Two rowing ‘firsts’

Press, 27 April 1983, Page 52

Two rowing ‘firsts’

By TIM DUNBAR Two “firsts” were established when the members of the St Andrew’s College under 19 rowing four were jointly named as winners of the Canterbury “oarsman of the'year” award last evening.

The prestigious trophy, first presented in 1971, has never gone to schoolboy rowers before. It was also the first time that a crew, rather than an individual, had been successful. Lured into the Oxford Tavern under false pretences to receive their award last evening were John Tiso, Andrew Taylor, Graham Black, and Gary Blay, all aged 17, and the coxswain, Andrew Bird, aged 16. Tiso, the stroke, is also the head prefect of St Andrew’s.

The trophy was presented to the youthful rowers by Mr Bob Stiles, the patron of the Canterbury Rowing Association ana a 1932 Olympic Games silver medallist. Last month the St Andrew’s four became the first South Island school crew to win the Springbok Shield since it was presented to New Zealand by a South African school in 1964. Rowing in the New Zealand secondary schools’ championships at Lake Karapiro, St Andrew’s won its final by three and a half lengths. The same crew, rowing in Avon club colours, also won the New Zealand junior fours title at Lake Horowhenua in March and its winning margin of more than 16s was one of the biggest at the national re-

gatta. The Canterbury rowing selectors (Messrs John Wyllie, Trevor Le Bas, and Des Borgfeldt) were particularly impressed with the ability of the crew to row away from its opposition. Chris Duncan, a Canterbury club lightweight, won the other main award presented last evening — the Art Pickering Academy of Physical Training trophy for the best physically prepared oarsman. Last month Duncan won his first national title in 10 years of trying when he stroked the Canterbury champion lightweight coxless four to victory at Lake Horowhenua. Another lightweight, Dale Maher, of the Union club, was presented with the Sculling Cup.