Busy time ahead for axemen

Press, 3 October 1979, Page 16

Busy time ahead for axemen

Axemen in Canterbury will have a particularly busy programme this month, starting with the Leeston Show on October 13. On October 20. there will be a carnival at Ferrymead, and the next day competition will be resumed at Waikuku Beach. The next week-end ecompasses two tournaments, at the Amberley Show on the Saturday and at Waipara on me Sunday. Canterbury had its first victory in "the South Island inter-provincial contest over West Coast last season and it faces its first, cup defence against Southland at Ferrymead on Labour Day Week-end.

Five* members of the successful team. Les Gilsenen, Gordon Mannering, Bob Pietzner, Bill Curtain and Joe Curtain, are available. and Roger Thain, Dennis Ealam and Dave Gibson have also been in-

cludedl in the Canterbury squad. The five chopping meetings this month should prove an ideal preparation for the four-man Canterbury squad which is to enter the southern round of the new national interprovincial competition. For the purposes of the I tournament, the southern j boundary extends to the j Waikato area, and both northern and southern regions are to find a winner and runner-up to take part in the televised final at Auckland in February. Christchurch is to be the venue for the New Zealand championships, which are also to be televised live in February. With Australia sending a team here next year and the revival of internationals between Australia and New Zealand at the Royal Sydney Show next Easter, leading axemen have plenty of incentives.