Optimism reigns in the Avon camp

Press, 6 March 1978, Page 18

Optimism reigns in the Avon camp

Avon's senior oarsmen have : made more than satisfactory pro- ■ grass at Lake Karapiro this week : In the final shake-down before j< , the national rowing champion-; shins bestin today. ; I Fred Strachan, the coach, con- ■ i ' tacted a club official in Christ- i church on Thursday and said 1 that the eight was “the best I we’ve ever had.” At the Auckland champion- i ships last week-end Avon finished i only third In the eights 'behind j Waikato and North Shore) and i fourth in the cOxed fours but the I crews, apparently, rowed to race c plan and Mr Strachan is "very/ very confident.” < The oarsmen were reported to ' be very good both physically and 1 mentally and the senior four was t “right on target" for a record < fifth title in successive years. t An unfortunate aspect of the i early nart of week was an s the-water collision which in- t volved Avon’s new Donoratico < coxless four. A gash more than i one metre long was ripped In the c side of the boat but has since been repaired. t Aven n*4 ordered a new set ef 1

12ft Sin oars and thise in fact were 12ft Sin but they have been replaced and the club hae 12 big oars to race with. Other crews from Avon, notably the maiden eight, are new on the way to Karapiro and oarsmen from the Canterbury and Union clubs are also heading there. Canterbury will have 1* oarsmen at the nationals with its representation based around a Junior eight and novice eight wit!. various smaller combinations emanating from these crews. A club eoach, Trevor to Bas, says that the rowers w!l) bo “busy boys” but he intends to keep them out of senior races altogether with the possible exceptlpn of the promising Junior coxless pair of Derek Manning and Chris Thorson Both eights should make the final as should the junior four. An unknown quantity trill be the maiden four which comprise* the bow section of the junior eight. Union is sending a maiden feus and the big single scuildr, Mark Borgfeidt,