SIDELINES

Press, 11 March 1983, Page 19

SIDELINES

ANDREW STEVENSON might have won a world championship eights gold medal at Lucerne last year, but he is still prepared to mix with the minnows. During the national regatta at Lake Horowhenua last week-end, the former Otago man plumped his large frame down in a four-oared boat and proceeded to cox the Waikato coxswains in their annual “fun” race. All the way down the course, as the coxswains proceeded to row with differing degrees of ability, Stevenson made whipping motions with his hand to goad his charges into action. At the finish, he splashed water over all the crew members and then jumped out of the boat and told them to find their own way back to shore. In the serious rowing, incidentally, Stevenson helped Waikato win two championship titles (the coxed pairs and the eights) and extended his tally of red coats to four. AMONG THE spectators at Lake Horowhenua during the nationals was the former All Black prop. Mark Irwin. Mr Irwin's object of interest was his son, Sam, who stroked the Wanganui Collegiate crew to victory in the junior eights.it is probably not generally known that Mr Irwin was selected in the New Zealand rowing eight for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. In the end, though, the crew was not actually sent. THE WEEK-LONG regatta was not one of the most successful for the Avon Club, even though it made numerous finals. For the second year in a row, the premiers brought home no red coat titles. But there were wins in the lower classes from both the intermediate eight and the junior four. That four, which came from St Andrew’s College, must now be a strong prqspect to bring the Springbok Shield to the South Island for the first time in the Maadi Cup national secondary schools’ regatta later this month. “We're crossing our fingers,” said the coach, Peter de Winton. IT WAS PERHAPS inevitable, considering the rivalry between Victorians and New South Welshmen, that the erection of an electronic scoreboard at the Melbourne Cricket Ground would lead to some act in Sydney. It is now planned to have a similarly spectacular facility at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and several designs are being studied. Blueprints are also being considered for a new multi-tiered grandstand to replace the old. low “Bob Stand" (so named because it once cost one shilling to enter) next to the Hill. The Hill itself is to remain. It is hoped that the changes will be completed in time for the 1984 rugby league championship semi-finals. BERNIE WALKER and his renowned hat, with its dazzling array of badges, were essential ingredients missing from last week’s New Zealand rowing championships at Lake Horowhenua. The Avon stalwart has missed attending only two other national regattas — his last “lapse” was more than 30 years ago — since attending his first one at Picton in the 1933-34 season. He was intending to be on hand again this year, but his wife had to go to hospital for a minor operation. Mr Walker, rowing section manager at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics and a former president of the Canterbury Rowing Association, has strong memories of that 1934 national regatta. “It took nine hours to drive there to see Stiles and Thompson retain their champion coxless pairs title. The regatta was postponed and the race was eventually rowed on the Tuesday . . . after we went home.” Mr Walker noted the record entries for the 1983 championships and thinks the increased number of crews is making the event too unwieldy. “Every crew in the country gets to the championships. Once upon a time it was only the elite.” CRICKET FANS with a few spare dollars lying about have the opportunity to follow the New Zealand team when it contests the Prudential World Cup one-day series in England in June and July. Two tours have been arranged and Air New Zealand has already had a number of inquiries .for the limited number of seats which are available. New Zealand is in a pool with England. Sri Lanka and Pakistan, the top two teams after two rounds progressing to the semi-finals.