Secondary schools’ rowing regatta

Press, 24 March 1988, Page 40

Secondary schools’ rowing regatta

So big is this week’s New Zealand Cheese Maadi Cup secondary schools’ rowing regatta that is I has; attracted more competitors than the 1988 national championships. The national secondary schools’ championships are being ’ held for the f second time at Lake Ruataniwha, Twizel, lasting from I today until Saturday, with ' spare time on Sunday morning. I Taking part iwill be a sizeable figure of 910 competitors from 54 schools. 620 of them are from the' North Island. There will be; 33 events (18 men’s and 15' women’s) requiring 53 heats. i ! While the North Island school crews I generally arrived at the hydro lake at the start of this week, most of ttie southern crews have been down there since last Friday, racing in the South Island secondary schools’ regatta at the week-end and training since then. (I .I'l {' Both the Levin Jubilee Cup (under 19 girls’ eights) and Dawn Cup (under 19 girls' fours) are at present held by Marlborough , Girls’ College, again expected to perform’ well at the regatta. I Several girls 1 from the school were in the Blenheim crew which wbn the women’s senior eights; in the | recent national championships at Lake Karapiro. ' Pi] While 10 crews will contest the Levin Jubilee Cup, there are 12 entries for the men’s

blue riband event, the Maadi Cup eights; ] vith Auckland Grammar the likely favourite. 'I : li ] I j I' ' Bt th Christ s i College and Mar borough Boys’ College will compete in the Maadi Cup big-boa' I event, but Christs (College] has higher hopes: for |success in the Springbok Sh eld fours; the coxedj four inbludes two survivors; Nick: McGowan and Elliott Fullerjfrom the under 19A eight wh ch was runnerup to; Hamil on Boys’; High School in last year’s Maadi CupM. ji.. X I |. Altogether, eight rowing schoos (from Christchurch have entered the championships, w th the best prospects including] Christ’s College in the I. Springbok four, ] Rang! Rurii; in (the under-16 i girls’ eight,; St! Bede's College’ in the under-15 ! eight and Christ's: College (again in the under-16 under-17 eights. A I carrot for i competitors will be I the; announcement after ! the) regatta of the New Zealand junior trialists for a three-test series against Australia at Lake Karapiro in May. ( r James Sheehan, the publicity officer and chief startdr for the] three-day regatta, expressed! grati ude for the support of] the Canterbury Surf Life-Saving Association which has provided three “rubber duckies”: — and people to man them.