede’s holding a >3sec. advantage — but pro-: vided a striking contrast. They were chased all the way by Picton, an encouraging performance from the Marlborough club, which has been in the doldrums in recent years. It was given further heart by the ladies’ crew ■ winning the fours. Almost the sole survivor of the once-strong Akaroa club,, John Stuart, was in good form.’ Although a member of Avon.} he trains at Akaroa still. He was a comfortable winner of! the maiden sculls — in the iunior event. A son of Tris Hegglum, a stalwart of Marlborough row-: ing and once the national! sculling champion, the

lyounger Hegglum might well . repeat his father’s performance in a very few years. For the first time, the . championships were conducted under the system of , the three fastest crews qualifying for finals, rather than the heat winners. In one case, I a semi-final of the novice • fours, the three fastest were all in the same race. There were also minor , problems, caused by the . necessity for heats to be held in similar tidal conditions. A breakage during the . heats of the senior fours . meant all the heats had to , be re-run yesterday morning. Even in the bleak conditions and sometimes unpleas- ■ ant rain, the regatta went without any hitches. Kerr’s Reach, as it so often does, provided a calm and placid /surface throughout. Results: — OPEN AND SENIOR Single sculls. —J. G. Lopas , lAvoni. 7:19.9, 1; R. Hegglun iWairaui. 7:51.7. 2; K. Sutherland iWairaui. 8.0.1. 3. Pairs.—A. J Earl and T 1 Coker «A » 7:00. I: H. Hamilton and M. Borgfeldt (Vnioni. 7:13. 2. ip Lp Comte and S Menzies e (Union}, 7:13.1, 3.

] I Double sculls —Lopas and G. Nolan 'Avon). 7.13.6. I: Hegglun -’and Sutherland. 7:24.2. 2: G Gal< land L. Bright (Wairau', 7:51.6. 3. Fours —Avon I. 6:34.5. 1; Avon ‘ 11. 6:46.3. 2; Union. 7:31.6. 3 Eights.—Avon I. 6:03.0. 1. Canf terbun 6:24.0. 2: Avon II 6:37.0. 3 MAIDEN Y Single sculls. —J. Stuart 'Avon 8-08.7. 1: K. McDonald tWairau . ’ 3:19 4,2; G. Keves (Avon . ' 8:29 6 I ? Fours.—Oaniaru. 5:15 6. 1; J i maru. 5:25.2. 2; Canterbury 1 r 5:46.3. 3 r Eights—Canterbun I. 6:31. 1: J Avon. 6:57. 2; Canterbun 11. j 6:59.6 3. JUNIOR Single sculls Hegglun. 8:02.0., 1: Stuart. 8:10.04, 2; Sutherland. ' 8:22 2 3. ) Fours.—Union 6:50.8. 1; Ason, 6:55.6. 2; Wairau. 7:07.7. 3. NOVICE Fours.—Canterbury. 7:31.2. 1; ‘ Picton 7 38.0. 2; A■ on 7 13.6 i 3 1 Eights.—Canterbun. 6:47, 1. » Avon. 7:01.5. 2. LIGHTWEIGHT j Fours.—Canterbun 11. 7.08. ti 1: Canterbury 1. 7:13.0. 2, Warnau, 7:15.0, 3. YOUTH Fours—Union. 7 17.6 1: Can s terbury. 7:24.0. 2; Picton I. 1 7:34.2. 3. Eights.—Avon 6.35 6 1; Christ - College. 6:38 8. 2; Picton, 6:38.8. Y WOMEN Fours.—F’lcton. 4:33.4. 1. Rlrn siheim 11. 4:42.9. 2, Blenheim 1. 4:48.2, 3. |