Local sport

Press, 26 February 1977, Page 56

Local sport

Rugby transfer

The Suburbs senior rugby team will be without its Canterbury midfield back, Ricky Alien, in its coming winter campaign.

Allen. a representative player for rhe last two seasons, has been transferred to Hastings and has been granted a clearance by Suburbs.

In 1975 the youthful Allen was plucked from obscurity and placed in the responsible position of second fiveeighths for the Canterbury A side. He played eight matches for the provincial side; a kidney injury — received while taking a hard tackle in the Wellington match at Lancaster Park — limited his appearances.

Last year Allen was beaten for the position in the Canterbury side by Murray McEwan- (Christchurch), but won a place in the Canterbury B team. Allen’s transfer is a hard blow for Suburbs, which has also lost its All Black centre, Graham Sims. He has retired after an abnormal run of injuries and is now coaching the senior team. Water ski-ing ) Entries from the Christchurch, Tekapo, Clearwater, and Ellesmere clubs should ensure the success of the Canterbury water ski-ing championships at Brooklands Lagoon this week-end. Skiers have an incentive to perform well. After the championships, the Canterbury team to compete in the national championships on Lake Karapiro at Easter will be selected. Improvement can be expected from the skiers who attended the national coaching school at Lake Karapiro last month, namely Shelly Dean (girls), Rodger Dean

(boys), Hudson Dean (men),Gary Coates (men), Darren Coates (boys), Gary Hoare (men), Darren Hoare (boys), and Stephen Murray (men). A unique feature is that the chief judge for the championships is Mrs Anne Murray ("Christchurch), one of the few women holding an A grade judge’s certificate. The weather this season has been against the skiers and many of them have had only limited practice. The slalom and trick titles will be decided today and the jump championship will will be held tomorrow. Cash cycling Steve Doherty, in the senior events, and the junior, Stuart Craig, are the riders most likely to reap the richest. rewards at the Canterbury cash cycling championships today. Certainly, Doherty’s only really specialist, event is the individual pursuit — and the team pursuit, of course — but. his spirit, of aggression and strength should prove handy in the 1600 m and 16,000 m championships as well.

But Doherty, the national champion, will not have it all his own way in the pursuit. There is a strong group of Kevin Radburn, Steve Roulston, Paul Wylie and Grant Scott contesting with him the four qualifying places. Craig is likely to have too much speed for the rest in the junior events, but he could get a little nudge along on occasions from Craig Hawtin, Gary Radburnd and Stewart Findlay.

The championships will be concluded within one day, and as well as the actual ■ championship events, there will be supporting handicap races and the 3200 m Hornby wheelrace worth <s3o.

Off-shore yachts Eleven confirmed entries have been received, and quite a number of others are expected, for the Banks Peninsula Crusing Club’s annual Motunau Island race this morning. There is a particularly ! strong fleet of One Ton de- | signs. including Janna (Jack I Bridson), Sapphire {Richard Coop), Cavalier 11 (Alan IReay), and Caravelle (Grahame Thompson). The other definite starters are the One Tonner, Chantel (Don Dalton), and Main Royal (Dennis Matheson), Imp (Alan Archer), Jane Rhodes (Colin Hurd), Apiti (Rod Johnstone), Peri Banu (Chris Cotter), and Robb Roy (Pery Shepard). The 130 km event is the major offshore yachting race of the season. The course, is to a mark laid off Motunau Island and return to the finish line off the Lyttelton i Moles.

Last year the corresponding contest started promisingly in a fresh southwesterly, but became something of a lottery because of frequent wind shifts. The Craddock Cup was on that occasion won by Jim. and Evan Patterson, sailing Valencia, and they will not be defending it. Women's tennis I Results from the women’s tennis B grade field day at Wilding Park yesterday were: Mesdam.es N. de Kort and C. Pyne (Shirley), 41 points, 1; Mesdames M. McCaskey and J. Hockley (North Beach), 36. 2; Mesdames •B. Molnar and S. Leathern (Linwood Avenue), Mesdames F. Wilson and H. Lucas (Edgeware), and Mesdames C. Berryman and P. Bowden (Edgeware), 35. equal 3.